Walls, splatter drag and knockdown

So walls, there is sheet rock, taping and bedding and then texture.   It's not the most sexy thing in the kitchen but it is important (because where else are you going to hang the cabinets on)

Believe it or not, once the sheetrock is hung, taping and bedding are one of Paul's favorite things to do.  When I asked him he said "because it is mindless."  Okay.  Personally I can think of sitting out by the Big Thompson River in Estes Park, Colorado drinking a glass of wine and reading as a whole lot more mindless, but different strokes for different folks right? 

So once the insulation, plumbing and electric are in, it's time to sheetrock.  Here are pictures of the process.

Insulation and plastic. 

Look - it's the sheetrock that came through the slit!

Halfway there.










It actually looks like a room!

And now it is ready for sanding and eventually spraying texture on the walls.  And of course, we can't be like everyone else.  We have to use a combination of an orange peel and a knockdown (more commonly known as a spatter drag).  And once it is sprayed the dang plastic can come down and I won't get yelled at anymore for pulling it down. 

Before I close I want to make mention of one more thing.  Popcorn ceilings.  Throughout my house there are popcorn ceilings and I don't like them.  If you do, I won't say I am sorry, I just don't like them. 

Here's an example of my popcorn ceilings:

Here are my ceilings after they have been scraped.

They will also get a lovely spray and look more like the walls and more modern.   Then onto to painting the walls.  Now the good thing is, I already have my paint color for the walls which is the same as my breakfast room so I don't have to spend 6 months looking for the right color. 


 

The one where I get to use the power tools

I never get to use the power tools. When we use the table saw, I am the one either supporting the board going through the table saw or running around to the front to support the board as it comes out.

I was a technical theatre major, I used a band saw, a jig saw, painted and sized flats with god awful horse glue, but for some reason, Paul never lets me use his tools.  I don't know if it is a guy thing or he's afraid I'll cut a finger off.

So when he said one night - I need you to cut some boards while I am up in the attic, I was floored and a little excited.   Was it that he finally trusted me?  On further thought, it was probably that he didn't want to climb up and down while he was installing the solar tube, since he had to move some beams and install some braces. 

So I get to use the compound miter saw.  Here's a picture of this bad boy.

Of course Paul showed me exactly what he wanted and how he wanted it cut.  So I was a little nervous as I approached the saw.  But it was like being in the scene shop all over again.  I measured twice and cut once  - and with the exception of one board that I had to shave a little off of - I didn't do too badly. 

Here are photos of the hole, the attic, the finished product inside and out. 

AND I didn't injure myself.  Whoo Hoo.



P.S. - sorry it's been a while since I posted, we left for a much needed vacation in Colorado to escape the Texas heat and internet was spotty, plus a crazy laptop.  

Next stop  - walls.

It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

That to get 5 sheets of sheetrock through this slit.

But somehow, Paul and I managed.

It's 2 post bonus Sunday! 

Insulation R Us

As I mentioned whenever an outside wall is opened in our house in remodeling, certain things happen, treating termites, adding insulation, replacing studs and joists.  

So after the gas line was put in and the plumbing for the pot filler was put in, Paul added the foam board insulation.  Foam board insulation sheathing reduces heat conduction through structural elements, like wood and steel studs (thank you google).

I happened to come home while he was finishing the foam board and was about to put the nasty pink fiberglass back in between the studs.  I don't know why the dirt and nastiness bothered me so much, could it have been I thought termites still lurked in there, or I just didn't want termite dirt or any kind of dirt touching my new sheet rock.  I sometimes don't understand the processes that go through my mind.

So, I said to Paul "are you putting that crap back in the walls?"   He looked at me and said yes unless you want me to go buy brand new insulation.   Well I didn't want him to spend that money, but I did ask him to take off most of the dirt before he put the fiberglass back in.   So he did.  

Walls ready to be sheetrocked

Now I really felt bad for him, because this is a nasty job in which he had to wear long sleeves and a mask in order not to inhale any fiberglass.   And I thought I had made him do it - UNTIL, we were talking the other day and I said I was sorry for him having to wade through all that insulation and he told me "I was planning on taking about a half inch off anyway for the foam board to fit.  You don't want to know what went through my mind at that point. 

Hi, I'm Larry; this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl

Do you remember the old Newhart TV show?   Bob Newhart owned an inn in Vermont, Mary Framm was his wife and his handymen were named Larry, Darryl and Darryl.   I encountered Larry or at least Larry's twin on a recent plumbing job.

If you remember in earlier posts, I told you that most of the time Paul does the plumbing, electrical, etc., himself, but when he says to me, "we need to call somebody in," then as much as I hate forking over the cash, I listen and we do.

Take the case of our gas line.  In order to connect it to the meter, we decided to call our plumber Archie (yes that is his real name), however, Archie couldn't help us out so he recommended his friend David.  So Paul calls David to come out and take a look at the job and give us a bid.   He does, gives us a quote and sets a time for the installation.  When I got home from work that evening,  Paul tells me, "I have met Darryl, Darryl and Darryl."  Not remembering  of course that the first guy's name is Larry. Of course it would have been a better story if it was Darryl, Darryl, and Darryl, but you take what you get in this life.   Of course, I had to google it to make sure before I wrote about it.   Now my husband has a very dry sense of humor and likes to "yank my chain" on occasion, so I really didn't believe him.

HOWEVER, Paul had to work the day David was coming so I decided to work at home so we could get the gas line in, so the insulation and sheet rock could go up.  I open our front door and my mouth fell open.   It was Larry, not blonde, but it could have been Larry's twin.   Now he didn't have two Darryl's but he did have one that never spoke, while he was there.

But the guy was efficient.  An hour and half later, my gas line was in and up to code.  Here's a picture of my $350.00 gas line.

Now did I nearly have a heart attack over paying $350.00 for this?  Almost, but then I put it in perspective.

Those two pictures represent about $65.00 to $75.00 to move the plumbing for my sink and then add the plumbing for the pot filler.  Things you can do DIYers do - things you can't - well you just have take a breath and pony up the cash.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Or you could say - what lurks behind these walls! 

Whenever we (and I use the royal we) start a project at our 1979 house, and open a wall, it's anyone's game what we find.   The house had an infestation of termites prior to our purchase and although it was treated, we had a swarm a few years ago.   That prompted DIY termite treatment.  We ordered stuff on line and Paul trenched around the house.  Good news is we haven't (or at least I haven't) seen any further swarms.  If there are any, Paul isn't telling me, which is good for my blood pressure. 

The former owners (bless their hearts) didn't maintain the house well or if they had work done, it was not done well or on the cheap.    Now my husband takes great pride as to what is behind the wall as what is outside the wall.  So he will spend hours making sure studs, pipes, etc. are as near  to perfection as you can get, given what we have, in addition to reinsulating outside walls, treating for possible termites, etc.

So imagine our surprise (or not) when the outside wall is opened.  Sad to say those termites were hungry and ate one of the base plates.  And they weren't well mannered and cleaned up after themselves as you can see below

    
Since it was a load bearing wall, it required a trip to our local hardware store (remember those incidentals) to purchase a new base plate as well as wood to keep the wall stabilized while a new base plate was put in.   One giant step towards sheet rock.