Category Archives: outside

Howdy

outside

As my old doormat has reached the end of its life time, I ordered a new one.

I’m not sure how well it will hold up, but I thought this one fitted nicely.

As I’m close to leaving, I also did the usual maintenance chores like checking all remote control batteries and replacing those not at 100%. And I cleaned the filters of the three AC units. The hot tub has a new thermometer that can be used to see the temperature from the great room. I’ve asked Hill Country Premier Lodging to include checking the presence of the thermometer as part of the hot tub maintenance routine. (I found the old one tossed out from the hot tub deck into the yard)

For my next visit I will have some more staining to do; the logs could do with a fresh coat on the outside.

It’s been great staying here and I hope the guests appreciate the updates I’ve done.

Deck maintenance

outside

Texas weather is hard on decks; burning sun most of the year and the occasional frost during the winter. So it’s time for some maintenance. A guest even managed to break a deck board, so I’m replacing those in worst shape. Here’s a before picture. As you can see, the federal blue is mostly faded.

After replacing 8 boards and re-staining all, it looks like this. I will likely have to do the staining yearly and still replace some boards every time.

although it’s nice to have a big deck ( 55 square meters or almost 600 square feet) the disadvantage is that it takes a while to stain.

Raccoon

outside

I’ve never seen one here before, but last night as I wanted to turn off the lights, I noticed this one on my deck.

i knocked on the window but he ignored me. As he wasn’t bothering me, I just let him be.

Address Plaque

News, outside,

I had some wood left over from the upstairs bathroom under floor, so I decided to make a fancier address plaque.

I use the same logo on all signs in the home and on the guestbook. You can’t tell from this picture but all the black is engraved (using a router) about 1/5 inch deep.

Entry Light

News, outside

Coming home one evening I realized it’s pretty dark walking to the stairs. So I installed an automatic lamp, which turns on at dusk, switches off at dawn and lights up brighter when movement is detected.

Hot tub sensor

News, outside

Every time I visit Ozuye myself, I notice some things that need to be fixed. The hot tub sensor was on the ground next to the deck, so that obviously did not work. Because of the drop, the battery case was broken inside, so I fixed that and replaced the sensor batteries. Now the indoor display (and the InkBird app on my iPhone) show the correct temperatures again

West side skirted

outside

This one was a little challenging as it’s so low beneath the deck on this side that I kept bumping my head. But it’s in;

Now all that’s left is the south side. I also received my foam spray insulation and bought stain. The color will be brown, as the poll clearly had brown as a favorite over federal blue.