Projects, build logs, photography, and a concert ledger by Nicky Semenza — software engineer and hands-on builder in San Francisco.https://nickysemenza.com/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/outdoor-kitchen-island/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/outdoor-kitchen-island/Designing and building a steel-framed, brick-clad outdoor kitchen island with a built-in Big Green Egg, sink, and cedar slat storageWed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/backyard-renovation/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/backyard-renovation/Transforming the backyard with new hardscaping, irrigation, planting, and outdoor living spacesFri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/kitchen-renovation/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/kitchen-renovation/A full kitchen renovation in an 1886 house.Sun, 26 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/shoe-rack/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/shoe-rack/A custom wood shoe cabinet for the entryway, modeled in Fusion 360 before it was built.Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/sf-streets-map/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/sf-streets-map/Every street in San Francisco rendered from GIS data with Python, then set in a stained birch frame and cut mat board.Fri, 10 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/record-holder/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/record-holder/Vinyl Record StorageSun, 08 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/half-bath/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/half-bath/Half Bath RenovationThu, 28 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/mason-jar-spice-rack/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/mason-jar-spice-rack/I have quite a plethora of different spices that I actually do use on a regular basis - within a given week i'd say I use about 20 or so different onces. I buy…Sat, 15 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/chili-oil-roast-potatoes/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/chili-oil-roast-potatoes/Perhaps the only trait I exhibit from my Irish heritage is my love for potatoes. I usually season my potatoes with dryer spices, and maybe some citrus juice,…Tue, 02 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/thai-noodles/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/thai-noodles/This is somewhere between pad kee mao and pad see ew. This is a very flexible recipe - you'll need some rice noodles, vegetables, and proteins, along with 2…Thu, 28 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/k8s-bare-metal/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/k8s-bare-metal/Background While in college, I wanted an economical way to have a solid storage solution for my 2.5TB of photos (25mb+ each...) that didn't involve portable…Sun, 27 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://nickysemenza.com/blog/lets-encrypt-certbot-cloudflare/https://nickysemenza.com/blog/lets-encrypt-certbot-cloudflare/I use Let's Encrypt often to generate valid publicly trusted certificates for testing, but DCV can be annoying to do over and over again. In a production…Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT