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Crawling Through The Wreckage

JUNE 7, 2007
First the plaster and lathe came off the ceiling - 36 bags worth. Mmmm- gritty dusty!
When we last met I was in the midst of a major renovation job, building a new half bath, storage closet, and adding some other much-needed improvements to my studio. Remember?

These things take time, friends. Time and money. And sweat and, if I'm honest, a little blood. But look, if I don't do it, who will?

Things are starting to shape up. The fun doesn't end here, though; the upstairs bedroom gets it next.
The bathroom is pretty well completed; the fixtures need to be installed and a few minor finishing touches. I've back-burnered this job; I'm waiting for a sink that's backordered.
Leveled ceiling with recessed lighting. C'est bon, no? Thanks to Claude and Sara.
I leveled the joists by screwing steel studs to them; they were almost 4 inches out of level over a 12 foot span. My brother-in-law Claude  ran the electrical ( because he's an electrician) then he and my sister Sara helped sheetrock the ceiling. This house is more crooked than the White House.
The bathroom and closet are rocked and ready for taping.
Anyone need some bricks? Going cheap.
Still, there's heaps of unfinished business. Here's the back (outside) wall. As you can see, there's a door to nowhere. A crappy, ill-fitting door that lets a bracing stream of cold air in in the Winter. I'm replacing the door with 2 large double-hung windows.
The bricks inside the walls are all this wall had for insulation. I'll be replacing them using r-19 denim insulation.
Here's the exterior shot. This is under the door - I removed the exterior sheathing to see what awaits me. Assy aluminum siding ( faded mint green - that's class!), asphalt shingle with the look and feel of real brick (gag), some fibrous, spongy strand board, and, at last, the original clapboards. Seems our house was once painted a dark charcoal grey. I kinda dig the Chas Addams vibe.
Where am I going? to the top!
I'll be replacing all this with plywood, housewrap, rigid foam insulation and lastly, new cedar clapboards. Tight and toasty.
It's a dirty job, but ultimately satisfying as all hell. I love going to bed sore and exhausted. Looking forward to having it all finished and polished up by the time the kid is hatched.
It's not all rosy around here. though. After a long and courageous battle with Cancer, the Veal finally passed away last Thursday. Yesterday, June 6th would have been her 11th birthday.  We miss her something awful.

On to Valhalla, sweet pet! There was no finer friend than you.
Topical: Rantin' And Ravin'  
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