Easy As 1...2...3

I got some good news back from the IRS so I decided to tear out the last exterior wall...I was feeling froggy. The sun was out and I found a door I liked so away I went. It took me a little bit to move the wiring out of the wall without damaging it. Our fridge and lights are still hooked into the old circuits. The demo was easy because there was not much left. I had to shim up the plywood on top of the footer that was poured when the kitchen floor was torn out. I could not get to it at the time because the wall was in the way. I framed the wall with 2x6 studs for a little better R-value. We got a pretty swanky door with the blinds built into the window panel so at least I don't have to worry about tearing that up. I tried to save as much of the spring box as possible so we can use it as a planter on the back porch someday. We finally have all the air leaks stopped....for some reason I did not fix the wall before winter.

3.07.09

Finally got the rest of the trim varnished and nailed upstairs. I lack a little by the closets and built in dressers but other than that the trim work is done. I had to drop a couple of pictures of Maranda mopping for the first time in the house and also of my roofing crew in Campbellsville, KY. I left on the 8th for a week to help out with the college class from church. The chestnut accents really make things pop upstairs.

Punch Out

Still just working on the page long punch list for finishing the upstairs. Our bedroom will be a wrap tomorrow barring the dressers and such to be built in later. I finished the paneling in the bathroom and began work on our vanity. I have never built a cabinet before so it was a challenge getting started. I was able to use the top of one of the old chestnut doors from the house as an accent on the side facing our bedroom. I lack some base and door trim for the office and other bedroom and then I will be down to some odds and ends. The cable company came yesterday and hooked up the underground line I buried in August. We should be moved in up there by the end of the month at the latest.

Laggin

I am really gettin behind on this here blog because I have begun trimming out the upstairs and things are moving slowly. I often forget to take any pictures and days fly by without any ground breaking improvements. Mom and Maranda headed up team varnish knocking out our bedroom trim and base board. I milled up some chestnut boards for windows and doors and some white pine for the base. We got the final coats of varnish on the doors and coated all the trim twice before putting it up. Things are looking much better than I had expected.

2.20.09

I got the last of the doors hung upstairs and they turned out really well. The knotty pine matches all the paneling and floors and you can never have to much wood. Chad finished laying the tile stoop outside the shower which finishes that project as well. I spent some time this afternoon running all the trim for he upstairs. I hat to cut up such nice wide chestnut boards but if I don't, I'll keep them lying around forever. I am going to case our bedroom with it and run pine in the other bedrooms. We got the HVAC upstairs hooked up and running so now we got a little push button heat.

Happy As A Clam

Well the shower is finally complete and I bet you can feel Maranda delight through the screen. The electricians came and trimmed out the upstairs so we are all lit up. I got the floors finished upstairs and sanded with a coat of sealer on them. Mom and Dad came in Saturday and Sunday and put two coats of poly on them. They turned out really good...better than I expected. Wade and I worked downstairs on the hardwood floors in the kitchen. They are not going as quickly as I wish they would but at least there is no cost in putting them down. I am finally burning up through some material I have been saving for so long. We don't lack much and we will be having a move in party upstairs.

2.10.09

It has been a few days since I last wrote but not because nothing has been done. We have been really busy trying get things wrapped upstairs and dealing with Chewy s recovery has got us both distracted for now. Maranda has spent the last week engulfed in some serious homework which has put a damper on the amount of noise I can make at night. I got all the backer board laid so Chad could install the shower pan and start the tile in the shower. I have learned quite a bit about tiling showers which is one of the early rewards from this project. He got started last night so I went downstairs and began running the hardwood floors in the kitchen and dining rooms. These are the oak floors that Maranda and I took out from upstairs in August of 2007. It is a great feeling to know that we are able to recycle so many pieces of the old house. I had to trow in a couple of shots of our "lost" cat who was upstairs sleeping and also how calm Charley really can be after she is worn out.