Category: Projects (Page 1 of 11)

Platform bed cabinets.

August 7, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

I was wondering about headboards. Before I build a headboard, there has to be a place to put it. A headboard could cantilever off the end of the bed platform, but that leaves a lot of empty space between the bed platform and the wall.

It’s a medium sized bedroom in a small house. That space can’t be wasted, so I want to build cabinets. Two cabinets below to hold spare bedding, sheets, towels and pillows. A small cabinet on top to hold pill bottles that usually sit on top of the dresser. Same thing on the other side of the bed.

Do normal people have headboards?

August 1, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

I built a platform bed because I don’t know where people by furniture.

IKEA is the only store with furniture that I don’t mind. Their furniture is functional and doesn’t try to make the homeowner look more interesting than they are. Bedroom furniture is the worst. Stores sell bedroom sets that look like they were build from wood salvaged from dilapidated Amish barns or rescued from Belgian whorehouses.

Stay away from this one.

July 25, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

I noticed this when I was mowing the lawn yesterday.

Sparky is a good helper.

July 13, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

I’m finally finishing the grout and trim on the downstairs bathroom. It’s not a big job, but I’d rather screw around at home, then go to Home Depot to get what I need to finish the job. Sparky likes doing everything, but loves going for car rides.

He customarily gets a treat when the last errand is run, and we are ready to drive home. I don’t know why he gets a treat when he is already so happy about the car ride. I gave him a treat once, and now he turns his charisma up to 11. I am powerless to stop.

Sparky makes it fun to run errands.

Planting a tree

June 6, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Planting a tree is a good project because once it’s established, the tree does all the work.

If the planet of the apes built a basilica

June 5, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

When I saw the Sagrada Familia basilica being built in Barcelona, it seemed very planet-of-the-ape-y.

It was designed by Gaudi, and has an organic look that I really like. This was in 1991, and since it was being built by Spaniards with private donations, I doubted it would ever be done.

Now it is finished, mostly, and there is a Lego Sagrada Familia kit for $799. It looks horrible.

We ain’t been slackin’.

May 28, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

We’ve been busy doing grueling and grimy work, so I didn’t take many photos.

During Sparky’s long day, we shuttled IBC totes from the mulch yard, to my buddy’s house for later retrieval. He’s got a thriving firewood business, so I wanted to get the totes from his house to mine, then set them up for firewood.

Sparky’s long day.

May 4, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Sparky likes a car ride, so he wanted to come along to the mulch yard. It was a longer day than he’d expected.

Normandy Physics Mural

April 28, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

When I started teaching at Normandy in 1995, I was coming off of an engineering career that was mentally challenging because every project was unique and exhausting because of the long hours on site and extensive travel.

I was enthusiastic. Normandy was a great school for me because nobody was paying attention. I could do whatever I wanted, and I wanted to do so many things. I didn’t care about the time, money or effort, if something seemed like a good idea, then we did it. The mural was a good idea.
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My connection to Chernobyl.

April 26, 2026 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Today is the 40^th anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster. Today, people know about the disaster, with many becoming familiar from the excellent miniseries Chernobyl. It has an IMDB score of 9.2 and is worth watching on HBO Max.

At the time, it was the radioactive fallout over Scandinavia that got my attention. Ten years later, I had a student who had been there.