Gut a house and refurbish

in addition to the automatic cleaner Pi suggested, I'd suggest getting a trampoline and placing it in front of the cabana. That way you could jump off the roof of the cabana onto the trampoline and into the pool. I'll bet you could make the triple lindy look like childs play.


all joking aside, aren't you afraid the palm trees will attract wild monkeys? you'll soon grow tired of their mischievous hijinks.

 

lol

i just might get all buzzed and try that trampoline thing.

 

I would, but the ice hasn't completely melted yetLOL

 

Don't do it RD. You'll spring right over the pool and plant both feet up to your ankles on the far end of the pool.

Although if you have consumed the appropriate amount of beer you won't feel a thing.

 

trampolines and buzzes don't mix well.

 

memories

now that summer is gone, i will begin some projects slated for this fall and winter. i want to remove some old chain link fence and underbrush out back and along the NW property line. then remove some clutter from the basement, scrape down the cinder block walls, re-seal, paint, mount the old kitchen cabinets, create work/whatever areas, and mount my 32" tv. this one will take a while. if i have time and if i feel like it, i would like to try my hand at a stone patio thing over near the pool (as if i dont have enough outdoor living space already). it will take some hand grading but i can handle it. we shall see.

i would like to post some pics but we got a new Dell PC and it has Vista. the pic re-sizing program that Bootay linked for me wont work with Vista, i tried. does anybody have any solutions?

tia, VI

 

unfortunately, nothing as awesome as that utility. But Vista includes Windows Live Photo Gallery, which is a great way to manage pictures. It can resize pictures for you very quickly and easily. You also can just e-mail to yourself using outlook, it'll ask you what size you want pics to be, or right-click a picture from explorer and edit, there is an e-mail option there that also lets you shrink'm.

 

thanks bootay, you da man. i'll tinker around with it this weekend when im not watching football.

 

applied the final two coats of primer, on the last remaining wall in the basement, last night...caulked the holes too. everything else has been primed and painted, one section at a time. i'll put the final two coats of paint on that wall this saturday. i've been at it for several weeks, at night and on the weekend.

then i plan on getting the old concrete floor ready for stain. i got some holes to patch, then i'll etch, stain and seal. has anybody done this before? i've read a few articles, talked to some folks, but i'd like to hear what yall have to say.

i also put in two new vinyl hopper style windows on the east wall cause the old metal ones were trashed. there were already two full sized vinyl windows on the south facing wall so i didnt have to do anything with them except for sturdying them up and filling the gaps with spray foam.

 

Need more info.....

....about the basement walls and floor. You mention that the floor is "old" concrete. Most concrete floors lose their slick finish over time. If this is what you've got, then no etching with acid is required. Etching only breaks down the hard surface portion of the cement that rises to the top of a concrete slab when its installed.
As for staining, go for it. Nothing to add to help out here other than big time airflow/ventilation. As for sealing the newly stained surface, make sure you check with a tile store for their reccommendations on how soon you should apply the sealer. If applied before the stain cures (not when it dries to touch), but cures completely, the sealer will draw out the stain and leave a mess.
For any basement redo.............make sure that you've got the below ground moisture factor taken into consideration. Good Luck.