Salutations

Hi. I'm Zanne.

I'm originally from California but I've moved all over the country and then lived overseas in Singapore (4 years) and Guam (5 years). I'm currently stuck in Louisiana. I live with my widowed disabled mother and my younger brother on a 32 acre farm. We have two cows, four dogs, and fourteen cats. My father was an avid DIYer who served in the Army and federal law enforcement before retiring at 55. He passed away a few years ago and I've been trying to keep things up as I was the only one in the household who used to help him with projects. We were like two of the three stooges sometimes (he'd pick up a board and go to turn and thwack me in the head or we'd bump in to each other, or he'd splatter paint on me when we were painting together). It was still good quality time though. He passed away suddenly and unexpectedly during the middle of a bathroom remodel. I have yet to finish the project, but I'm hoping to make some more progress soon. I don't have the same level of knowledge nor the hand strength he had, so things are a bit more challenging.

I initially joined in on the plumbing forum and Chris invited me over here as well since my projects go beyond just the plumbing. (Thanks, Chris!)

I like to watch DIY programs, House Hunters, House Hunters Intnerational, Income Property, and various things that have information on what to look for in homes and what to avoid and how to do things or how NOT to do things. I've been trying to brush up on the local plumbing codes here. I also like to play with computer graphics and I play Sims 3 (although I mostly enjoy the building aspect).

I find introduction posts to be awkward. And I'm sure you've noticed that I babble a LOT.

Welcome to the site.

Hey Zannej! You are very cordially welcome here. Your Intro was poignant and fun at the same time. I think you will find a lot of great advice here and some interesting characters.

I always urge "newbies" to post detailed situations, include good pics, and to use the Facebook protocol to "Like" helpful advice.

I hope you can finish the bathroom remodel as a testament to your Dad and the times you spent together. He would be proud of you!

to House Repair Talk!

Thanks, guys! I wish I'd found this forum when he was still alive. I think he would have enjoyed it and we could have planned some projects together. My current project had a snafu with self-leveling flooring fail. I'll have to post some pictures in the Projects section and describe what went down with that. Too bad I don't have any "before" pictures of the original bathroom with carpet. *shudder*

My Dad and I learned a few things from each other over the years. I learned to wear a hat when he was painting and to always look at the steps before walking down them to avoid stepping on cordless drill batteries and dislocating my ankle. He learned that I made funny sounds when he splashed me with paint and not to leave cordless drill batteries lying on the steps.

When we had a horse it would be fun trying to work because the horse liked to steal tools and knock stuff over. We were painting wood sealant on the fence posts one day and I heard my father say "Beans, I wouldn't eat that if I were you" Next thing I know I heard the horse spitting and hopping up and down. Now I mostly have to deal with being followed around by cats or my cow. The older cow thinks the most fun game in the world is to charge at me and swing her head all around. She no longer headbutts me (she loved to do that when she was a calf), and she won't trample me if I fall down-- she just nuzzles me. She's not very aware of her horns though.

I'm glad people here are so friendly. I've been to some forums where the people get nasty if someone talks about anything personal rather than just focusing on the projects. This one and the plumbingforum seem very welcoming.

Welcome zannej and thanks for liking the thread of my personal home rebuild journey. Like you I learned a great deal from my dad as a boy and young man and lost him rather early. I still have a lot of his tools and when I use them it always brings back times together.

The guys here are easy going and don’t mind mixing some fun in with the work or hearing of one’s personal life with regard to what they are working on. I try and help when I can and learn when I cant help.

Looking forward to seeing some of your projects.

Welcome stranger!

Welcome, glad you finally made it over.

Thanks, everyone. Good to see some familiar folks around here.

Welcome Zannej.

I'm pretty sure you will learn more here than you can from any "DIY" TV show. Most of them are more interested in styles than construction. It seems they think it's more entertaining to see stuff falling on heads.

But here is a place for thinking a project through. Learn, share, enjoy.

Yeah, I do get annoyed when I watch some of the DIY or renovation programs when they destroy stuff that could be preserved and either sold or donated to other people. I also get annoyed when they spend $ that they could use on essential things to decorate and stage the scene. Like Love It or List It. I see the designs and think: They could have redone that bathroom they took off the list if they had not purchased that fancy junk that is only decorative. I don't think I'd ever be able to turn my house over to a designer without being able to give input on details. I like Houzz and Polyvore because I can put together Ideabooks and even make a collage of ideas for rooms.

I do think that careful planning is essential. And always expect the unexpected. LOL.