The time had finally come to finish the last bit of the flooring left in the house. I had originally wanted to install wood stairs like in the other houses, but after careful consideration I decided to go with carpet. The main reasons came down to price, additional work, and safety. I discovered that carpeted stairs are much quieter for residents running up and down, and less likely to have a slip.

I always recommend new carpet when remodeling especially if previous residents had pets; however, I wanted to update the almost 50yr old look and squeaks of the old carpeted stairs. In my newer home in Austin, I really appreciated the larger foot-sized stair treads. This old house came with slightly smaller tread depths and was carpeted in a style referred to as "waterfall". Basically, the carpet appears to cascade from one step to the next without a nose to wrap over.

I knew that I wanted a deeper step, but I couldn't decide on how I was going to add to the tread. In my research I discovered that the nose of each step bears most of the weight as people tend to place their feet on the edges when walking up or down. In addition, if heavy furniture was moved up or down on a cart or dolly the nose would once again take the brunt of the weight. The idea of screwing or nailing an inch or so (2x2") to the ends of the old stair treads bothered me as I could imagine the noses of each step growing loose and starting to squeak further. So I just meditated on it for a couple nights...

Earlier in the week, I had found some carpet layers that gave us a competitive rate so we scheduled the installation for Monday, which gave us the weekend to complete the new stairs. I also wanted to add skirts along the sides to bring the old look up to date. That meant we only had 3 days to build the new treads, cut and install the skirts, and lastly paint the skirts for two stair cases before the carpet was laid.

I awoke early Saturday morning and could have kicked myself for not thinking of it earlier. I would simply replace the entire tread with a 2x12". This would save me both time, money, and worry down the line. It was the right thing to do, and it would ensure that each stair would be strong, secure, and silent for another 50 years to come. That morning, we picked up about $100 bucks worth of lumber, some 4" nails, a framing hammer, and by that evening we had the new treads installed.

The next day, I worked on installing the skirts which took quite a bit of planning.  I had watched a few "how-to" videos on youtube, but seeing and doing are two different things.  I measured as carefully as I could and still I had a difficult time making sure there wouldn't be any gaps when the carpet was laid.  I took my time and used my jig saw to make the necessary cuts.  I must have dry fit and re-cut each piece about a dozen times before settling on something I could be proud of.

Christina had brought Tyson up for the weekend, so frequent breaks were taken to play with him and encourage our spirits.

By evening, we had finished installing the skirts and Dan was beginning to paint them.  Christina and I got ready for the late mass, bundled Tyson up to be dropped at my parents, and off we went.

At mass I thought of all the blessings that we had been shown, knowing that on Monday we would have new carpeted stairs and be one step closer to completion on this almost 8 month renovation.  I thanked the Lord for the Spirit of Wisdom to figure out the best solution for my stair dilemma and for preventing any harm from coming to us as we worked.

PS: now my furry friends can safely go up and down stairs without getting hurt well into the future.

​After months of putting it off, I decided to tackle the much needed suspension work on my truck.  Shocks need to be replaced around 50k miles or until the driver gets tired of poor handling and a bouncy ride.  My guess is that the shocks were still factory originals and were well past their expected life at 150k.  I read a few diy maintenance forums and decided to order the parts in preparation for the task.  I felt that I could handle the work with the simple tools that I had available.  In fact, I forgot my mechanic ratchet tools in Dallas and had to borrow Christina's set, Ha!

Luckily she had all the tools that I needed to complete the job in Austin without having to buy another set.  Besides, I keep my heavy duty vehicle jack and stands in my garage where I like to perform my work.  This way I have adequate lighting day or night, along with the ability to close my garage door for security in case I decide to take a break.

I actually tackled the rear shocks first as they arrived before the other parts.  These were pretty simple and although I removed the rear tires, I discovered that it was unnecessary and could probably have been serviced without even a jack.  This blog entry will serve to remind me in the future when I eventually replace these ones.

The front shocks came in a couple weeks later and I decided to replace the brake pads as they were starting to squeal.  So with the front wheels off, which is necessary I set to work changing out the shock.  I discovered that the front shocks could be removed without using a spring compressor tool.  I was a little worried that I'd have to deal with dangerous compressed truck springs; however, thanks to Toyota's ingenious design, I was able to to remove the shocks with a little of my own ingenuity.  The first obstacle was breaking the top nut loose from the shock itself.  I had to use an oil filter wrench to hold the top of the shock in place while I squeezed the ratchet in the other direction.  The bottom bolts were easy to loosen and remove the shock however; replacing the new shock was another story.  The new shocks were much firmer than the worn out old ones and as a result were too difficult for me to compress with my hands.  I had to use the hydraulic jack (plus a small round rock) to compress the shock into place so that I could fasten the mounting bolts.

Once the new shocks were in, I simply replaced the old pads with Wagner Thermoquiet brake pads.  This way whenever they wear down, I simply exchange them out at any Oreilly's Auto parts for free.  I used a crow bar and an old pad to compress the brake caliper which allowed me to install the "fatter" newer pads.  I noticed that the pads were wearing at different rates on either side of the rotor which might have been the reason for the brake squeal.  After bleeding the brake lines and purging any air, the brake pedal feels much smoother and stops the truck with assertiveness and silence.

I also noticed that while the front shocks were definitely in better shape than the bouncy rear, replacing the front shocks has made a noticeable difference in the truck's handling and even nose diving when braking.  My truck now drives like it must have when it first came off the line, I have better knowledge of my vehicle, and I saved close to $500 bucks for a few hours of my time.

I got a dog!

For years now I have been wanting a dog, but never seemed to find the right time. I had been working feverishly hard (no pandemic pun intended) to finish remodeling my newest acquisition in Dallas. I mentioned to family that when the project was over that I would be getting a puppy; however, this happened much sooner than anticipated. "Tyson" a name which he instantly responded to became my new puppy's name when I first met him on the porch of a Maudie's restaurant that allowed pets. Christina's sister's dog had a litter of pups from which she picked out the cutest runt for us. He was tiny, walked a little wobbly, and it was love at first sight.

His colors and markings were unique from his siblings. His mother is a beagle, and after trying to figure out his father from his colors we guessed a German Shepherd or Husky. He has floppy ears almost as long as most beagles; however, he also has distinct symmetrical black markings around his eyes and nose like a Greek Cross. He loves to bite which incidentally led to him being named Tyson, after one of my favorite fighters. I'm hoping he doesn't get too large for my small home, but we think that he'll mostly likely be medium sized when full grown (only God knows).

My family loves him as well, especially my niece and nephew. He likes to take baths, which is fine by me. He loves riding in my 4runner especially when the back seats are down for him to roam. He eats every meal like it's his last, and he likes to bite. Did I mention that he bites everything? Freud would say he's in the oral fixation stage, where he learns through his mouth, plus he's teething. He seems to be gentle with strangers and children, but he's drawn blood from my hands a few times. Whenever a stranger stops to pet him and mention how cute he is, I'm instantly reminded that nature made him cute so that we don't squash him when he turns into the Tasmanian devil.

Having a dog is a step up in responsibility. I have to get up early to let him out. I make sure he is fed and doing well all times of the day. I discovered that he needs to get his energy out by running and playing otherwise he is a terror inside the house. I got him during the final few months of construction while working on my new property so he has grown up with the sounds of tools, sawdust, and tile. He amazingly sleeps though the loudest job sites. He loves to scavenge the yard to find little pieces of tile or wood to chew.

When he was about 3-4 months, I started taking him out for jogs and bicycle rides. He would tail behind for about a mile before pooping out. This would allow us to properly tire him out so that he would sleep soundly without pent up energy inside the house. After one such night, I came down to watch TV with him on the carpet. He was sitting in his crate when he sleepily stumbled out, walked over to me and gave me the sweetest hug I've ever received from an animal in my life. I was laying on my back propped up by my elbows when Tyson came over to my face, put one paw on my shoulder, then the other paw around my head and placed his head on my shoulder for what seemed like a minute. Enough time for me to melt and hug him back before he changed positions and decided to sleep between my legs with his head resting on my lap.

This dog is a construction dog as he feels right at home when I take him to Lowes or the Home Depot. He especially likes to poop at Lowes for some reason, so I bring his baggies and some napkins just in case. Everyone loves him, even my younger brother Colin who likes to remain grumpy. I'm grateful to have such a spirited young puppy in my life!