It has been an action packed year and there are a lot of projects I need to get everyone caught up on! Last winter my wife and I decided to upgrade our bed/mattress to a king-size. Finding a mattress was the easy part, but holy-sticker-shock-batman, the cost of modern rustic king size bed frames was ridiculous!

Not only did the cost get me going but the build quality on some of these units was marginal at best. My wife and I shopped around but we ultimately agreed that spending $3000 on a "nice" bed frame wasn't something we were comfortable doing. While money was part of the problem, it was the build quality and fear that the bed frames would creek, groan, or come apart over time.

Instead, I opted to fire up Fusion 360 and get to work designing a modern rustic bed frame based on the West Elm Alexa Bed Set for our new king-size mattress. I decided to make the design as accessible to everyone as I could. What I mean by this is I made the following key design decisions:

• To base the design around readily available materials you can get at big box stores and lumber yards.
• Incorporate construction and build techniques that don't require a plethora of specialty woodworking tools.
• Be sensitive to how long projects like this can take - not everyone wants to build for half a year!
• Honor woodworking design best practices so materials can move seasonally as humidity levels change.
• Make the construction and assembly of the bed frame strong so that creeks and groans don't occur at the most inopportune times! 
• Create a timeless design that isn't part of mass America's "throwaway" culture.

Check out our latest video update on our DIY energy efficient home addition build and remodel in Wisconsin. Chapter 1 highlights include deck removal, tree cutting, boiler relocation, rock removal, tree stump excavation, discussions with our energy consultant, reaching out to HVAC contractors, and having our utilities marked by Diggers Hotline. All-in-all we had a productive couple weeks where we focused on preparing the build site for excavation. 

Removing the old deck went smoothly and we were able to save a significant amount of the old lumber by disassembling the deck as opposed to cutting it apart. We've already used some of that lumber in other projects around the property which has both been cost effective and convenient.

Conversations with our energy consultant have primarily revolved around sorting out design details and developing a fluid plan that considers both new and old portions of the home. I'll have more to report on this front once I've had time to process and finalize many of the details.

I hope you enjoy Chapter 1 and please let me know if you have questions or interests in specific areas. Creating a video series is something new for me and I expect it will evolve as we go along. Thanks for watching!

Paul

Happy spring everyone! I'm happy to share with you our first project intro (and a big one at that) - the addition build and remodel of our home that my wife and I have been planning since we first laid eyes on our place. I spent most of the winter planning this out, working with our architect and energy consultant, and searching for concrete contractors in preparation to get this project rolling.

What Are We Building?
 We're going to build a 32x38' addition with an attached 10x24' greenhouse. The basement level of the addition will be the garage and above it will be master suite, office, bedroom, and laundry.

As for the remodel, we'll be revising the existing floor plan, finishing the basement, and making energy efficient upgrades to improve the home's envelope.

Who is Building and Remodeling It?
The core team will be my father-in-law, my dad, and myself with a lot of support from our better halves. We'll also be leveraging the expertise of numerous technical experts in their various fields and trades.

How Are We Building It?
I'm focused on building the most energy efficient structure I can and employing sustainable or energy efficient solutions that will last the lifetime of the home. It would be easy to say we're going to build and retrofit to net zero, but the reality is that probably isn't going to be economically feasible - for a host of reasons that we'll cover later. In reality, we'll be trading off cost, energy efficiency, and doing the best we can.

Why go as efficient as possible? 
In order to curb climate change, action needs to be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions come from residential buildings in the United States. Designing and retrofitting buildings to be more efficient and employing renewable energy solutions is a great way to help drive these emissions down.

I captured a ton of footage for my Polaris SKS 850 review and wanted to share it without the review audio. I for one love the sweet sound of a two-stroke on its pipe and am sure you will too. I had a lot of fun experimenting with my Go Pro Hero 9 and trying out different camera angles while I was out riding. 

I headed out to West Yellowstone Montana in early January to get this footage and was super fortunate with respect to snow conditions and sunshine. I haven't been on many trips where we had three days of sunshine in a row! 

The Polaris SKS 850 146" was a blast to ride! I can't wait to head out West again and spend more time working with the sled and camera. I hope you enjoy the video!

​- Paul

THE WORKSHOP CHRONICLES UPDATES

Welcome to the Workshop Chronicles!
What is the Workshop Chronicles you ask? The Workshop Chronicles is a space I’ve created that allows me to showcase my do-it-yourself spirit, document projects, and share with you applicable skills through project-based learning. Any idea that’s born and carried out within the walls of my workshop you will find here on this blog.

Why?
Because at any given moment I have dozens of DIY project ideas rattling around in my head that I want to bring to fruition. Over the years I’ve designed and built everything from chicken coops to motorcycles. As I’ve grown my skill set, I’ve found that there’s no shame in the old adage of being a “jack of all trades.” Actually, I believe that increasing your skillset paves the way for you to become a better problem solver and innovative thinker in your everyday life. It’s my hope that by following along with any of the DIY projects or plans that I share here - you’ll proudly become a jack or jill of all trades too.

How will the Workshop Chronicles work?
​Through my blog and YouTube channel, you can follow along with multiple ongoing projects I have happening in my workshop, ranging from home renovation to aviation to engine design. With a ridiculous level of attention to detail and the ability to deliver technical content in easily digestible and actionable ways, you’ll be learning along with me so you can also do it yourself. Projects will be broken out and organized by topic, into chronicles, so that each project can be reviewed from start-to-finish. Videos, pictures, and detailed writing will be used to showcase projects as they progress.