Our 1940s house’s bathroom and mudroom This timeline of the project doesn’t account for the daily, sometimes multiple trips through out the summer to Home Depot, Lowes, OSH, or the mom and pop hardware store around the corner. I think they will all know me on a first name basis when we are finally finished. Late June Well, the week after school got out for summer, we broke out the tools and removed the paneling and dry wall to see…
After 14+ years of talking about it, there is no turning back. We tore out the floor, walls, and avocado green sink in our home’s addition in 1971 of a half 1/2 bath and bare laundry room. It is our huge summer project of changing the bathroom into a full bath, opening the adjoining wall to our bedroom, and then adding badly needed storage in the laundry room/mud room. We are working within the existing footprints of the spaces….
Like most avid gardeners, I love to compost. Along with improving home energy efficiency, practicing water conservation, and reducing the amount of meat the family eats, home composting is one of the most environmentally beneficial activities we can do here. Instead of buying bagged soil amendments, I create my own endless supply. I have tried using many kinds of compost bins and piles over the last 15 years. I had an expensive black plastic bin that came apart in sections…
I love to repurpose things whenever possible. A couple of my latest projects involve Greek Olive Oil Barrels. Project 1: Drinking Water Storage. When we put in the tankless/ on demand water heater, one major concern was we would no longer have a tank water heater for an Emergency Water source in case of disaster like an major earthquake. We needed to find a green alternative, just in case. I decided an extra large food grade barrel would be the…
What do you buy an old fashioned, practical girl for her birthday? Not diamonds, clothes, or furs; a tankless hot water heater! According to my husband, it was my birthday present this year since it was completed the night before my birthday. He did get me a few other things, but this was best. I will no longer be stuck with tepid or cold water since I am last in line on school days for a morning shower. We had…
Warm weather has returned to SoCal because I caught a Black Soldier Fly in the house today. Most people would say that the flies and larvae are gross! However, I was thrilled to catch it, and I promptly gave her to my neighbor who has been hoping to establish them in her own compost without having to buy them. I also gave her a few scoops of our compost that has had plenty of the larvae present in the past….
For a long time the greywater bin was hidden away behind perennials and was a family secret. There were strict laws in California prohibiting its use without special building permits. However, on August 4th, 2009, in response to growing concerns over our severe drought, the state Building Standards Commission voted to pass the new California greywater code (Chapter 16 in the CA Plumbing Code) which allows residents to dispel washing machine and shower greywater into their landscapes without needing a…