So, I was a little surprised this year that we have some impressive icicles coming from our new gutters.  I suppose there's no reason why I should be surprised.  The typical way icicles form is that a warm attic heats up the roof, which melts that lowest layer of snow.  The water flows down the slope and reaches the eaves and gutters.  Of course, these are not insulated and thus the water re-freezes.  As the winter drones on, especially if you have a day or two of warming in the middle of the season, the water -> slope -> refreeze trend continues and you end up with the ice hanging from the gutters.  It's not too bad and hopefully much of it will be gone this weekend as we have a week or so of warming into the lower 40s.  But the point is, a new roof has nothing to do with the icicles-- it's the attic.

So, the plan for 2011 will include a look at the attic.  It should be well ventilated, since the roofing project included a ridge vent and the eave vents should be undamaged.  But, we haven't looked up there for anything but the most preliminary look, and, we should do all we can to keep the attic cold in the winter.  In fact, according to the government, they are looking for an R value of 49 here in the great white north (see http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/building_america/26450.pdf from the DOE for details).  

Another thing I want to do this year is get the iRobot gutter cleaner.  It's a great idea, especially if you are not a fan of heights.  You place this bugger in the gutter channel, turn it on and it moves forward, sweeping the junk out of the gutters and ensuring a clean channel for the fall and spring.  It's a time saver that I think will be worth every penny.

Take the pull up bar, for example.  Even though we have it installed (attached to the ceiling joists in the basement), when you factor in the headroom and the suspended ceiling, it hangs at about 6 feet or so.  It works, and you don't have to duck to get under it, but when you hang there for a pull up, you literally have to keep your knees at a 45 degree angle or better if you don't want to hit the floor.  Then there is the jump training, which I haven't gotten to yet, but with the low ceiling seems like a recipe for disaster.  Even overhand stretches are difficult because you can reach the ceiling.  

So, without the basement, nor a dedicated extra bedroom or office, we've started to think about the garage.  It has the space, it has the height.  But there are a few considerations to keep in mind.  First, we live in Wisconsin.  It gets cold here in the winter.  So we'll need to fully insulate the walls and the garage doors, as well as the storage area above the ceiling.  Even then, we'll have heating concerns.  We can look to space heaters or something like that, but we'll have to be careful about what we do and how we use them safely.  

After the space would be heated and insulated, the floor comes to mind.  Right now, it's a concrete slab.  We'll need something for warmth and comfort.  I mean, as you do crunches, overhand reverse curls, triceps lifts and oblique crunches, you need something  to lay on.  One novel idea I read about is to look into horse pads.  These are 4x6 or 6x8 pads designed for the bottom of a horse carrier or stable.  These will support the weight of any equipment you have, as well as provide some support, but they are not light and a little cumbersome to move around.

I'm not sure where we'll end up with this.  The idea has appeal, but so does being able to keep the van in the garage during the winter snows.  It would be a innovative idea to get used to, but if it keeps the fitness goals on track, we need to do whatever it takes.

1.  pick a spot in the ceiling of your basement where the pull up bar will be.  You will be hanging it from the ceiling joists, the bar will be perpendicular to the joists.  Be sure to keep in mind where pipes and electrical wires run in the ceiling.  

2.  Cut two pieces of 2x6 about 20 inches long.  your exact measurement will be different depending on the specifics of your basement, the desired room above the bar for your head, and any suspending ceiling of other obstructions.  Cut three 3/8 inch holes in a triangle pattern in the top of each 2x6 and a 1.5 inch diameter hole in the bottom of each.

3.  Using a level, measure and cut corresponding holes in the ceiling joist where you will be attaching the first 2x6.  use the carriage bolts, nuts and washers to install.

4.  Fit the galvinzed pipe through the hole.  Using the level, mark where you need the second 2x6 to be in order to ensure a level pull up bar.  Cut three holes in the joist and install the second 2x6.

5.  Thread the bar though both holes.  Secure with a drywall screw through the bottom, if desired.

That's it.  You have a functional pull up bar in your basement.  It may be low if you have a suspended ceiling, but it will work for most home gym enthusiasts.

This sounds dangerous to me for at least two reasons.  First, cutting a 45 degree angle in a bowed piece of wood isn't easy.  You either have to do it by hand, or set your circular saw at an angle, which can be tricky for the weekend warrior.  Even if you get the cut right, knowing how deep to make it so you can manipulate the wood without weakening the final product is not clear, either.

The second reason I don't like this is that you are starting out a new wall with a hacked up patch job.  You will be relying on a few shims to basically keep a stud forever partially chopped in half.  The stress on your patch is always going to be there, and if it fails, I'm not sure what exactly the wall will look like.  

For me, it's far easier to pitch that stud into a scrap pile (Lord knows there are scraps needed in any project) and use the straight board for your wall.  Don't plan on patching as a way to save a few bucks on another stud 2x4.

It has held up until this year.  Living in Wisconsin, we happen to get a fair amount of the white stuff in winter.  After about three years of chaos in the garage, we were able to clean it out enough to park our van in there this year.  So, we're rediscovering how wet a garage gets in the winter.  Mud, ice, snow, grime, salt, etc., we have it all.  All melting into a sludge on our floor in the garage.  The floor is slowly deteriorating.  Admittedly, the painting job could have been better to start with, but honestly, I'm missing the clean lines of plain old concrete. 

Unless you have a showroom, you really don't need a painted floor.  Empty it out, clean it, and put a good concrete sealer down and you have a floor for the ages.  Go for the fancy paint and other products, especially in a wintry climate, and you can have a soggy mess.

That was three years ago.

In my (feeble) defense, we did try to get started a few times, running the start of pipes downstairs.  The biggest hurdle was running the 2inch PVC up to the second floor, an idea we eventually simply abandoned since we couldn't find a wall cavity that ran upstairs such that we could install the pipe.  However, I finally got into gear and we now have a function vacuum.  

First off, a word about the hide-a-hose.  The idea is to run an isolated section of pipe long enough to hold a 30, 40, or 50 foot hose, then simply store the hose in the pipe when not in use.  In order to make the turns, we used electrical conduit rather that standard PVC, which had a larger turn radius and helped the pipe move through the wall.

After the hide-a-hose runs are complete, then can be joined with the rest of the system and a single line runs to the unit.  The biggest problem we had was that our basement has a suspended ceiling, so we could only fit so much up there to maneuver into position, but we eventually got there.  The Imperium is two pieces, the motor and canister, and is vented to the outside. 

Thankfully, we didn't have to drill through the concrete foundation to get outside.  The final part of the run is raised to hopefully be above the snow line and a mesh cap installed to keep critters out.

 If you are thinking about a project like this, here are some tips that may help:

• Don't use the pipe hangers to secure the low voltage wire.  Even though they seem light enough, the weight of the pipe can compress, strip, and even short the wire.  Use wire straps (still TBD as of these pictures)
• Cut the hole to the outside slightly larger than needed, and fill the gap (all the way around) with steel wool.  This will discourage mice and other rodents from exploiting the entry point.
• Plan the run, then plan some more, then think about it for a day and plan again.  You do not want to be redoing hundreds of feet of PVC pipe because you forgot about an HVAC return or support structure.

Before help arrive for the final saw cut, we cut a few of the branches off.  I don't know if this is normal or not, but it was interesting to see the softness and wetness inside the bark.  Maybe it is healthy, but maybe it was rotting and dying.

In the end, with help from friends who own a wood stove and want the wood, we made quick work of it and the tree was down, cut up, and cleaned up within about 1.5 hours.  No damage to the house, no one was hurt, and I don't have to worry about a tree falling on someone or something anymore.  It's more open and brighter in our front lawn, too.  I still need to get rid of the stump and roots, but it was a successful day!

Here is what the leaf looks like:

Here is our problem.  Early this spring, I was suddenly struck with just how strange the trunk looked.  It appears as if the trunk is shedding its outer bark.  Taken to an extreme, of course, this will end up with the tree tipping over.  This is right next to our driveway and, although it would not hit our house, falling on a car is a distinct possibility.  It has weathered the summer storms well, but I am still concerned.

Any ideas?  Is this a fallen tree just waiting to happen, or is there anything we can do?  Could this possibly be normal?

We are trying something to get rid of the weeds somewhat naturally.  The idea is, after clearing by hand and trimming down to the dirt, to cover the area with cardboard and then pile up the remaining summer grass clippings and the fall grass and leaves on top of the cardboard.  The cardboard will block most light from reaching the weed-bed, and the trimmings, clippings, mulched leaves, etc will break down the cardboard over the course of the winter.  When spring comes, we'll be able to add some topsoil and plant the grass seed.  It will be a good, fertile bed, without many weeds to compete with, and should result in a nice, new grassy area next to our home.

 The tank goes on next.  It's a simple concept, but the bolts are sometimes hard to get at.  The kit we bought came with a nifty metal pipe that was used to gain some leverage.  Again, be careful about the bolts being too tight.

We're almost done!  Connect the supply line and check for leaks.  The tank will say how much it should be filled and there should be something like the black adjustable screw that I've shown to make the water level what it should be.  Then, grab a good book and enjoy the newly installed throne!