Yesterday on Twitter I mentioned that the majority of my office conversations revolved around various aspects of winning the lottery. Those conversations only got more frequent and intense as the day progressed. Fantasizing about Lottery winnings has reached a fevered pitch now that the Mega Millions jackpot has reached over $500,000,000. Do you see all of those zeros?

Our office conversations revolved largely around the most common questions like, "What would you buy?" "Would you quit your job?" "Would you even come into work the next day?" Those questions somehow evolved into, "If we were in an office pool, and we won, who would you trust to take the ticket to the lottery office?" The conversation then went into a perceived assessment of our coworkers' general trustworthiness, dependability, street-smarts, and overal savvy. Somehow this eventually turned into, "If our whole office was part of a Hunger Games style competition, who would win?" As you can see, we got off track. I work with a great bunch of people and we often have these types of conversations at work. It makes the day go by quickly.

In the last few days the buzz about this world record jackpot has exploded all over the front page of newspapers and as the top story of international news broadcasts. It's turned normally level headed people into luck chasing lottery fools, and run of the mill players into regular psychotics, hoping their years of playing will finally pay off.

Wendy and I don't often play the lottery, but we've been known to drop a few dollars here and there when the jackpot climbs above $150 million or so. Why? We feel it's worth our "investment" once the dollar value of tbe payout begins to surpass our 1 in 175,711,536 chances of winning the jackpot (yes, those are the real odds for a jackpot payout on a single ticket purchase).

We realize our odds at actually winning are pretty slim, but our odds are the same as everyone else's, so why not give it a shot? Five dollars in tickets to this week's half a billion dollar lottery drawing will at least let us dream pretty big for a few days. To us, and to many of our friends, the daydreaming and scheming that goes along with playing the lottery is worth the $5 we'll pay to play. 

When you buy a ticket, you know it's a true long shot, but you just can't help but start daydreaming. As soon as I leave the store my mind immediately starts in on the "what ifs." 

What if we win, how will I react? Who will I tell? Who will I call? Will I stay calm? Will I freak out? Will I pass out? How will I make sure someone doesn't steal my ticket if I pass out? How will I claim the prize if I have to drive 90 miles to Richmond? Can I get a police escort? Can I get a secret service escort for the police escort? How paranoid am I???

After the drama of winning and prize collection dies down, if we win the lottery Wendy and I have got some pretty grand plans. Some we see eye to eye on, while others are a bit divergent. However, with a $389 million lump sum payout, you can have plenty of divergent ideas and still be quite content.

I don't think I'd quit my job immediately (I really like what I do and the people I do it with), or go on any massive shopping spree. I think the first thing we'd do is pay off our house. A lot of people would say "move" or "buy a new house," but that's not us. We love our house, and have put so much time and effort into our house that we will keep it forever if we have that ability. I couldn't stand the thought of someone taking over our renovation and making it run off the rails. We've come so far in working on our house, and there's no way I wouldn't see it through to completion. Even if we wouldn't end up living in our current house as our primary residence, I have far too much pride in what we've accomplished. I also think it would make an absolute great guest house for friends and family coming into Alexandria to visit. :-) I mean, who doesn't like guest house accommodations?

The funny thing about our lottery dreams is they seam to waffle between the practical and the over indulgent. I think you'll see the pattern develop if you continue to read on.

Once our house is all settled up, and the money is properly diversified into various investments and interest bearing accounts (this is the practical and fiscally conscious side of my brain) we'd probably buy our forever dream house. The first on the list might be the large home of our friend's that we wrote about a few weeks ago. It's just one of those "I could see myself living here for the rest of my life" type of homes.

Then I imagine we'd go through the normal "OMG we can afford to buy houses in the places we love." We'd buy homes near and far in all of our most favorite places. Some ridiculously expensive, like this nearly $8 million dollar place in Napa Valley (chump change to the winner). It's a small 1915 house on almost 26 acres.


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We are all inspired by different things, especially when it comes to design. My personal favorite sources for design inspiration happen to be various decorating shows (Hel-lo Sarah Richardson!), Pinterest, and a slew of home design magazines, blogs, and other online publications. I also tend to be inspired by architecture and culture while on vacation (like when we took trips to Scandinavia and New Orleans) or even when I find a unique or interesting object at a flea market, salvage yard, or antiques store. As useful as all of these sources are, my recent source of inspiration happened to be the combination of good friends and good wine. Yep, you read that right, but before I get into that, let's take a quick step back.

Alex and I hate our master bathroom. I actually think hate may be a bit mild of a word. In fact, this room is a dirty little secret we rarely discuss here at Old Town Home. You may remember that, right after committing to begin the renovation of this room, our dog Oliver was diagnosed with cancer. Thus the project was put on hold while we enjoyed our final months with him and helped him through his brave battle.

Now that life has returned to "normal" and the vestibule project we got a little bit sidetracked on is now complete, it's time to turn our attention back to the space that the Golden Girls, in all their 1980s glory, would feel quite at home in.

Is that really...

  • Duct tape on a hideous HVAC bump out? You bet. 
  • An impossible to clean and non-standard height DIYed vanity? Unfortunately. 
  • A ginormous Jacuzzi tub...without jets but with a broken stopper? Good God, yes.
  • Hideously cracked and out of level cheap-o white tiles that were installed when Knightrider was a hit series? David Hasselhoff and K.I.T.T. think so. 
  • A mysteriously absent 5 pound ceramic T.P. holder where holes in the wall act as evidence in the spot it once clung for dear life? Embarrassingly enough, yes it is.
  • A DIY attempt by the current owners (yes, that's us) to create a shower curtain rod out of surplus copper pipe, because the house was purchased as a bath-only master? <I'm nodding my head, but hiding my face in shame.>
  • An original, but extremely drafty old window that lets blustery winter winds pour in as you stand naked and shivering, cursing the day you inked your name on the mortgage that put you in this hell hole each and every morning? FML. Yes.
  • The most hideous 1980s backstage-at-an-off-Broadway-production monstrocity of a light fixture? We didn't install it, but we've also lived with it for nine years. Good grief.
  • And last, but certainly not least...a strange piece of plastic affixed to the ceiling, with a long tampon-esque string hanging from it? That's affirmative. I have no idea why it's still there and we have no idea what it's purpose is..was...could have been. In case you need a closer look, here it is, and we'd love to hear your ideas.

Whew. So there's my breakdown of our dirty little secret. Does anyone need more convincing that this room must die? 

Through our many brainstorming sessions and conversations Alex and I can't seem to agree on the future layout of the space. In the "old" master bathroom, you actually passed through a narrow hallway with a his and her closet on either side. (As seen in the terrible dark photo below that I snapped during our home inspection.)


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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The Right Lighting Can Make or Break Your Project
Posted by Alex

One of the critical elements of a great renovation, or at least an amateur DIY renovation that can look very professional, is the proper choice in lighting.

Gone are the days of a single light fixture hanging in the center of the room to provide all of your down lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. All a single central light provides is a wonderful way to make your room look flat and boring, and your guests featureless and unattractive.

While looking through the various DIY projects online, and also perusing the professional renovation jobs in magazines and portfolio websites, I noticed just how important it is to mix the various lighting sources in every room. This approach is the only way to properly provide that complex and layered look in lighting that makes a finished room look professionally done and "high end". They say to layer textures and fabrics for visual interest, but layering lighting is just as important.

Throughout our renovation we've played with several different types of lighting. Though we are by no means lighting designers, we have gotten to the point where we are fairly comfortable with selecting the various lighting choices that will be necessary for each room. Wendy is quite good on the aesthetic comprehension of how a room will look in the after when we are still very much in the before. I'm able to play the roll of Chico to Wendy's inner Candice Olsen by providing ideas for execution of her vision, assessment of possibilities, and ultimately the install of the lighting.

Take a look at our master bedroom before and after. It went from a room with the only light provided by a few small and dim bedside lamps...

...To a room with a central chandelier, multiple recessed fixtures at each point of interest, and more substantial and nicer bedside lamps.

The key to this look is the addition of recessed lighting to provide the visual interest and additional light necessary, while also using more traditional fixtures where they are expected.


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Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Toolbox Tuesday: Bench Top Mortiser
Posted by Alex

We took a hiatus from Toolbox Tuesdy last week for our cherry blossom photos and tour, but we're back at it this week. Over the weekend I finally started to knock out a good bit of our storm window project. Yes, I know we're near the end of cold weather, but this is also important for the heat of summer and the late night noise reduction. A significant aspect of our storm window construction has relied on our bench top mortiser, a tool I initially viewed as a luxury reserved for larger and more organized/professional wood shops. However, after trying to make do without it on several projects, a few years ago I decided I would have extensive use for it as I began a more traditional approach to building items like doors and window sash (or storm windows at this point).

If you're not familiar with a mortiser's role in a woodshop, essentially it's used to make slots in any of your material that will ultimately accept tenons (square pegs cut on the end of wood) from adjoining material for a secure joint.

At its core, the mortiser is little more than a drill press with some specialized setup. However, don't make the mistake I initially made in my expectation that any old drill press with a mortising jig attachment would do the same job.

Initially I tried to use my small Delta drill press as a mortiser. I purchased a mortising jig, which consisted of a few bolt, clamp, and screw on attachments for the drill press to turn it into a mortiser. While this was good in theory, and a great way to have more space by needing to buy fewer things, in implementation it left something to be desired.

The main problem was with the drill press's support. The plate was not sturdy or secure enough to achieve a consistent pattern of holes. Beyond this, the drill press I have is a small and entry level press (it's in the background of the photo above), the whole thing just doesn't lend itself to being a mortiser because of its construction. I kept getting holes off center, different sizes, and tear out on the back of the material. The final problem was that the jig just kept slipping and was simply not working well.

After some frustration on the first project I used the mortising jig, I decided I would invest in a tool built specifically for mortising, so I purchased a Jet bench top mortiser.

I already owned the Jet brand table saw and really liked it, and I read several reviews about how sturdy, reliable, and accurate the mortiser was, so I opted to go this route. I ordered from Amazon and it arrived well packaged and oiled (as it seems most Jet tools do) just a few days later.

Setup was simple as the whole thing came almost completely assembled. I just had to bolt on the arm, setup the fence, apply the bit collar, and install my first bit to make an initial cut.

The unit came with three sizes of mortise bits with cutting sleeves, 1/8", 1/4", and 1/2". Each is essentially a long drill bit that is turned by the drill press part of the assembly, with an outer square sleeve that is like a hollow square chisel. As the arm of the mortiser is pulle towards your body, the chisel and bit contact the material. The bit clears the middle of the cut while the chisel portion cuts away the edges making a nice slot for your project.


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Let's be honest, we've all noticed it this time of year either at a friend's house, or more likely your own. I'm talking about those unsightly cracks in painted doors and trim that seem to pop up all over the place during the winter months.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere's colder areas, the crisp nights and comfortable days of fall have long since given way to the cold and blustery weather typical of east coast winters. Though we're not in the throws the cold that grips the east coast like that of Boston or Buffalo (I'm often jealous of their snow), and this past winter has been far from the bitter cold we've experienced in the past, we get our fair share of cool and dry in our neck of the woods. During this cold and dry weather we all experience the settlement and shrinking throughout the wood trim and wood doors in our home. This change in size is caused by moisture reduction and shrinking of the wood fibers, and most commonly it results in hairline cracks in painted joints and separations in the panels of doors.

Personally, we've experienced this phenomena every year we've been in our home. Since we're constantly stripping old doors and painting them again, it seems like a winter hasn't gone by where we aren't touching up a few of these cracks. Though the cracks are a bit unsightly, the good news is that it's really easy to fix the problem. You just need the right tools, the right timing, and a little patience to do it.


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