Momplex

Boy oh boy did you ever make my day!!!! Thank you so much for all the support and lovely comments on my book! I so hope you love it as much as I do! I know you will! A special thanks to those of you who have preordered. Not only do you get a great discounted price, but the more preorders we get, the lower the preorder price is for everyone! AND Amazon guarantees the lowest price on preorders, so if the price drops between your preorder date and shipment - you get the lowest price! Pre

We are wired. And you know I'm not talking about too many cups of coffee for me, or too much sugar for Grace. I'm talking about the Momplex of course!

When I first started drawing plans for the Momplex, we were really invisioning something along these lines Image from The Petersen GroupOne level.  No stairs.  Senior housing.  You know what I'm talking about.But then things just worked out where we bought this lot that the Moms love.But when we were clearing the lot, I climbed up in the loader and noticed something.  Let's see if you see it too . . .View from ground levelView from the loader.Did you see it?Imagine those

The heat wave isn't here quite yet, but we've heard temperatures are coming that are not preceded with a big fat minus sign .... or followed by "below" meaning how far the mercury drops below the zero line.photo by Larry and June TaylorIt's exciting news, as we've just dealt with one of the coldest November's in Interior Alaska's history, with temperatures staying at the too cold for anyone in their right mind and despite the right cold weather gear to work on roof trusses on top of the notoriou

I've been dreading this step. 

Not because it's going to be long or hard or expensive or anything like that.

I've been dreading this step, because after today, all of the framed mountain views are going to get a mat and glass.

We are putting windows in today.  And our views are going to get a little smaller, a little less clear, a lot less fresher, but certainly much warmer.

As is, the Momplex is certainly a li

When you were growing up, did your parents every talk about someday ... maybe someday, like: "Someday, we'll add on and you won't have to share a room ..." "Someday, we are going to put a pool in the back yard ..." "Someday, we are going to gut and refinish this kitchen ..." And someday just never happened? By the time you moved out, there just wasn't time or budget or motivation to make it happen? Well, here is the big "someday" that never happened when I was growing up. "S

Did you know that roping a house in doesn't mean we actually went out and lassoed a house and roped it in? Apparently, roping a house in means the you pulled wires through the wall. Huh.

As you know, we are busy DIYing our mom's a duplex to share, dubbed the Momplex ... and moving day for one mom is fast approaching!

We are in the trimming stage for one unit in the Momplex.  We've already finished out the insides of the windows and closet openings with wood, then installed interior doors.  Then we trimmed the sides of the doorways and windows with casing, and topped it off with custom made "cheater" headers. 

Today, it's finally baseboard day

I remember back when we used our Get Out of Jail Free card on the Momplex, and I dreaded receiving comments about hiring help and taking a step off from DIY.

But you totally suprised me.

Instead, many of you commented that a good DIYer knows when to DIY, and when to seek help.

The primary reason we hired out the drywall finishing is tool investment.  In order to tool up to do two homes worth of drywall, we'd be into it about as much as the cost of hiring

The hill has a big hole in it. On Saturday morning, the big boss showed up at the top of the hill. And for the next two days, it pulsed a tiny red laser light around and around, watching what we were doing.The laser level has a buddy, called a detector, that you attach to a big measuring stick.  He's kind of the inside guy, with the inside scoop.  When the detector is level with the flashing red light, it beeps, and you know how deep to dig. But before we get to digging, w

You know all to well, DIY saves money. And on this most monster of DIY projects - a duplex for our mothers fondly referred to as the Momplex - not hiring contractors has saved us quite a bit of money. But it's the little things, the small decisions over time, that really add up. It's using materials smartly to minimize waste and reusing scraps that are the silver lining. And when you are the one writing the check, you really take a minute to consider what you are buying, and how you ca

Coulda shoulda woulda.  I only think it's fair to share with you our mistakes - and not just our successes - as we build the Momplex.  We are, after all, not perfect ... not even professionals.  We are just people, with a dream and a determination to take on the ulitmate of DIY projects.  And of course, along the way, we will have coulda shoulda woulda moments.  Remember when we put the foam up to cover the concrete to allow the concrete to cure?  If we had to do it

We are inside the Momplex. I cannot believe I just typed that! Nearly a year and a half since we started with a raw piece of Alaska land, we are finally working on the interior of the Momplex! Now we won't be getting to the really fun stuff - furnishing the Momplex! - for a little while - we've still got utilities to run in the walls, insulating, drywall and flooring ... but a girl can daydream about media walls and beds and bathroom vanites with hutches, right? Oh the things to keep

You know how when you buy a new phone or a new tv, or any electronic for the matter, you have this nagging feeling that whatever it is, it's already outdated and there's something new coming along that's faster, easier, cheaper, better? After we finished up the water supply lines, there's just a few things left before we can start putting drywall up. We've got to get the small electrical stuff run in the walls, things like thermostats and phone lines and networking cables and tv jacks.