(picture of the office, before I got the ceiling fan hung, it is lying on the floor." My husband picked these colors." His computers and work stations are at the other end of the room)
This week I have dedicated myself to work. I got all of the Christmas presents wrapped, boxed and shipped. I got all of the Christmas letters written, cards addressed and even made a collage of pictures of the kids to put in the envelopes. I have cleaned places that didn't know they were dirty. And now I am working in the basement. The last two years I have been remodeled the basement. I put up studding, put in windows, hung doors, installed insulation, ran wiring and finished off two rooms. Ana's bedroom and Tom's office. Tom retired in Dec. , so his office is turning into a bedroom. I am moving out all the office furniture and moving in bedroom furniture, it looks nice. It does need some curtains though. So now I am working on the three other rooms. One is going to be Nick's bedroom, one a closet, and the largest is going to be a family room/media center. Since there isn't any plumbing above two of the rooms, I have put sheet rock on the ceiling. So now I am in the process of taping the drywall in one of the rooms. It goes slowly because this is work over my head, literally. I must have one arm over my head applying mud, while holding a tray of taping mud in the other hand, while balanced on a ladder. As you must have guessed, I have been feeling better.
These rooms are large, they run the whole length of the house, so they are something like 16x24 feet. That is a lot of ceiling. Once I get the cracks taped, then I will begin a skip-trowel texture. I am hoping to have one of the ceilings done in three more days. Then I can paint. I won't have the walls done, because that takes another two coats of mud. Each coat getting smoother, smooth enough to wallpaper, if I should so desire.
I have used about 200 - 2x4's and about 80 sheets of drywall, a couple bags of electrical receptor boxes, several rolls of wire, three 60 lbs tubs of taping mud, 9 doors and five windows. I can bang a window up in about 4 hours. (When I am feeling good.) Oh I forgot to mention the 2x12 treated lumber for the headers. I have been told that I could hire out as a carpenter, yeh.......well, I am working as fast as I can go to try and get done before my body says, "NO MORE." There comes a time in every woman's life when she can no longer work like a man.
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6 comments:
nea-i'm so jealous of you for knowing how to do all that! i'm sure it's really frustrating when you don't feel well enough to do it, but, damn, when you do, it's the most satisfying feeling, isn't it??
Crikey Nea you put a man to shame!
Hi Libby, it all began when I was really small, Mom used to buy really old houses and then we would fix them up. It just seemed like I grew up always fixing something. I have never had a house that didn't need something done. The only thing I won't do is lay linoleum...I draw the line there, I can also do plumbing. But I hate it......
Hi Akela, yeh, haha, my step kids used to call me half a man, I used to aske them, which half? Then they would think for a minute and say, well, I don't know, but my Mom said it......she was the type that had to get her husband to get pickles out of a jar.
I am sitting here in awe. I take it you are familiar with the old saying, "if you want something done right, it's best to do it yourself..." and maybe with, "the good Lord helps those who help themselves." And most definitely, "the best man for the job is a woman!" Hope you'll post pictures of the finished job!
haha, Cindy......all of the above. Although I have to admit, for a woman, the physical aspect alone, makes it a bit difficult. You have to have tremedous upper body strength to pound three inch nails into seasoned studding. And lifting a header that is TWO pieces of 2x12, sometimes 40 inches long takes a lot of strength. I used to be able to lift 90 lb. rolls of roofing, but those days are past. To put sheetrock over head I had to use what they call a "deadman" a cross T of 2x4's, because frankly my husband just isn't a carpenter.
I have Ana's room finished also, and it turned out really nice, but I can't get her to keep it clean. She is a clutter person, so unless she cleans you won't see any pictures of her room, haha. The other rooms, I should take pictures as I go, shouldn't I, but I never have. I have remodeled 7 houses, no 8, counting the house in Effie, and I am not done yet. But my body is, haha
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