Wow it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, we've been busy...
Troy finished the wall in the basement so now the wall jacks are out and a nice 2x6 stud wall is in. And by "finished" I should specify it is a bare (empty?) stud wall. But it is holding up the house so that is a big improvement.
While the weather remained too cold for work outside, Troy started on the dining room. Hmm...I should give you a house layout to reference...let me think about how to do that. Meanwhile, Troy is in the dining room tearing out the plaster, lath, ceiling and anything else he can find. He also ordered the replacement windows. Twice. Ok, so he wanted to replace the old big picture windows b/c they are horribly inefficient at insulating. I want to keep them, but can hardly argue the point b/c my teeth are chattering too much to be able to talk. Troy orders a pair of double hung windows to replace the nice big sheet of glass we have now. It's a solution. But you know, not one I'm crazy about. We have a few more of these circuitous discussions and Troy does some more calling. What do you know! you
can get a piece of glass that big without getting a new mortgage. So he was able to cancel the old order and put in a new one. And you know what? it was cheaper that way too. Hmmm...chattering teeth or not, my expression is smug...and satisfied.
So last week Isaac came up for spring break and Troy's parents (dad and stepmom in this case) came up to visit and then the work really started getting done! Let's see...
- For one, my washing machines now plug into the wall instead of sharing one extension cord that I would have to trade between the two machines. Not only is this easier on my hands (not having to dislodge the plug from the stubborn cord), it also frees up the ("the" as in only) plug in the bathroom. Nice.
- Our lightswitches were rewired and fixed so they no longer sort of "hang" from the wall instead of being mounted securely to the wall. I feel a little safer already.
- Our visitors will be happy to hear we have a guard rail along the back basement stairs. Now, I never felt unsteady around the gaping hole in the floor, but I did worry about the visitors who didn't have this trap marked in their mental maps of the house. Sorry, it's still not safe for kids as the stiles are a good 24 inches apart yet.
- In addition to being stripped completely bare, the dining room got at least 4 or 5 more electrical outlets. Too many for a dining room you say? I do not agree. Especially since the room may serve as entertainment room or office at some point.
- Troy also managed to use the "warm enough" weather to distill the glycerin (to recover the methanol) and he made a mould so that the glycerin bricks exactly fit the pot we burn them in. He is clever sometimes, I have to admit. This also means the fires are running very hot again for this last kick of winter.
Well, that's all the work I know about, noticed, or can remember. I was at work all week so I did not get in on all the fun. (In fact all I got was a cold!) We had good visits with Tom, Clures, Isaac, Mom and Aunt Marie Ann. It's feast or famine with us and guests I think, but that's ok. Thank you to Tom and Isaac who pitched in mightily and Clures who kept us very well fed.
Sorry, no pictures for you to ogle. I got tired of waiting for a good time to upload them. Maybe I'll add them later.
All for now,
christina
And here's a before...
and after...
of the basement support wall. The pics are taken from opposite views, so sorry you don't have a direct comparison. But look at all that fresh new wood. Yum.
Here's a mid-destruction shot: (now the left window is the southwest window, and the right window faces west)
Notice how high the insulation goes. There was lots of empty space in the walls.
You're seeing the south window on the left again, and southwest window on the right. Troy is putting house wrap on the inside of the walls where he can, and a lot of foam where he can't. And look! There are our new picture windows stacked against the wall ready to go in. How exciting is that!!