Stairs are done. Railings are up and look good.

We are very excited that one of instructor Rex Spencer’s classes from the Art Institute of Houston will be using Independence Art Studios as a four-week long case study project. Each student will work up a complete package for our little bit of nirvana, from site plan to interior finishes. About 20 students toured the…

The framers are really moving things along and I’m feeling a little dizzy from the speed of it. Part of the disorientation is that I’m not actually doing the work, so I feel a little detached. The other big part is that, because I don’t know what I’m doing, when I’m doing the work it…

I’m not entirely new to sacks of concrete, but I have waaaaay miscalculated today. My guess is 3 small sacks per hole. I get a U-Haul, rent a mixer, bring it all home and go through 14 sacks for each of my first two holes. Back to Lowe’s, take a ribbing from the forklift guy…

No matter how professional contractors are, I learn today that it is always best to be on-site while they’re working. The first problem arises when the framers confuse our project with something professional and go and make the deck level. I haven’t found anything on our property that is level or has a 90 degree…

I want to be a framer when I grow up. He keeps the big picture in his head while keeping track of every detail that might affect where to cut or where to nail. He chops a giant timber using a circular saw while holding the wood on the toe of his boot, then pow…