K judyg and olldbob, just thinking about the amount of chit we have stirred up on that thread. They probably think were all nuitz!!!! I will try to behave but that was way too funny and highly unlikely :)

olldcan, we ARE all nutz!!! Can you only imagine how boring we would be if we weren't nutz?

There's a new design dilemma about replacing a boob light. With another boob light. I cannot go there.

A what light? Hey, we have fun, but we also have lots to offer. But that sofa??????? Do you think someone took the ugly and put tape on it and posted it just to see what we would say? That looked like something from a Beatles movie after they started doing serious drugs. Coo,coo,a,choo. Needs a walrus sitting on it.

Just being allowed a quick breather between paint coats and skimmed the last couple of days - my God what are you lot on!!! Don't know when I last laughed so much. BH keeps looking at me funny, I think he really thinks I have lost it.

Come again, what did you loose olldroo, let me get my glasses so I can help you find it. Was it your nutzzz?

Ha Ha!!! I was only reading yesterday's thread trying to catch up and was thinking of Buttercup - we could have been butt groupies!!!

I don't think rainy days are good for you.............waaaaaaay too much time on your hands.

creeser - love your lost animals story. That would be me too, but don't get too hopeful, depends on how old they are and how long they have been lost. Some of them can't be domesticated which is sad.

My goodness how much are properties around you?? I'm not sure of the size of homes around here we worked on different measurements and I have no idea how to convert but I think from what I read here, ours would be about 1500 - 1700 and we are talking $1m.

mm, sounds like our home price ranges are close. Here a 1500-1700 sq ft home goes for $80K-$180 depending on the section of town and whether it has siding or brick. Brick homes go for about $10K more in that size range.
The cat and dog I'm out to rescue look to be about 4 mos old. We went by where I had seen them twice yesterday and couldn't find them. We will look again this morning, but hubby is going to my parents' house to try and fix the plumbing my 85 year old dad demolished Friday. He gets confused somewhat and unclogging the bathroom sink turned into cutting all the piping underneath the house.
Son-in-law had a wreck late yesterday. He's ok. So my rescue cohorts are thinning.

Creeser, glad your son-i-l is ok, but had to laugh at your dad, I can so relate to things like that. Wonder if and when we will become a problem like that for our kids and how far they will go for us. I think mine are already making reservations for me. What are the prospects for leasing in your town? A lot of Aussies are investing in the US because of our housing prices. Not looking for any capital gains, like here, just the income, I've heard returns of around 35% are not unrealistic where here you would only be talking around 6%.

Four months old - the animals should be worthwhile rescuing.

Michi, have to admit I love oak in general, there are many different ones, but my favourite is our Tasmanian Oak. If you saw my carpet photo the timber in that is the Tassie Oak - extremely hard too. .

roo, I tell my kids about these things and let them know our time is coming. My daughter has laid dibs on me and said our son can take care of daddy. *L* I told her we're a package deal, but if that meant I'd be under our son's care instead of her's, then I would reconsider.
In our particular town, housing rentals are big. That's only because we have a military base in town and it was expanded a few years ago. The military personnel are transferred so often, they don't want to buy, they rent. We've been buying up a lot of properties and fixing them up for rentals as our retirement income. 30 miles away where my parents live, rental properties are as weak as the housing sales.

I don't have much choice with my kids with one living in Munich and one in LA. Don't think my Aussie based one is very impressed at being left with everything.

Oh, wow, you are in the box seat with a military base in town. Our military people are like that too, with all the taxes, it would get too expensive buying and selling all the time. Many do buy one property at least and lease it out as a way of getting a foot in the property market for when they retire. Are your military personnel subsidised for their rentals? Ours are here and in many cases the military actually lease homes out and then provide them to personnel for a token rental. Leasing properties to the Forces is a pretty good move here as you are assured of a regular income and reliable people living in the house.

Afraid it is bedtime for me again, just as everything gets started. So cold again, I have even been taking my wheat pack to bed. Wouldn't think it is 2 weeks till summer.

roo, they are subsidised. The higher the rank, the more they get for their housing allowance. As there, they usually do have one home they buy for retirement or maybe for tax purposes. Certain states charge less or auto and property taxes. The funny thing is, none of our rental properties are rented by anyone in the military and only one ever has been over the years. A lot of what we get, we start to fix up and one of our subcontractors or employees ask if they can rent it.
G'night roo. Sweet dreams!

Catching up .. before Hurricane Sandy, you could pay close to $2 million, for what would amount to a bungalow/cottage, on the beach or a "beach block" on the NJ Shore! Now, I can't imagine too many people even wanting one of them, if they haven't been washed away or demolished! A cousin sent me a link to these "before & after" photos, of the shore area, that are amazing in showing the damage: http://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/hurricane-sandy-before-after-photos/

I'm very happy taking care of the wildlife, since I had to have my 2 cats euthanized, over the past 10 years. There are lots of birds, and at night it's the raccoons & possum.

Catching up .. before Hurricane Sandy, you could pay close to $2 million, for what would amount to a bungalow/cottage, on the beach or a "beach block" on the NJ Shore! Now, I can't imagine too many people even wanting one of them, if they haven't been washed away or demolished! A cousin sent me a link to these "before & after" photos, of the shore area, that are amazing in showing the damage: http://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/hurricane-sandy-before-after-photos/

I'm very happy taking care of the wildlife, since I had to have my 2 cats euthanized, over the past 10 years. There are lots of birds, and at night it's the raccoons & possum.

Hi astraea! Thanks for sharing the pictures with us, it's just so horrible! No, I don't think anyone will pay near that amount now.

Everyone, I'm going to open 11/18 now! Anyone can do this you know? Doesn't have to be me!

I responded to Jade who was upset with our convo about the sofa. What else to do with someone (MIG) looking for free advice at our expense (time, energy and creativity.) More fun to make fun than to get ticked off.

astraea, I remember asking my grandfather why he built on a river rather than the ocean (1910) when lots he could have had for $200.00 were then selling for around $50,000 (1963) and he said too much wear and tear and the threat of losing his home in a storm wasn't a risk he was willing to take. A new construction that I pass on my morning walk, on a 40,000 sq ft lot, looking straight out to England :>) and the LOT sold for $1.5 m.

JudyG - A lot has to do with how high above sea level the property is. On some parts of the Manasquan River near me, the homes are 40' above the water level, which is pretty safe .. albeit inconvenient going up & down 2 flights of stairs down to a dock. A neighbor of mine just relisted his house $200K higher, changing the description to include "95' above sea level"! Most people don't think about the impact on insurance, if they live within a certain distance of water! I found out that my whole county is designated "high winds", so premiums are higher .. and I wouldn't be surprised if they're double or triple, for people within 1,000 ft of the shore.

We pay huge insurance premiums, also. In this house we do not pay flood insurance for some reason. 95' above sea level and charging more…well, he has a captured audience right now. Normally that walk down to the dock would be a reason NOT to buy the house. I'd have to throw the life preservers down first. :>)

oh ladies...you will ot believe what i've been doing...NOT what i planned of course. and i can't stay on here but a second. old on, i'm gonna take a pic....don't judge it yet, but i am loving it!! went to the fireplace this weekend instead.. teehee! :)

Mendi, WHAT???

before and durin...so far

Looks great! Is it paint? What color/brand?

i'll show ya! not done yet, j's at the hoe depot buying more wood!!

no pics won't download!! ;( that's b4

process

You clad it with wood! What kind, and how did you do it? Sometime you have to reboot to get pics to attach.

MP, love it! Did you prestain or do you stil have to stain it?

still have to stain and doing mantle NOW!!! haha! I'm calling it the Jenga Fireplace! HA! It really looks great in person!! I'm thrilled!!! :) It's poplar and very pretty!!!

Bottom still has to be done too...maybe a thin concrete slab on top and wood below flush with it....

be back later! lol

At first I thought it was stacked stone (or cultured stone), not wood. That's what I put on my fireplace; would have liked real stone, but it would have broken the budget! Before on left, after on right

astraea, nice!

til tomorrow!!

astraea - thanks for the link to the storm damage. I had seen the one on the Japanese earthquake before. Modern technology is so amazing. Thanks for sharing your room too, your fireplace looks lovely. You guys and all your fireplaces make me wish I had one.

mp - can't believe you could do that so quickly. One minute you are talking about it and the next it is done and looks great. Are you going to put a poly finish over the stain? Don't know if I have explained, but I am a Capricorn and can't help myself when it comes to practical, especially where housework is concerned and I'm thinking "dust" right now.

judy - I tried to make light to Jade before she got too upset. So hard when I was killing myself laughing. At the time I was thinking about MIG though and way he put that post up, I read it that he was sending the whole thing up which was pretty unprofessional of him so after his further comments I have told him so this morning.

Onto today's episode - see what nonsense you are all up to. .

MP, can't wait to see the tomorrow photos. Is that your B H doing that work? Wow!

oldroo, I know, thanks. I honestly thought at first that sofa was a joke. I checked out his website and the sofas from Spain cost thousands! Who would even consider? Then I realized this is MIG's modus operandi. Done it before and it wastes my time. Grrrrrr.

Judy - oh well maybe me telling him I thought he was unprofessional might make him think twice in future. I keep cracking up at one designer saying it had kerb appeal. So clever.

I really do think though it could have possibilites in a rumpus room or somewhere like that, the contrast colours didn't scream obvious. I really liked the shape and style of it. Took me ages though to work out the leaf pattern, I honestly thought it looked like cobwebs - hence the Halloween comment.

I just went searching for a wild sofa, roo, and i plugged in contemporary sofa and guess what popped up at the bottom of the page? Olld1117! I just can't laugh any more. Going to watch the Good Wife, which I was not today:>)
http://www.houzz.com/photos/basement/comtemporary-sofa-/p/24

Judy, I just went into his website - don't know if it is the Spanish influence, oh hang on it must be HE isn't a designer, those lounges just get worse!!!!

Didn't get into The Good Wife. When it started it conflicted with another show I was watching and didn't feel like coming in half way through.

Who is MIG, and where was that discussion?

I would think people have to be very careful with the finishes they put on fireplace surrounds, because if there's any flammable off-gas from it, you could have a fire blow out into the room because of the coating! Like polyurethane for example: http://research.chem.psu.edu/hragroup/flame_resistant_materials.htm

Hi astraea! MIG is a furniture designer that stirred up a hornet's nest, here's the link: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/sofa-from-spain-how-do-you-like-this-custom-order-fabric-dsvw-vd~248014

I was a bit worried about the wood surround, too, but for flammability issues. Doubt I spelled that right!

Goodness you are quick off the mark olldbob, I went to look for the link and by the time I came back you had added it. Enjoy astraea, the girls really let their heads go.

Wasn't thinking about flammability issues (thats how I spell it too) you can tell I don't know the first thing about fireplaces - only dust LOL!!!. The nearest I got to one was at my daughter's one time, they live in a much colder area than us, and I stayed there for about 3 or 4 nights. Every morning at 5am her hubby stoked the fire to ensure the house was nice and warm when everyone woke, but generally had that much smoke in the house I was choking on it and ended up losing my voice.

olldroo, sounds like they needed their chimney cleaned!

I didn't think the brown & blue sofa fabric was that bad, but didn't like that the seat cushions were a solid brown instead .. felt like they ran out of the patterned fabric! The pattern reminded me of the "fractile patterns," that are so common in nature (i.e. tree branches). Maybe I'll stick my 2 cents into that discussion!

I will not put anything on there that will catch on fire girls, promise. What happened is that we made a trip to home depot and i found a box of wood. approximately 1,2, & 3 inches wide and about 2-3 ft long. Well, my brain immediately said stacked stone look with wood! So we did it. Started it saturday night. You will die when I tell you how we did it, but i'll write later when i get to work. i know. i'm horrible...when i get to work! boy o boy..... :)

MP, what a creative fireplace surround idea! I love the varying depths that create the dimension of stacked stone. Very clever.

Olldbob - no the chimney was fine there was just as much smoke outside too, you couldn't see out the windows for the smoke. I ended up in the bathroom with my head out the window, the only side of the house the smoke wasn't. At 5AM it was just ridiculous!!! I just don't think the hubby (who is now her ex) knew what he was doing, he was more intent on having the house HOT. Don't know how the neighbours coped.

I thought you were going to bed??? hehehe

I am ........................ RIGHT NOW!!!!!

But ohhhhhhhhhhhh such fun