Our Gift from INGO (Project Snapdragon)

[williamsburg]

I probably shouldn't have stickied it. The only way I could have done a better job of guaranteeing that no one would see it would be to put it in the FAQ.

FAQ whats that?.....oh yeah i've heard of those things...we have one?

there for a moment i thought you was a talking about that sweatin to the oldies guy


glad it worked out for all parties involved...another reason why is the bestest of the bestest

 

[hotfarmboy1]

I just now got to this thread. I'm glad you both were able to find something that you wanted to do with the money. I'm glad to see it is being put to good use and you are both happy!!

 

[lovemywoods]

Update #2

So the projects continue, and now we're focusing on my photo studio (that's a little photographer humor). We discovered that by removing the closets between that room and what had been our daughter’s room, I could gain a valuable 4 feet to the length of the studio.

The first picture is of one end of the room. You can see my [now dusty] muslin backdrops hanging on the wall. I removed the carpeting and pad, and what you see on the floor is the remainder of the adhesive from tiles that had once been there.

The next picture is the morning after we thought about removing the closets. In my eagerness to see what it might look like, I grabbed a hammer and began bashing the closet wall. You'll note throughout this project that I'm not as neat and detailed as Dave - I still had things stored in the one closet when I began . . . [Dave's comment: Note too that there isn't any plastic up to stop the dust! ]

In the third shot we're down to the framing, and in the final picture both closets are gone. The doorway you see on the left will have closet doors re-installed, to gain access to Kelly's room, which is now officially "the storage room". I can't tell you how pleased we are to have an entire room to relieve the house overcrowding, as there are no coat closets or storage closets in the whole house; only 2 bedroom closets. There will finally be a place to put the sweeper, cleaning supplies, etc.

We had a contractor here this morning to give us an estimate on filling in the drywall gaps and matching the ceiling texture. When he's done, Dave will add some new baseboard pieces where the closets had been. I'll paint the room, and the new carpeting will be installed a week from Saturday. Then this room will be done!

 

[shooter1054]

Dave and Jenn, Thank you for your generosity in opening up your home to us. I truely hope you enjoy your remodel. I am an interior trim carpenter by trade, so if there is any help I can offer, or and questions I can answer, please ask. My schedule is rather open right now so I have the time. Thanks for keeping us posted on the progress!

 

[Benny]

For those of you just now reading this, let me give you some background on this project.

Back in October several members of the Staff (mainly Scutter01) pitched an idea to raise some funds as a way of saying "Thank You" to lovemywoods and Mrs. lovemywoods for their hosting efforts over the last 4 years.

Because lovemywoods is a Mod, we had to take special measures to keep this a secret. So we set up a "private" forum that could only be seen by members who had previously been to lovemywoods' place (about 100 members). We codenamed the effort "Project Snapdragon".

The original PM sent to those members can now be seen here: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...1-recognition_for_mr_and_mrs_lovemywoods.html

The fund raising effort was a smashing success, with over $2,500 raised! INGOers are truely one-of-a-kind!

We presented the gift to lovemywoods and Mrs. lovemywoods at the INGO Staff Christmas party. Their reaction was priceless and we caught it on film!

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...s_a_success_now_with_video_of_the_reveal.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1XBA0WG5uQ&feature=player_embedded

Now that the cat's out of the bag and they have decided how they are using the funds, the "private" threads have been moved here to the Break Room.

I'm looking forward to seeing the periodic updates!!

Very cool. Your Dad's reaction is priceless.

 

[pinshooter45]

Ahhh the pictures remind me of gutting and doing a total remodel of our bathroom this spring! Have Fun!

 

[lovemywoods]

Update #3

A couple of things to report regarding the basement facelift.

The first picture is of Dave, a Brown County contractor, who came on Monday to do the initial work on the drywall "fill in" where the closets had been in the studio. It's all patched in now, and has the first coat of mud. He had to sand back part of the ceiling texture so he could try to match it later. He'll be coming back tomorrow morning, then one more day after that. I was hoping to get the room painted before the carpeting goes in Saturday, but it may be too close in timing to get two coats; we'll see.

The second picture shows the legs of the table I just bought for the craft room, that matches the china cabinet. Since there was sanding going on downstairs, I painted them on the kitchen island. See those medallions? That's the same design as some drawer pulls I already had, that I then put on the doors of the base of the china cabinet. An amazing match.

I do have to say a special thank you to lovemywoods, and Kr_Treefrog2. Kr_Treefrog2 came over yesterday on her only day off last week, and helped me sand and paint the table legs. What we didn't get finished, LMW surprised me by finishing after I had called it quits and gone off to bed for the night. What a treat to start this morning, knowing I only had to do one coat today and I'd be done! So, later this evening I'm going to sand the table top, maybe even get a start on painting it.

Hang in there with me - - the end is in sight!

Mrs. LMW

 

[Clay]

Very nice!! Those medallions bare a striking resemblance to the Emperor of Japan's seal (the chrysanthemum) which was put on all of the Arisaka rifles used by the Japanese army during WWII (and probably before and after as well)!!.

So its even gun related!

 

[esrice]

Progress looks good!

 

[lovemywoods]

The project is coming along and will take a big leap forward with the carpet installation this weekend.

I will admit, however, that we've reached the stage in this renovation that happens in many projects where you're tired, the excitement has waned, and you just want it DONE! So, we'll push through and good things will happen.

By next Monday, Mrs. LMW will be sorting through her stuff and starting to set up her craft room! (And maybe I'll be able to sneak off and get some reloading done! )

 

[OneBadV8]

looking good so far... Looking forward to more updates as they come.

 

[lovemywoods]

Update #4

Today is Carpet Day - this is what you bought for us! LMW and I are waiting for the installers this morning, so I'm upstairs one last time before my computer is disassembled to move downstairs.

We hired a man to finish the drywall in the studio, where the closets had been. At the last he decided he wouldn't be able to match the ceiling pattern well, and asked LMW to take over. So, several YouTube videos later, he gave it his best shot. Here's a picture of him with his stomping tools - and you really did have to stomp the ceiling with a pretty good whomp. And yes, it did splatter everywhere else, too! We were both pleased with how it turned out, and he did an admirable job of matching the existing pattern. Then the next morning we were a bit disappointed to find that the drywall compound shrank somewhat, and the peaks were no longer as pronounced as they had been. But all in all, he did far better than the drywaller's initial attempts.

The ceiling has been painted over the repaired area, and yesterday we were able to get one coat of paint on the walls. That's all we could get down before the carpet installers are scheduled to arrive. It's not a very pretty color, but for a photo studio the neutral gray will not bounce any color around from the flash units. The picture shows where the closets used to be. The opening on the left will have wooden closet doors. You can see the storage room on the other side.

The next picture is the storage room itself. The last two are the main room, and the interior doorway to the studio. The next pictures I take will be of the new carpeting!

Mrs. LMW

 

[Kedric]

Looks awesome! It is amazing how the folks of this forum come together. Thank you for opening your home and range to the members here, and thanks to all the members who make this such a special community.

I have not yet had the privilege of attending an INGO event there, but I hope to at a later date this year.

 

[esrice]

Wow! Looks like its coming along really well!

I'll be there tomorrow to help move all the heavy furniture from the loft to the basement.

 

[balorg]

Congratulations on receiving the gift and thank you for hosting my wife and I at your lovely home.

 

[Fenway]

Coming along nicely.... Looking forwards to more pics!

 

[esrice]

Coming along nicely.... Looking forwards to more pics!

I was there yesterday with some family friends helping to move furniture and "stuff" down into the newly carpeted basement. We assembled some shelving and got them placed in the storage room. I don't know where Mom kept all this "stuff" before, because we filled the floors of 3 rooms and she still had more upstairs.

The basement looks great with the new carpet and it really makes the entire space quite homey. Mom will be spending the next week getting things organized and into place.

Her update will be somewhat delayed because they had to break down their computers, but she'll be along later with some pictures.

 

[lovemywoods]

The Project is Complete!

The basement renovation is done! It turned into a bit bigger project than we originally anticipated, but the results are worth it!

When we posted last, we were ready for the carpet to be installed.

The carpet went down without a hitch. The pattern and color look great! The day the carpet went in, the basement changed dramatically.

We worked many hours to transform the basement and make it far better than it was. Jenn’s new and improved studio gives her additional space for setting up the right shot. The storage room holds her craft and photo gear as well as some household things. The main room houses our computer area and a huge table for a crafting work surface. Jenn loves the space she now has to make whatever she wants to!

Here are two examples of her recent creations:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...cial_ingo_beer_snob_thread-2.html#post2611167

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break_room/198037-unique_ingo_craft_gift.html#post2642436



Jenn created some before and after views of the basement to share with our INGO friends.

Here is the main room:

There is an open wall above our computer tables. Jenn is thinking that some kind of large photo montage would look good there. (Photo quiz! Can you find the cat in the picture?)


Looking the other direction:

And another view in the main room. Jenn bought the table and china cabinet used for $80 and then invested sanding and painting time. I think the results were outstanding!

A former bedroom became the storage room. We added 6 storage shelf units, a cabinet, and wall shelf.

Previous posts showed us taking out two closets to lengthen the studio to give Jenn more room to set up her shots. We also painted the room an 18% grey color. According to Jenn, this makes the room ‘neutral’ in regards to its affect on the subjects being photographed.

Jenn and I have a phrase we use with projects. It’s called “Chasing the Ugly”. It is meant to describe what happens when you improve one area of your house, then, as you stand back and admire your efforts, you find that another part of that area suddenly stands out demanding attention. You might have looked at that wall, door, corner, cabinet, etc. for years and not had a problem with its appearance. But now, it’s glaring at you.

Well, it happened again!

First we decided to paint the ceiling fan paddles; then patch, sand and paint some wall trim pieces. Then I noticed that we had several 6-panel doors that were in poor shape…stains, dusty, little or no varnish. So, I sanded, stained, and varnished five of the basement doors. The results were dramatic but the work was tedious and took far longer than I originally anticipated. However, the results were worth the effort! What had been dull dry doors now have a nice rich color and protective varnish finish. The doors really add to the overall ‘finished’ look of the basement.

Thank you again INGO! Every day we are reminded of your thoughtful gift. The basement went from being an eyesore and of limited utility to a pleasant area that provides lots of space for us for hobbies and for needed storage.

We can’t adequately describe the appreciation we feel for our INGO friends that are fast becoming INGO family! We’re looking forward to nicer weather and more opportunities to spend time with you.

 

[mammynun]

Did you remember to write "mammynun" on the back of the wall plate that I helped buy?

Glad you're done with it! We remodeled our living room a couple of years ago, so I feel your relief from here.



ETA: Where's the moose?

 

[esrice]

Looks great!

The basement space is now very useable and is quite cozy on winter days when the weather is bad. And then there's the view of the lake from the patio door. . . . .