Follow Through

I admit it, follow through can be a struggle for me. Particularly with home improvement projects that last more than, say, 15 minutes. It's a weakness. I know that. My wife knows that. So why on earth, when my wife asks me if we can make a loft bed for Trinity (so that we can save a bunch of money), did I say yes? Not sure, but I said it. And amazingly enough, I did it! Needless to say, I am pretty darn proud of myself. But don't worry, I'll get over it. It turned out to me probably my most "liked" post on Facebook. See it here.

That's great and I appreciate the compliments, but I thought I should tell a little more of the story. If anyone spends any amount of time with me, they will likely hear me talk about the idea that it takes a village to raise a child. Or children. Well, it turns out that it also takes a village to build a bed. I not only borrowed a chop saw, paint sprayer and a Kreg jig, but I also borrowed an empty garage and airplane hangar!

So I started the whole project at Home Depot, then ended up out at the airport at 9pm for three nights in a row so that I could cut all the pieces that I needed. I don't have a count, but there were quite a few pieces! I also had help unloading!

I also paid a price for using my neighbors' garage while they were gone. Their dogs would wander while I was working. So then I would call them back. Lola the dachshund didn't want to be put back in the yard, so she bolted when I reached for her. Unfortunately, she was faster than me. Fortunately, I could track her pretty easily...

Yes, I could have painted it all by hand...

Who is entertaining who?

Fuel. Thanks Kal.

The weekend that I was doing the prep and paint work, Trinity was in Montana with Ava. So we had Teagan to ourselves. Or should I say, he had us to himself! He got to cook, sand, paint and sweep to his heart's delight!

This is just a shot to give credit where credit is due. Jesse not only lent me tools, but ended up at my house very late in the evening so that he could help me out. I would have spend at least another night or two working if it hadn't been for him. If you have never used one, Kreg jigs can save your life, (almost) literally.

Yes, I posted pictures on Facebook late at night to elicit sympathy. Whiner? Yep.

I like using Instagram, but it gets mixed reviews in my house. 

I pre-painted all the wood, so if there is a piece that is not painted, it's because I had to redo something. I know they say measure twice, cut once, but it simply doesn't always work out that way.

So, Autumn scored a free Snickers Latte (Mocha?). I went to her office to pick it up, but then spilled it. I have to say that it was quite the tragedy. Let me tell you that, with all the late nights I was putting in, caffeine was a lifesaver!

Why yes, that is my finger in the picture. It's also the first step in the bed's final assembly. This part was pretty cool, since it was all coming together!

The front is on, finally I can see what it's going to look like!

Voila! At this point it's about 98-99% done. I have some touch up to do, but it's inhabitable at this point. By now, Trinity had been seeing it for two days, but couldn't go in it. It was time to change all that.

So, let's get something straight. You probably couldn't pay me any amount to make one of these. It would cost you more money than the one at Pottery Barn for sure. It turns out though, that my daughter's smile is worth about a million bucks...

...because I would make it again for her any day of the week.