SamSERV Group LLC.

Small Business IT Solutions.

To keep from going mad, I designed my desk.

Posted on April 20, 2013 by admin

Here is my desk prototype in sketchup. I am really starting to like this program as I learn to use it. I took this instructable, and designed my desk. It includes a light table, since I have always wanted one. Now I can build it right into the desk.

Here is a fly through movie of the 3d model.

Tape and Mud

Posted on April 17, 2013 by admin

So not a lot to post an update about the progress is pretty boring at this point. Pretty much once you see some drywall tape, and a few taped joints they all sort of look the same.

But we are slowly making progress. The house is really humid and the premix joint compound is taking forever to dry. Going on three days for the stuff that we started with. We are also struggling with the way the drywall in the cabin was installed before we bought it. The never taped it and I can see why. They must have bought 12 foot sheets and installed them vertically, then cut the tops off and used the pieces all over the place. It is a mess. Factory seams against butt pieces, vertical and horizontal seams overlapping. So rather than taking it all down, we are just taping, a lot! There is most of a 5 gal pail of mud up so far, and over 300′ in tape and I still have the ceiling and some wall seams to do. I am going to get pretty good at feathering or we are going to have to sand a lot.

We also have the shower panels glued up and caulked. I need to get a finished picture of that up here. But I have a few more small pieces to put up after I figure out the shelf for the shower bucket. Anyways, that is about it, just working away on it pretty much every night. Enjoying some Brewers wins to keep me entertained.

Snow Day, so I learned Google Sketchup

Posted on April 11, 2013 by admin

Sketchup is a free 3d tool from none other than the great Google. I decided to try and learn to work with it, since it is really quite nice and I see plans drawn up in it all the time on the internet. The process was painful learning when my only other experience with 3d was autocad about 15 years ago.

Edit: It looks like Google sold sketchup to a company named Trimble. I wonder what this means for the future of the product.

This is a preliminary design of my black pipe bathroom shelf.

Bathroom Drywall Complete

Posted on April 9, 2013 by admin

We finished the bathroom drywall!!!!

Had a little fun goofing off, with the new GoPro Camera. I set up a time lapse to take a photo every 60 seconds. I lost some after the battery died at the end. I am really not happy with these batteries I hope they get better after a couple full charges and discharges. An hour in time lapse mode seems really low. Good thing I got 3 of them. They also take forever to charge even in the wall wart.

And now for something completely different.

Posted on April 7, 2013 by admin

It was a pretty big weekend around the cabin. A lot of small project areas are getting finished up and the place is really starting to look good. Drywall creates a very nice sense of completeness. I know that there is still a lot more work to do but my mind is pleased with how the spaces are now clearly defined. You can no longer see through the walls and the final shapes are starting to take form.

: Shower stall sheetrock

Wide view of shower

Big beautiful sheets of drywall

The wall we built between bedroom and living room.

Another wall shot

More wall.

Beardos at work here, move along.

Hot ladys can do drywall.

My brain has been really occupied with some of the more exciting details of the finishing process. We are planning on putting a small, 15″ wide shelf or counter in the bathroom for a sink basin, and place to hold toothbrushes and whatnot. I came across some pretty cool ideas on the interwebs for using black pipe to make shelves and tables. Here is one example, and I really like the design and industrial style of it, so this is how I am going to build the sink, towel bars and storage shelves in the bathroom. Might even do a TP holder out of it too.

Also a link to my pinterist for this design styles/

Eclectic Frames by Other Metro Etsy

Half Work Day.

Posted on April 7, 2013 by admin

Took a run into Ashland, got a speeding ticket. Bought groceries, had lunch at Pizza pub. Worked on the house. Sheetrock is getting hung.

: Wife in action, screwing drywall.

More Wife action.

: Bucket guides are very functional.

Working hard.

: Cat DOOR!

Shed door, bathroom lighting

Posted on April 6, 2013 by admin

I had a pretty great night at the cabin, I started off by finishing up the garage door track that I started the night before. I will seriously never look at another garage door with a passing glance. These things are hard to install. I am sure some of that is due to the fact I have never done one before but, they are pretty nuts to install, and this one does not have an opener. The 10-12 hour time frame for installation is pretty darn accurate.

Garage Door Track, even installed the warning.

I shot a little video of the door if you want to see that.

I also got the knob installed in the door. High security here folks.

Shed door knob

At that point it started getting dark so I put some $$$$ beer in the snow fridge.

Mountain Crest Motivation

And headed inside to wire up the bathroom.

Fancy “Antique” Brass Finish wall sconce.

And Install the other catdoor, into the bedroom.

Bedroom cat door.

Bathroom Switch

Sign Job and more work on the squat box

Posted on April 4, 2013 by admin

Thank you to my good friend Nate, for the term squat box, it is now part of my vernacular. I decided to try something crazy and use some of the left over smartboard siding in the bathroom. Not sure if I am going to regret this at some point or not but it seemed like a good idea, and I have a bunch of it from where we cut out for the doors in the shed.

Cat Door.

Since we are going to keep the cat’s litter box in the bathroom, he needs a way in and out. Here is cat door #1 leading into the main house area. There will be another one on the other side, when I do the electrical, for him to get into the bedroom.

Squat Box. Lid mounted, hold cut, some trim on.

I moved the vinyl plotter over to the cabin to cut, and tape some lettering and logos for a couple tree service trucks. Finished that up in a few hours while I listed to the Brewer’s blow the game. We can pass this one off as being early in the season, right?

Fancy left over smart board on saw horses makes a nice temporary table.

Hoppe Tree Service Vehicle Lettering being cut.

Shed roof and more Bathroom Work

Posted on April 2, 2013 by admin

Sawdust box.

Last night I spent a couple hours at the cabin working on some more bathroom stuff. I framed some more and cut a bunch of plywood. 3/4″ is total overkill but I had some left from the shower sub-floor. So I cut the platform for the toilet seat and framed the sawdust box.

Humanure toilet frame.

Also finished up the shed roof. I need 3 more shingles to finish the roof cap. I also need to finish the door but that should be done this weekend. This will be the first major achievement at the cabin.

Shed Roof,

: Shed Roof.