Riviera Rich Construction Blog

transformation of stairs

2012-04-05T08:12:00.002-07:00

here is what the finished treads look like. They were sanded with a final 150 grit, then stained, and finally coated 4 times with high-traffic polyurethane- whalla!

great art

2012-03-22T18:53:00.003-07:00

The incomparable artist "Zelfad" has created a new work called " Transcendence"

I don't normally post non-construction stuff but I just love this artist.

stairways

2012-03-19T08:41:00.002-07:00

working on a lovely stairway, changing it from drab carpet, to beautiful sustainable white oak treads and custom tile risers.

Construction Jihad!

2012-03-14T08:43:00.003-07:00

I am a Jihadist! I will gladly sacrifice anything to do a job right. check out this new gate i recently built, it is sweet. Even though the customer didn't want to spend a bundle, I have no problem with putting an extra hour to make it nicer, at no additional cost.

Custom gates

2012-03-12T17:44:00.002-07:00

I finished these one-of-a-kind gates, and between then and now I've even done more gates!these gates are awesome! YA Hoo!

bandsaw techniques

2012-01-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Cutting curves on bandsaws require steady hands and a smooth flow, and then you get a nice curve. Gate number 1 parts have been cut.

deflection

2012-01-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

What is beam deflection? It's when a pressure is placed usually on the top of a beam somewhere near the middle span. This pressure over time becomes unbearable, and because wood is somewhat elastic it bends in response to the forces placed upon it. After a while if the pressure is so relentless, the beam may just snap, as the bottom do to the curvature of bending, is stressed the most. Look at this beam and you can clearly see what I mean.

happy new year

2012-01-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

I know today is a holiday but being self- employed, I went ahead and did some work anyways. Here is a photo of the pre-primed gate jambs that I will be installing tomorrow. They are 3" by 3" by 48" long and are Western Red Cedar. I hope the masonry columns I'm installing them on are fully grouted.

custom gates

2011-12-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here is what 500.00 worth of Western Red Cedar looks like. It is clear, surfaced, and kiln-dried. I am building some custom gates with it. I also purchased some cool rustic hardware to go with the spanish style of house that these gates when finished, will belong to.

cutting board

2011-12-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

Look at this beautiful cutting board, completely handmade it is the only one like it in the world.

Made by the multi- faceted artist " Zelfad" it is a gift to a tennis friend.

Holiday gifts

2011-12-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a project I'm building in my spare time, it's a tennis themed cutting board! With wood inlays.

headlamp

2011-12-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

Hey man turn your lights off, turn your lights off.

new job

2011-12-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at a new job we are doing in beautiful Lomita, Ca. This is a custom bathroom addition. We have put the metal and building paper up, next is the "Hardi" siding. We papered this structure with standard Jumbo-Tex black paper, then put a layer of Typar over that, as is required when papering over plywood sheathing, U.B.C. code! Don't mess with it.

finishing jobs

2011-11-14T08:32:00.001-08:00

We just closed out and finished a major rebuild repair job her in the southbay. It was a lot of work to get this house back in order, but we did. Now it is water tight, and has a new lease on life... so to speak. When we first started the garage opening was failing, the beam was snapped, do to dryrot and the forces of stress over many years. We love to repair and rebuild.

uncouth people

2011-11-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

I recently went to interview some folks that wanted a cabinet repaired. these people were messed up, I mean- they seemed like they were on drugs or something. i don't like dealing with humans like that! check out the clutter in their bathroom.

many people

2011-10-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

Your attention please this is a public service announcement, there are now officially 7 billion souls on our little finite planet. Let's all try to get along. The birthrate minus the death rate is positive 240,000 souls per day. I hope none of them want to be surfers! Lastly food for thought, when the total population went from 1 billion to 2 billion it took roughly 120 years. Recently when it went from 6 billion to 7billion it took just 12 short years. Is this sustainable ? You tell me.

blogmonster

2011-10-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you are in the mood to blog, you just do it,

there really ain't nothin to it.

Just press fingers to keys,

and before you can even sneeze,

words start to form on the screen,

as you decide if the tone should be nice or mean.

The Zenbuilder will see you through it!

demo and install window

2011-10-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here is how you properly set up a small job with maximum efficiency. Notice the trash cans at either end of the scaffolding, the table, and plastic to catch stucco debris. If you set a job up properly, the clean-up, and overall progress will be smoother. This one man show is unstoppable!

plastic fantastic

2011-10-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

I had to create a hermetically sealed environment similar to a Dell computer micro-chip room, or a negative air-pressure chamber to both scrape and power sand the Walnut post. This temporary structure also kept the owner's dog and cat's at bay. Today it gets two more coats of clear semi-gloss, then i will start on replacing all the stair treads.

I'm so ver-clamped.

2011-10-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

I wrapped a 4 by 6 post in Walnut ( expensive) This son-of-gun took a lot of clamps as you can see. I will show you what it looks like at finish when it is.

Building paper

2011-10-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Typar building paper is awesome! The guy's who started Tyvek are behind Typar. This stuff is as good if not better than Tyvek. We have used it on our latest project, a major rebuild/repair job here in the Southbay. We could have used a lesser material, but that's not what we do here at Riviera Rich Builders- we only use the best. We project positive energy on every job.

Two men together

2011-10-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Pat and Charley have been together for a long time. They are two very special men. They have stayed together through the thick and thin. The commitment they enjoy with each other is phenomenal. It takes a certain type of temperament to make a relationship last this long. I like working with them because they are so supportive of each other it inspires me to be a better man. I love these guys almost as much as they love each other. Rock-on boys!

bak to back blogs

2011-10-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Check this guy's truck, it's fully outfitted and ready for action! I'm not going to get political here, but I think he's onto something.

Busy as a beaver

2011-10-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

The reason i haven't blogged in a while is becuase I am real busy right now. I just built a custom bathroom and am currently working on a giant dryrot wood rebuild and new plastering of entire structure from scratch. I love to be busy in construction, cause it inpires my artwork and poetry. here's the completed bathroom photo- zenbuilder out!

Steping in do do

2011-10-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I stepped onto some dog excrement while working. I was focused on my work and did not see the dog waste. My shoes were both caked with a rich smearing of the smelly substance, so I just removed them, placed them into a plastic bag and deposited them into the trash. I then drove to my local Big 5 store ( in my socks) purchased some new shoes, and went back to work. I'm sorry I cannot provide a photo of this experience, it was just too tramtic.