H.G. Framing & Trimming & Fine Wood Products

10/27/2018

Well, it's been a while. I was driven into other areas of work by the financial down falls of our housing industry. Mostly shining a seat with my butt, lol! My wife had the pleasure of running into one of my old contractors I contracted work through. He asked for my number saying, Rob was the best carpenter that I had. That I had a kind of creativity that sold houses. I've always tried to put a little spark of creativity in my work to make it stand out but, in keeping with the traditional style of the times or, the basic value of the surrounding. I mean you wouldn't put a golden toilet in an outhouse and call it a royal thrown, lol!

This is not the first time one of my old contractors has tried to contact me to see if I was back in business. There are so many factors to consider in starting up again. The insurance being one of them, with the high cost. I was paying over $12,000 a year just in insurance. The time factor between jobs. I cut this down by juggling a schedule between 5 construction companies. This was tough and sometimes would cause me to work 7 days a week just to keep up. I love the work and it kept me in pretty good shape. Of course, this was all before I had a family to look after. It didn't matter being off a week but, now I have more than just me that depends on me having a steady income.

Construction seems to have a shut down towards the end of the year as well. I think if I did get back into it I would rather be more on the builder's end than the one doing the work. I would still do most of my own work but, would put most of the profits in my pocket to have more freedom in the market. Plus, with my wife's help in the designs of the homes I think we would have a lot to offer. Her world wide experiences with my traditional western style I think would be a different choice to your standard home choice of today. Lots to think about and lots to consider.

07/03/2018

Started my home project, building a fence for safety and our two dogs to be able to run free. It was tough going with the heat and rainy weather. Of course, there is this little thing that's called work that gets in the way. Things moved really quick but now it is down to the details and gates. As you see I decided to make the caps for the post rather than buying them pre-made. This was done with the left over scrapes that would normally end up in the trash pile. The walk through gate will be a simple swing gate with your typical hinges for an outside gate. I picked up some regular door hinges, stainless steal so no rust. I pick these hinges for their smooth operating function.

I thought about putting one of those code-key operating deadbolts on it with a lever type k**b. This can be a problem because of the type of clearance you need, with it being exposed to the elements you have to leave more of a clearance than you would just a regular doorway for more expanding and contracting. If you notice on your wooden fences (if you have a wooden fence that is) you will see the boards on a rainy day will be tight together and on a dry day you will have a gap. You can reduce this process by painting or sealing the wood but, you cannot stop it altogether. The same goes for your front and back door on your house. This is why on new construction these doors sometimes need adjusting several times to get the right but, that is another project.

The drive through gate will have two sliding gates that slide together to close. I am doing it over a 17' span to give me a full 16' opening, with a few extra inches to spare. You might think this is a little over-kill but, we are thinking about getting a 16'x20' shed later and will need the extra inches for it to clear the gate. The track system was a bit of a challenge. I looked at a few and decided to use a barn type roller to handle the support of the side that will slide along the fence. I pick the type that will roll on a rail instead of a pipe style roll. I picked this type because the pipe style roll is more prone to slipping off that the edge of the rail type because it rides in the grove of the roller as seen in the photo below. This should give it a smoother sliding motion. I also picked the typical V-grove roller for the bottom of the opening side to ride on a V-track that was able to buy from amazon. All the parts with the exception of the rail was bought through amazon for the sliding gates. I decided to buy these parts separate because I got them cheaper than buying the whole kit, about a $100.00 dollars cheaper.

It should all make for a smooth operation once it is done. I am a little concerned about the bottom track, not that it would fail but, we choose not to pour concrete for a driveway and the track system will be mounted on a 4x6 cemented in the ground. It should last until I can convince my wife into pouring concrete. She is pushing for a bigger back patio deck and French doors coming out the kitchen. I have the French doors in storage. That will be another project. I seem to have caught the neighbor's eyes in all of this. One very nice lady from across the street walked over when I was setting the post and told me, I never seen someone work so hard before or, with such determination. Another one told me they have never seen a fence like this before. I always try to create a little difference in what I do but, still keep within the parameters of original style, It gives it that personal touch. Will update photos of finished project once complete.

07/03/2018

Stunning fence.....almost complete...

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03/20/2018

Well, got one of them installed. One common mistake made by plumbers is to put the gas valve right to the side of the fireplace. The plumber moved one but not the other. Normally I would fault the builder for this, but since the plumber failed the second time around it is all on him.

03/04/2018

Well, it's been a while! I've been working full time in a different trade lately but, I have something I'd like share that I've done in my spare time.

07/26/2017

This should be interesting for those looking to develop your investment in large tracks of land. You might end up having to wait. This is not just something ST Tammany Parish just come up with but, joining parishes are adopting this measure because of flooding and one reason ST Tammany wants to do it, they are having trouble determining the impact and impact fees.

07/26/2017

Well, not much to report for a while. My career kind of took a turn for the past few years. I've been dabbling in corrections with a halfway house, now, doing security work. My wife and I just bought a house so I am sure there will be plenty to report shortly as there are many things that need to be done to fully make it our own.

06/05/2016

I remember reading an article about Sears selling houses!

Sears, it turns out, once sold more than home appliances – they sold actual homes. A reddit use...

06/03/2016

Not my normal design of shelves but fits with the square design trim in the house.

06/26/2013

A shot from the dinning room door, I also had to build the microwave cabinet from panels and fillers. On this job I basically made a silk purse out of a pigs butt, please pardon the expression.

06/26/2013

This is a bar section in the sun room.