Just when the duplex renovation seemed to be moving along, we hit an unexpected snag that led to an emergency trip to Cape Charles and a tense appearance before the Historic Review Board. Here we share the full story, an update on our month-long shopping ban (temptations, beware), and a practical discussion about transporting large materials and furniture when you don’t own a truck. We DIY a lot, but we don’t own the stereotypical DIY vehicle — so this week we explain how we manage anyway. Maybe millennials are just particularly resourceful…
You can download the episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify — or listen to it below. Use this page to find any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might need to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- That photo was taken from the duplex backyard and shows a quirky chimney that twists and shifts as it passes through the second floor. After the contractor removed the unstable portion above the roofline, we installed temporary framing to keep the remaining chimney secure while it’s rebuilt.
- Here’s a closer view of the chimney where it winds through the first-floor ceiling. It’s wild — Sherry says it looks like a mud-built bird nest.
- This before photo shows the chimney wasn’t visible from the street. It sits at the very back of the house, and the low-pitched roof hid it from the sidewalk and street, so the Historic Review Board approved removing the unsafe section above the roofline.
- We didn’t snap photos during the meeting — those hearings always feel so formal and nerve-wracking — but I did grab this shot of the building where it took place. The meeting was held in a charming old church that now functions as the town’s Civic Center. The echoey space only amplified the challenge of keeping our four-year-old quiet for the three-hour session.
Updates
- If you missed our original discussion about the shopping ban, we first introduced it in Episode #89 and outlined the rules in Episode #93.
- There’s an interesting conversation in the comments of this Instagram post and this Facebook post about other ways people handle their own shopping hiatuses.
- We also previously blogged about the craft fair we mentioned — the Richmond Craft Mafia’s Spring Bada-Bing show — and we regularly participate in a Handmade Holiday market in December.
Listener Question
- The photo above shows the time we trimmed some Ikea cover panels in the parking lot so they would fit in the back of our Toyota Highlander. They were side panels for the beach house kitchen island; I made a rough cut with a cordless jigsaw in the parking lot and finished the cut precisely once we reached the beach house — but this interim move got the panels into the car.
- I used the same trick years ago to transport drywall for our second house’s kitchen — once even shoehorning it into a Nissan Altima.
- Our current vehicle is a 2014 Toyota Highlander. We bought it before our son was born because two car seats and a dog crate made the Altima too cramped. It’s not a truck, but it’s been surprisingly useful for hauling oddly shaped items.
- We do rent larger trucks when a project requires it. For smaller jobs we’ll use the hourly trucks at Home Depot or Lowe’s, and for something bigger we’ll rent a U-Haul. Below is a photo from when I rented a truck for materials for our irrigation project.
- We also wrote about “Hauling Things With A Tiny Car” back in 2010, when we still had a Nissan Maxima. Sherry later remembered the post because of a picture of her squeezed into the backseat while we transported bi-fold doors. Ah, the glamorous blog life.
We’re Digging
- We were trying to describe a photograph we saw from @kmsalvagedesign on Instagram. The artist sells prints on her website, and they’d look great on their own or as part of a gallery wall.
- She recently posted a compelling time-lapse video of creating one of her pieces that shows how meticulous the process is.
- Our kids have been loving Aquabeads lately. Our son received a Beginner’s Studio for his birthday, and our daughter is getting a Deluxe Studio. It will be great for them to have separate stations instead of taking turns, and we may grab a refill pack down the road.
If you’re trying to remember which past episode featured something we mentioned, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging across all episodes.
Finally, thanks to Room & Board for sponsoring this episode. We love their furniture — including the bunk bed that inspired our beach house bunks — and you can browse their selection at roomandboard.com/YHL. You can also sign up for a free catalog on their site.
Thanks for listening!
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