Designed by Row » design studio

A New Sign for DbR

rowforbes — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:23:25 +0000

No More Leaks!

rowforbes — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:39:49 +0000

We have recently made another big improvement on the design studio for DbR. J took a weekend and put a new roof on my building. It was another exciting, and vitally important, step in completing it before winter. We had been having some very heavy rainstorms and found that the old roof was leaking terribly. I was very nervous about my equipment and materials getting ruined. Now, that worry is gone. I feel very secure in the fact that I will stay dry.

The old sheds, which were attached to the backside of DbR, have been torn down as well. Once the reusable materials were sorted out, the family enjoyed a bonfire, including s’mores. Mm mmmm… It was a great way of celebrating the continuation of the renovation process. We still have some clean-up to do, as can be seen in the photo, but that seems minor in comparison to the sheds being torn down.

Our next step will be to remove a few trees that are too close to the building so proper measurements can be taken for the new siding. We have plans to dig a drainage ditch and put the driveway in before winter, as well. We have accomplished so much and yet there is so much left to do.

Design Studio Interior Complete!!

rowforbes — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:22:09 +0000

The inside of my shop is officially finished and I have moved in. What a relief and an absolute blessing to have this space available to me. I feel the inspiration swell when I sit down at my computer to work. My printers and new vinyl cutter are all working beautifully and I am so excited to be able to put in some real time there. It’s like Christmas each time I open the door. I love it! I’ve also added a tribute to my grandfather, who used to spend hours working away at his craft within these four walls.

Design Studio Update

rowforbes — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:50:48 +0000

The smell of pine is in the air, as the boards go on the wall, one by one. The transformation is amazing. The ceiling is in, painted and the lighting is up. My new front door is in and just waiting for an open sign. J and M started putting up the tongue and groove pine yesterday and already they are halfway home. We will be staining it this weekend. I am so thankful to my dear husband for working so hard on this dream for me. His support has been incredible. I couldn’t have done it without him. I know that I will find untold inspiration in my new surroundings. I can’t wait!

Design Studio Beginning to Take Shape

rowforbes — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:44:48 +0000

Since I finished tearing out the insulation, changes have been happening very quickly at the shop. J and M have rewired the whole building, replaced a few boards, pulled out the old windows, replaced the front ones with shiny, clean new ones and boarded the back wall up. They have now started putting in new insulation. J is in hopes of having the ceiling sheet-rocked and maybe painted by this weekend. Then the new lights and my new front door will go in and they will begin putting the pine boards on the walls. My new front door; sounds sweet.

Interior Shop Demolition is Done!

rowforbes — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:21:40 +0000

This past weekend I hit the turn-around point in the shop renovations. I finished pulling out the rest of the insulation from the walls and J helped to remove a lot of the stuff that was still cluttering the floor. He and a friend of ours has begun the rewiring, to be finished tomorrow. Their plan is to have the new ceiling in before next weekend. The interior is going to be coming together quickly now. I am in hopes I will be able to purchase more materials for my counters and workbench this weekend. I am just giddy with excitement!

Design Studio Update

rowforbes — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:43:10 +0000

Life has been pretty busy lately, so I hadn’t initially planned to get any work done on the shop this weekend. Surprisingly, however, I ended up spending a few hours both yesterday and today wreaking havoc on the interior. Demolition is fun! I stripped the ceiling of panels and began removing insulation from the walls. It won’t be long before J will be able to get at the wiring and begin working his magic. I was also picked up the little gas fireplace I wanted this week for a real bargain; it was half off. The further into this project I progress, the more excited I get about the final outcome.

Big step forward in Shop renovation

rowforbes — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:45:44 +0000

I spent the first two days of the New Year working towards getting my design studio renovated. January 1 my father came in and helped me remove the large bench on the front wall. We quickly found out that my grandfather was not afraid to use nails, screws and a combination of the two. After a lot of hammering and prying we got it all pulled apart and moved out into the shed. It opened up the room immensely.

J came up on day two and began ripping down the sheet rock. I walked into a huge mess after lunch. I was thrilled though. I grabbed some garbage bags and started filling. By the time we were done late that afternoon, we had removed all but one bench from the walls and stripped three of the walls of sheet rock. J also pulled a handful of the ceiling tiles down to see what was above them. It gave us a better idea of what we were getting into.

I feel a great sense of accomplishment at having moved so far in only two days. The next step involves getting the rest of the stuff out of the room so the final wall can be attacked.

Workshop to Printshop: Cleaning

rowforbes — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:32:51 +0000

I began the arduous task of cleaning out the Shop on Saturday. I wish I had taken pictures before I got started, because looking at the photos I shot aftwards, you might not be able to tell I accomplished anything at all. I plan on keeping a running update of pics and stuff from here on in. I know it may not look like much now, but I see so much history and potential bursting out of every crack.

It was a little strange being at the Shop alone. My father had been kind enough to go in earlier in the day and light a fire, so it was warm and the smell of wood smoke was bitter-sweet. I spent a good solid three and a half hours filtering through rusted bits of iron and pieces of wood of every shape, size and type, and sweeping. Sweeping. Sweeping. Sweeping. It’s amazing how you can never completely sweep up sawdust and ashes. I’ll have to take a vacuum to it later.

It’s funny. I know my grandfather made a distinct impression on me. I came across a stick; just a regular stick, but it was perfect. It had just enough knots and bends; the perfect diameter and strength. I know he would have looked into it and found a beautiful carving. I set it aside. I also found the old pictures of when the Shop was first moved. I added a few of them to my last post. I wasn’t very old then, but I remember watching it come down over the hill and past my house.

I still have a long way to go, but am hoping to get to the far wall this weekend. J has measured the front windows for pricing, as that will have to be the first thing replaced. The plan, at this early stage, is to replace the front windows looking out on the road; replace the main door; remove the windows and door in back wall; tongue and groove pine on the walls; a floating floor; metal roofing; new siding or repaint existing ones; update wiring to include ethernet; build benches and shelves; and put in a culvert and driveway. That’s doesn’t sound like much…. does it? We will just take it one step at a time. It’s going to be fun.

A New Shop for DbR

rowforbes — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:41:39 +0000

I am so excited!! I have been working out of my living room for months now and my little corner has become very congested with my new printer and my increasing stock of paper and files. I am also looking into more equipment… but I’ll save that for another post. So to start from the “beginning”…

Once upon a time there was a little camp which overlooked a river. It was fondly called the Eagle’s Nest by the locals. When I say overlooked, I mean it precariously sat on the side of a bluff so one could see miles of the river and the river valley all at once. One day an out-of-towner came along and bought the land and the little camp. He didn’t want the camp, only the land on which to build his castle.

My grandfather, living less than a mile away, loaded the kitchen section of the camp onto skids and hauled it home. It was to become his wood working shop, his get-away and sanctuary. He filled it with tools and sweet smelling wood; sawdust carpeted the floor. He would build a fire in the small cast iron stove and spend hours puttering away.

He passed away a few years ago, leaving a hole in my heart and an emptiness on the farm. The old work shop had been used occasionally by other family members, but the time of lights regularly glowing in the evenings and smoke puffing from the chimney had passed. The idea, up until recently, was to tear the little red building down.

I, with the support of my family, will work to breathe a new life into my grandfather’s sanctuary. He was always so supportive and encouraging of my design work, constantly bringing me fun little projects for his amusement. As for using his shop; I think he would approve. So, I will begin this weekend, stacking wood remnants, sorting odds and ends and sweeping the sawdust from the floor. The revitilization will be a long process, but I hope, come spring, I will be able to move in with my equipment.

Thanks for everything, Grampy. I love you.