Drywall dust every-stinking-where

The Missus is going to punch me for sharing this photo, but the dust on her behind was too good to pass up.

For four straight days she sanded this part and that part, intermixing more mud and joints and detail in between. And holy frijole, that shiznit gets everywhere. So, so, so very annoying. 

But after all that work, late Friday night April 21st we finished drywalling for good. The next afternoon we were going to start finishing the floors, so all that dust had to be completely removed. First a broom, then a shop vac, then a vacuum, followed by the a microfiber dry dusting, then a tac cloth over every floor surface, and finally a microfiber wet wash. Lots and lots of work, but it's all going to be worth it. 

The ceiling above, the floor below

We rented a large orbital sander to take off the sixty-plus years of dirt and grime and that terrible burnt black spot in the living room. Our friend Dave spent four hours running the machine by himself while I led a food tour on a Saturday afternoon. That man is my hero.

And now down into holes and corners for finish it all up. 

The wooden ceiling begins

Been waiting for this since before I owned the house.

A three row repeating pattern. 

Looking good. Pictures of the final results to come very soon.

Let's build a wall and close in this room

The guy who was doing our ceiling foam insulation took FOREVER to show up, canceling three times before he finally showed up. Unfortunately, he waited just long enough to let the Inspector General go on vacation for twelve days. Not knowing we were going to have to wait, we had turned in our lease termination on the Beech Glen house. So that means we didn't have the option to just sit around and wait. I had wanted to wait until inspection to build the attic half-wall, but now it needed to be done. 

Some crazy angles and twisted turns, but it all worked out. Honestly, it's one of the most intensely satisfying things I've done on the house so far. 

Picking Paint

The Missus had a paint theme in mind, but there are still decisions to be made. Four samples from Sherwin Williams painted on a wall that will be hidden by wainscoting was the perfect way to see the colors in large swatches. 

Once a color was picked, she started in the laundry room with some coverup primer. She finished it with two coats of primer and a couple coats of paint all in two or three nights. 

Bathroom assembled

A couple weeks ago we borrowed our old friend Rusty for one last trip to Home Depot. 

But who needs a truck when you can strap plywood to the top of a Volkswagen. 

Almost done with the bathroom. Yep, it looks as good in person. 

Small chores equal big advances

There are lots of small, menial tasks that lead up to big changes. Most of our next couple weeks' work will be those little jobs. Tonight the Missus stripped wallpaper in the bathroom in prep for painting tomorrow. 

I added a couple more pieces of drywall. One more trip to Home Depot and we should have everything on sight to finish the house.

I also added the nailer boards for the half wall that will block off the attic. Small but important jobs.