Just when you think you're past it..

..you get to rip out more plaster.

When my (original) drywall contractor came to give an estimate, he recommended tearing out some of the plaster around the window in the living room. As I’ve mentioned, I wasn’t wild about tearing anything out there because I didn’t want it to mess with the window or the trim work around it.

He explained that he can patch the plaster that’s there…but it was essentially rotten and would flake off in a short time anyway. The best thing for me to do would be to determine what plaster was loose (tap the wall…does it wiggle? Yes. Grab a hammer.) and remove it. Dad/roommate and I tried to be selective at first, but it became pretty apparent that once we started, it was really better to keep going. Hopefully now I won’t have *major* issues with cracking or chipping now.

Ugh..dust. We actually ended up ripping out more than this...just for kicks.

When I say “original” drywall contractor, that’s a little misleading. My original bid was a local guy, has a great reputation for doing great work..$2,700..little expensive. Enter: guy from Des Moines. “Oh, yeah, sure..I can do it for $2,000..and start Friday!” Long story short: too good to be true. He inexplicably called my mom the Monday after he should have been there and indicated that he was “just swamped, and wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Mom’s stock rose in my book that day: she hung up on him.

So, in addition to prepping for finished drywall, we’ve been prepping for finished hardwood! I went to a local home store and rented a walk-behind floor sander. I had heard horror stories about the old belt sander models that you had to run behind to keep from gauging the floor, and even then you’ll probably start a fire. The model I got has three sandpaper discs stuck to the underside of – what looks like – something you might use to buff a gym floor with. And it has a nice little vacuum attached so there isn’t dust billowing out like the old models.

So I rented my machine, bought some sandpaper, put on my glasses and mask and got to work. I found out really quickly that I didn’t need the glasses or mask – there was virtually no dust. I also found out really quickly that I was done sanding. Not in the “I-finished-sanding” way, but in the “this-sandpaper-is-so-full-of-crap-it-can’t-function-anymore” sort of way. So, I peeled the pads off and stuck new ones on. Same story. I’d sand for about two feet with no problem – down to the bare wood! And then, kabluey..no sand for you. We tried a couple different techniques before deciding that, at $3 per disc x 3 discs per 2 square feet of floor, this was going to be the most expensive project ever undertaken by man.

Entry floor in various stages of stainlessness.

We asked my neighbors who had, incidentally, just recently redone their floors. It turns out they ran into the same problem. They suggested cleaning the floors thoroughly with Mineral Spirits before we went any further. And that’s as far as we’ve gotten..Drywall guy – the saint that he is for coming back after I snubbed him for the jack wagon from Des Moines – has first dibs on the space.

In other progress news: the siding is done!*

*for the year.

We actually ran out of siding for the very top part of the back of the garage. Our logic is: it’s covered in Tyvek, it’s not living space, and it will be fine. I don’t consider running 20 pieces short of siding to be such a bad guess. After all, I did the math on a scrap of paper using measurements I was only half sure about (if not making up entirely).

The house itself is completely wrapped in siding, though. Some new, some old, but the rest will come – along with new windows – next year.

Pro.Duc.Tivity.

This weekend was amazing! Not only had Wednesday’s wet snow melted off, but the sun was shining and the temperatures were unseasonably warm…well, at least warm enough to power through some siding, anyway.

We started last weekend and had hung several rows on the back of the garage – a good, straight run to get accustomed to working with the siding. For a couple of amateurs, we didn’t do so bad! As long as you maintain a level line and – in our case – a four inch reveal on each piece of siding, you’re in good shape. A good crisp chalk line comes in really handy on this project.

This was a really exciting corner. Seeing this little bit of siding go up somehow meant the entire house was finished and I could move in immediately. 

A good days progress for three people who have never hung this type of siding before!

Anyway, that was Friday. Saturday was also pretty productive: we laid a lot of groundwork for bigger things to come.

Then came Sunday.

Sunday was the siding day to end all siding days. We kept our collective nose to the grindstone and finished the east side of the house!

Remember, this is how it looked before...

...and AFTER!

Voila!

And dad/roommate and I fixed the booger-y spot in the dining room floor.

Before..

I pried out the worst of the wood floor..

..and replaced it with some of the flooring from a closet. We ended up ripping the "tongue" out of the tongue and groove and just face-nailing the new pieces into place. This isn't how a professional refinisher would do it...but I ain't a professional!

All done! Once the sander has a go at this area, it will take off the random bits of paint and even out the high spots. I honestly don't think you'll be able to tell it's been patched!

And my sister slaved away on the floor pulling up tack strips and staples from the carpet and pad. Hopefully, with that (tedious) job out of the way, we will be in relatively good shape to sand the floors down and get them ready for refinishing!

I’ve also had a nice surprise on the drywall front. My initial contractor had come back at $2,700 to mud, tape, and texture the entire house. Pricey, but not horrible considering the angles, corners, height of the ceilings…and that bit where I don’t know what the hell I’m doing with mud and/or tape. I was set to go when my dad/roommate insisted that I get another bid from a drywall contractor he knows that is supposed to work wonders with sheetrock. He came back with a $2,000 bid and can start Friday! Which is exciting…and sets another new deadline for us: move everything out of the house, and finish tying up the loose ends before drywall man comes to make this shell look like a house again.

Big days like these call for big celebrations! Unfortunately, I was too asleep to celebrate much. Although, margaritas are tentatively on the books for...someday. Feliz Lunes!

Windows: IN!

Thought I’d take a moment to show you my new windows!

Once we’re a little closer to finishing, I’d like to see about adding muntins/divided lights to the upper panes so the windows will look more like the originals. That could be a ways down the road, though.

Anyway, we’ve installed the six windows in the back of the house – this is the area that will get sided this year. The remaining windows will be replaced next year (or the year after) when I get to siding the rest of the house. Since finishing the windows, we’ve started – and nearly finished – insulating the back of the house. Once that’s finished, it’s time for us to hang more drywall and for my mudder/taper man to come and work his magic.

Kitchen windows - right over my imaginary sink.

Speaking of siding, I got a phone call this morning (before I even got out of bed, thank you) saying that they’ll be delivering it tomorrow which is a few days earlier than anticipated. No problem: I’ll just have to make a run to the store to hunt down the window/door trim I want and pick up the corner pieces that work with fiber cement siding.

Big hole for a big bedroom window!

Big things happenin’!