Don't be fooled into thinking that changing out a staircase is a one weekend job!

In my past career life I was a buyer/planner.  I have eleven plus years experiencing the constant joys (not) of explaining shortages and overages.  I am happy to report that when it came time to do a home improvement project, I don't think I could have done a better job on planning or procurement.  I ended up with practically no extra material and no shortages!   Of course, that doesn't mean it wasn't quite the saga!

In my complete state of ignorance I thought, "why not demolish the old staircase and get a new one installed?"  I was tired of the old handrail having the paint chip off and wanted to have a staircase that was more in my style.  I think my style is best described as "Old World Elegance!"


Here is the inspiration photo that I used to determine what kind of spindles and newels I wanted, and what I wanted the pattern to be.  I'm pretty impressed with myself that I made it a reality. I went with the pattern in the bottom photo, but the newel shape in the top photo.

The before and after is quite the transformation. Of course getting there was a journey!

Original 

New and improved!

Let me take you back to the beginning: planning the job and buying the necessary parts. I started by attaching stickies to my staircase so I could plan my layout.

I bought a few styles from the supplier (an online company in Georgia) and once I checked them out, I ordered my job parts.  Little did I know that that would only be order number two of three. It turns out that I made my purchase based on the number of spindles in the original staircase.  After I got my parts I determined that wasn't going to work. The white spindles were over an inch in diameter and the iron ones were only half an inch. So in order to keep to code and not have the spacing between spindles greater than 4 inches, I needed to go back and increase my spindle quantities.   I used my highly skilled mathematical mind to figure out that 28 spindles should replace the 22 from the original staircase on the back section. On the front section I kept to the original 17. Since the spacing was not consistent on the original staircase, I was able to space them out and still keep within the code.

And then the fun began. I put up spindles on the staircase so I could visualize the pattern. And then I played dominoes with all of them falling onto my hardwood floor below. Thankfully I only made one slight ding!













Next came demo day!  Man the old staircase was built to withstand a major calamity!  My handyman had to be very careful not to ding the knee wall.

Dang those were overkill!

Look ma no hand(rail)!

Ding in newel

Different color on same handrail

Before I got too far into the job, I discovered several issues.  One of the newels had a ding in it and one of the handrails had a section that was colored differently than the rest of the rail.  But, using my brilliant mechanical mind (which I thought was non-existent) I determined we could  cut the newel and use it for one of the 35" ones instead of using it as a 45" one with the ding still showing. I also calculated that the discolored section of the handrail could be a stand alone issue if we used it for the very first section.  

With the minor issues resolved we were off to the races.  We started the installation process. My handyman did an excellent job of anchoring two of the spindles deeper into the knee wall to act like support beams. We put them where the initial staircase had double wide spindles. And then we stopped for the day. The next day it dawned on me that we had a problem. We hadn't put down the shoe first.  So Mike had to use his strength to lift the spindles out of the epoxy filled holes so we could install correctly.  Luckily we discovered this early enough that the epoxy hadn't fully set.

Oh no, no shoe!

All newels installed!

Getting the shoes spaced  out properly

checking spindle pattern

Comparison to inspiration photo

Top section spindles installed

To say the back section went without some hiccups, would be to leave out a few steps!  All the spindles were custom cut after careful measuring and checking levels, but when we went to install the handrail some of the drilled holes were off so Mike had to drill a different angle.  Also some of the spindles somehow came up short!  I had bought a few extra so we changed out four spindles.  Why can't walls and knee walls be straight? Why can't all that careful planning actually go right the first time?  Why, because I needed something to write about in this blog!  Unfortunately I didn't buy any extra scrolls and two of them were still coming up short.  We made it work by installing a dowel into the top end of the spindle so it would extend the length of the spindle. Since we were using decorative shoes you can't tell where we worked this magic! We filled the bottom holes with epoxy before installing the spindles and had planned to do that at the top, but getting the handrail on was such a trick that we decided to forgo that step!  Each of the shoes has a screw set that keeps the shoe tight to the spindle so epoxy isn't mandatory. In some cases the top holes were a bit big after the re-drilling so Mike just jammed some masking tape into the hole to take up any extra space.  "A" for effort. "A" for making it work!

Back section almost done

Yes! Back section done!

Now that we were moving on to the bottom section I took a moment to see how the back section looked from my bed.  I love how my excellent layout resulted in me being able to see a twist, scroll, and basket! 

On to front section

Checking that everything is level

Almost done!

And the build is done!  Original quote was for around nine hours! I guessed 15!  Add the two together and that wasn't even right!

Time for another before and after photo. Now all that's left is to figure out the stain and touch up painting!

Too purple, too pink, to brown, oh my!

Let's drink to success!

We are done except for paint touch up!

It's Cosmo time!

I think I'm done with home improvements.  I designed the front yard, but left it to the experts to install. After designing  and assisting on the staircase the only thing left would be for me to design and do the work on the next project. That won't happen. No tools for this gal! 

Bringing Back Handwritten Notes And Sweet Kisses!

In today's modern world don't you ever find yourself missing handwritten notes, and the sound of your loved one's voice? It's all too easy to live in a Snapchat and text world!

But now, with the iOS 10 release, Apple has brought back some of those long lost tools!  We can once again write in our own handwriting, and send a voice message with kisses and hearts and x's and o's!

I'm loving it.  It's going forward to go backward!  With increased technology we are able to step back in time and personalize our messaging like never before.

So get on board and stop sending boring texts.  Send a video with love doodles.  Send an animated bear to say, "Hello," or record a special video and send it in a text message.

You can send kisses or a heartbeat!

You can send animated images

You can draw your own doodles

You can record a video and even add doodles to it!

You can write in your own handwriting

You can send animated balloons

You can send Confetti

The possibilities are endless.
XOXOXO
Sylvia

With Liberty and Justice For All (here's hoping!)

Today marks the intersection of some important dates in history. Track and Field is underway at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.  It's also Left-Handed Day. And sadly, today is a day that I would still recite the Pledge of Allegiance with the ending modified to say, "with liberty and justice for all (here's hoping!)" I added this alternative ending many years ago because of my mother. She was always looking out for human rights. I remember her caring about Black rights, and also those of the United Farm Workers of America, founded by Cesar Chavez.

It was in this spirit that I went off on a treasure hunt today to find a statue that resides at San Jose State University (my alma mater.) It's of Tommie Smith and John Carlos when they did a "Black Power" salute at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.  Missing from the statue is Australian, Peter Norman, who also wore a human rights badge on his uniform. For this act, he was practically blacklisted in his native Australia, and denied more lucrative opportunities. He never regretted his decision, and died with his friends, Smith and Carlos, serving as pallbearers.  The place in the statue where he would be is left blank so that people can stand in solidarity with Smith and Carlos.  And so I did!

Left handed salute since today is Left-Handed Day!

Big shoes to fill!

Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) Badge

Olive branch

I went to San Jose State University with one purpose. I found another. As Mitch and I were walking toward our destination, I came across a beautiful arch. Upon further inspection, I realized it was to honor Cesar Chavez. I remember my mom boycotting Safeway stores because of unfair labor practices. It dawned on me that both the Black rights movement and what Cesar Chavez wanted were really the same. So thought Dr. Martin Luther King. In a telegram to Cesar Chavez, Dr. King acknowledged the commonalities between the African-American struggle and the labor movement stating that, "our separate struggles are really one- a struggle for freedom, for dignity and for humanity." 

How sad that today this basic need is still not met for all.

The Cesar E. Chavez Monument: Arch of Dignity, Equality and Justice

Robert Kennedy and Chavez after hunger strike in 1968

After our visit to SJSU we went to San Pedro Square Market where, keeping with my cultural theme, I had a Mojito and Empanadas.  Cheers to Diversity!

Old Versus New. The Peralta Adobe-Fallon House with the newest high rise, Centerra

My hope is that in the near future I will be able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance as written.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."