Friday brings problems...

As Marcus-the-Mighty and Amos were finishing up the Sheetrock Friday, guess who shows up? The Building Inspector for the city. No, not the one I've been working with for the last four years, or the Really Old Guy that everyone was waiting on to retire (he did). But a NEW Building Inspector.

I was at work. But New Inspector says everything looks okay, except my Building Permit has expired (last year) and that my bedroom windows don't meet code.

Excuse me?

Yes.

My bedroom windows don't meet fire code. In case of an emergency, every bedroom has to have two exits, the doorway and an operable window. I could hear him adjusting his pocket protector as he quoted me from whatever manual he uses.

So. It doesn't matter that Really Old Guy and Other Inspector signed off on EVERYTHING before I put insulation up. The plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, load bearing walls that were moved, foundation, the flooring system...

My bedroom windows don't meet code. So I have to take them out. And replace the newly refinished, freshly painted, re-glazed, original, but inoperable, complete with new storm windows, bedroom windows, with THREE new ones. That work. And open. That a person escaping a fire or really bad gas can escape out of, or a burglar can step into.

Sigh.

A headboard would've looked so nice tucked right under there.
Notice the completely finished Sheetrock above, below, around the window.

This one, too. Will be gone.

The prettiest thing about my house, to me, is the light, and the windows.

This is a battle I will not win. I made sure, though 101 years old, that this house was NOT in the historic district, so I wouldn't have to fight with THOSE guys.

Instead, I have to fight with New Inspector. Or surrender.

I already renewed my Building Permit. Which is ridiculous. Do you know how many permits I've had these past 4 years?

Two steps forward, one step back.

Ceilings! 5/19

I took these pictures right when Marcus-the-Mighty and Amos were finishing up for the day. The stippling is still wet, so you can see some damp spots.

I originally wanted a flat ceiling, with no texture, but it would make every dip and sway in the ceiling show. They are all minor dips, I know where they are, but the average person wouldn't. It's just an old house.

Marcus-the-Mighty suggested a knock-down ceiling texture, that is a good mix between stippling and a flat finish, but you have to paint a knock-down ceiling. And I've painted ceilings before, it's not a fun thing, much less to do a whole house.

So we compromised and he did a light stippling, which I am VERY happy with. It's just enough texture to make it interesting, to hide the imperfections, and give it a finished look.

It's very sparse and light, airy.
It actually raises the ceiling about its 10' height.

The Foyer

I decided to Sheetrock over the original wooden porch ceiling that was closed in, to give this a fully renovated and modern look. My aim was to not be able to tell that this Foyer was actually once part of the porch. Great strides were taken outside, and on the inside I wanted it to 'match'.

Look at the hole for the ceiling air conditioning vent. This was cut AFTER the Sheetrock went up.
Not a single hole cut by Marcus-the-Mighty required taping or mudding.

He's that good.

More Tape and Mud 5/17

Laundry Room

Main Bathroom

Great Room

Foyer

There's actually a day here missing, but I closed that night at work and the pictures didn't turn out well. I still wanted to document the progress.

Let the Mudding (and Taping) Begin!

Taping and Mudding (and Sanding) began on Monday, 5/16
This is the Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Great Room

Small Bedroom

5/13 Sheetrock Day 3

Front Room from Foyer

Dining Area in Great Room

Opposite wall in Great Room
From left, Kitchen, Bathroom, Laundry, Small Bedroom doorways

Looking back towards Foyer.
I LOVE this door!

I have limited Internet access, and am posting two weeks later, so these are mainly pictures of the Sheetrock in progress.

5/13 Sheetrock Day 3

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Kitchen/Back Door

5/12 Sheetrock Day 2

Day 2 of Sheetrock and walking in the front door I was greeted in the Foyer with this:

A fully Sheetrocked Foyer!

And. Uhm. This is my roommate, Jon. He wanted to be on my blog.
Obviously, he is not a Sheetrock-hanging professional.
But he can help you adopt a dog.

The small bedroom and closet.

The laundry room.

In the main bathroom, Marcus-the-Mighty built out the wall around the left hand side of the tub unit because the wall here wasn't perfectly square. The tub sits in what used to be a hall in the other apartment, and there were doorways on either side. I'm extremely happy with the way his problem solving turned out.

All that on Day 2.

5/11 Sheetrock Day 1

Marcus-the-Mighty and his trusty sidekick, Amos, were already hanging drywall when Daddy and I got there to work on Day 1 of Sheetrock. They really are super heroes to me. You'll see why...

While we made sure the kitchen plumbing was vented correctly (something the plumber didn't show up to clarify, after three days of phone calls), attached some nail boards to the top of the newly rebuilt walls across the back of the house (nothing to nail that edge of the Sheetrock to), and replaced a header that somehow was removed from above an interior doorway, they did this:

Looking into the Great Room from the Foyer


and more impressively, this:

Looking from the Dining Area back towards the previous picture.

Yeah, I know! A BIG difference!

How two men could hang almost all the ceilings in the entire house and start on the walls in less than an 8 hour workday... You see why they are super heroes? This is why you hire a professional for things like this, guys.

Stay tuned for Day 2.

Sheetrock Delivery 5/10

Ever wonder what 110 pieces of Sheetrock look like?

If you spread it out in different rooms, it doesn't look like that much.

Each piece is 12' long and 4' wide.

It really is quite a lot.

Hey, You! Over Here...

May 2011

Sit down for a bit. Let's talk and catch up.

If anyone is keeping track, my house is now 101 and I'm 30. It's been about a year since I last posted. When I left off, the rough-ins for electricity (a new panel box), the brand new air conditioning system (ducts and all), and the plumbing had been completely done, ready and waiting. Let me emphasize the waiting.

The last project I did down at my house was installing the vapor barrier and insulation. I also introduced the Side Project, the saving of an old butler's pantry cabinet. With work being absolutely crazy last summer and the inconvenience of a house fire at my parents' last August (everyone is okay!), progress on my house stopped. I went by and trimmed the yard and kept it trash free. I stored things there, and visited it on lunch breaks. I rode by twice a day. But nothing happened.

Until about two weeks ago, when the Marcus-the-Mighty Sheetrock Guy showed up. Yes!, I said SHEETROCK! I've waited four years for sheetrock. Doesn't that sound like a huge step? Like, a 'Wow, you're close to moving in!', step? *snicker*. Yeah. Sure.

But it is progress and there are many more pictures and updates to follow. It's too exciting!

Stop by next time and we'll go inside!