Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Back to work, but relaxing just got easier.

Back to work today. Ugh. Good thing I have a nice, big screened-in porch to relax in when I get home. That's right - it's finished! Doesn't have any furniture yet, but we aren't letting that stop us from enjoying it. We spend our evenings sitting out there on our tailgating chairs drinking beer and wine and watching the birds. And cats. There's some good cat-watching opportunities whether they are inside it or outside. One sure thing about the cats: if they're in, they want out; if they're out, they want back in. Here is a rare shot that captures all three of them exploring the new space.

the cats explore the porch

Random question of the day: Has anyone ever dismantled a sleeper sofa for disposal? If so, how'd that go? Ours is so stained, torn and horrible the Salvation Army doesn't even want it. We're thinking of taking it to the recycler, but it would be easier in pieces. I once hacked apart a regular sofa for dumpster disposal, but it didn't have metal parts.

15 comments:

Jenn said...

Ha. Good luck with the couch disposal. I couldn't even get the dump to take mine, I just left the sofa bed in the appartment when I left NY. Left it to someone else to worry about.

fermicat said...

Hi Lucy - welcome to the blog. We'd put that old couch on the curb if it weren't so dang heavy!

LL said...

Wow lucy... you're hanging around with a rough crowd now.

What the hell fermi? You missed Friday so now you're catblogging on a Tuesday? I just can't catch a break from you...

BC said...

The porch looks great!! I love the floor.

Jeni said...

I had a sleeper sofa a good many years ago and now, I can't remember what I did with it when I finally got new living room furniture. Talk about forgetful, huh?
I've been meaning to tell you too that your foray into bathroom remodeling must have sparked something here in Mandy because so far, she has pulled up all the tile from the bathroom floor, been busy spackling some of the areas on the bathroom walls in need of that and experimenting a bit with some paint colors to determine which she likes better for the bathroom to go with the new tile she purchased. One of the problem areas though is the floor around the commode which tends to get damp, then soggy, then wants to give out all because the commode in the bathroom "sweats" a lot and this also creates a little extra problem in the bathroom -like mold! Lovely. NOT! I asked a good friend of ours who is a plumber by trade and he suggested getting a commode with an insulated tank. I'm not sure if Mandy and Bill are planning on ripping up the entire floor and replacing it, plus a new commode but all of a sudden now, her desire for new tile on the bathroom floor looks like it may become a long-term project before it gets finished. I'm not gonna show her your blog pictures of the new porch cause I know that's also something she wants added to the house someday too. Someone better be getting a good, really high-paying job around here or a winning lottery ticket by the looks of things!

fermicat said...

ll - I knew you'd complain about the unscheduled catblogging.

bc - thanks. The cats like the tile because it is cool to lay on (literally).

jeni - those bathroom projects have a way of spiraling out of control and taking months longer than you think they should. Good luck!

ctheokas said...

Sleeper sofa disposal...

Equipment:
1 hacksaw
1 regular saw
1 knife
1 hammer
1 pair, heavy-duty wire cutters

Throw out the cushions. Take the knife, cut away the upholstery, exposing the frame. Take the hammer, and knock the wooden frame apart, so that the metal frame of the bed is freed. Take the hacksaw and cut through the tubing of the metal frame. Use the wire cutters to cut apart any mesh that would support the mattress. Use the regular saw to cut up the wooden frame of the sofa (if needed). This should take you about half an hour, tops.

Dianne said...

your porch is on my dream list!

it's just plain perfect.

ctheokas gave really good advice - it is pretty much what we did - and when I say we I mean my son and a friend - with ours.

how's the new hairdo feeling?

tiff said...

Your backyard is gorgeous.

Won't the cats claw at the screens? That'd be my worry.

wa11z said...

What Ctheokas said.

fermicat said...

ctheokas and wa11z - done, for the most part. Took the sleeper part out and the two pieces weren't that bad separately. We managed to salvage enough sorta decent cushions to donate the love seat to charity and we'll take the sofa to the dump.

dianne - still not used to the new hairdo. Feels really weird in the shower, and I haven't figured out how to style it yet. I would say it still looks choppy and I am not really liking the style, although the length does not bother me.

tiff - we double screened the bottom portion and had "pet proof" screen on the lower insides. Should ward off bad kitty or puppy behavior, if we reinforce it with some squirt gun discipline. The outer screen is metal and should be fairly hardy.

ctheokas said...

The advice I gave you for the sleeper sofa also works good with bodies... I mean, other furniture.

Kathleen said...

The porch looks nicer than my apt!!! I'm jealous. I'd be out there all the time!

fermicat said...

kat - I'll be living out there when the furniture comes. We joked about setting up the air mattress and sleeping out there last weekend, but decided not to.

Kathleen said...

Oh, I could definitely see sleeping out there...color me jealous. ;-)