Not much going on the last two days. Remodeling paused but hopefully picking up again on Monday. Did I mention we’re just days away from the one year anniversary of getting our building permit?
In the meantime, I went outside and tested that macro lens I got David for his iPhone. Wow…
Super closeup of the seeds on my Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ — in the wind, no less. Nifty. Looks like I’ll be stealing that lens from David frequently.
The sheetrock saga continues but it’s closing in on the end. Today the QuietRock got sliced and diced some more…
The inset that will house the future desk and built-ins is done now…
See that pillar wall there with the boards leaning up against it? Can I just quickly remind you that this was the spot where the new concrete and new column went in last spring?
Just behind that, the wet bar is fully clad now. As are all the living area walls. The only bits remaining are in the bathroom and under the stairs.
Which leads us to this: fisheye views of downstairs…
I got David this awesome olloclip for Christmas — it’s has quick-connect fisheye, wide-angle and macro lenses for iPhone 4 and 4S. So fun!
Hard to believe but it’s a balmy 52 degrees out in January (the snow is melting like mad) and sheetrocking of the walls downstairs should be done today!
The bathroom actually looks like a room now. Remember what it looked like just a few days ago? The short hallway you enter to get to it is almost done…
To the left you can just begin picture the future wet bar in the alcove…
And now there’s the actual doorway to the bathroom instead of just framing…
On the left side of the doorway there’s slot to tuck in a pocket door…
Since it’s a small bathroom we wanted as much usable space as possible. A swinging door just didn’t make sense in here.
Step inside and you’ll see the entry wall is sheetrocked now…
The bathroom wall adjacent to the shower (that’s the shower in the shadows on the right) is also sheetrocked…
More to come. In the meantime, David and Joe are busy trimming and fitting and pounding away…
Lookin’ good, boys!
The view out back this weekend…
We got about 6″. I wonder what the fish are thinking under there? (click to biggify…)
As soon as the deck gets rebuilt, the outdoor furniture will go back where it belongs. Until then, it will continue to collect snow on the patio and look like a really miserable spot for dinner.
As promised, walls started going up today. First Joe soundproofed the gap between the ceiling and soon-to-be-wall with acoustical sealant …
Followed by sheetrock…
Honest-to-gawd walls are happening!
Sheetrock, that is. This time for the walls. Two separate loads arrived…
The boys are just about done QuietRocking the ceiling downstairs…
That’s the bathroom — the ceiling got insulated only yesterday. I’m liking this pace. All that sheetrock-in-waiting means walls will be next. Yay!
After much haggling back and forth over something as silly as angled or L-shaped path lights, David and I finally settled on one…
Does any of this really matter? Not much, no, but L-shaped it is. That’s the Atlantis 1518TT-LED by Hinkley Lighting. David turned his nose up at the Bronze finish. So I ordered the Titanium and Hematite finish samples from Hinkley. Not only were they FREE, they arrived just a few days later.
We looked at them against the granite (Titanium top, Hematite bottom)…
Titanium is clearly more reflective. Hematite would blend into the background better, as I assumed.
Then we checked them against the galvanized steel we have on some of the steps, the veggie garden planter boxes and our steel cable railing…
We’re not trying to match the galvanized, mind you. But the various finishes outside have to play friendly. Out back there’s also that rusty Corten steel drama queen of a fire pit/grill vying for your attention. So rather than have another dark finish nearby competing with the Phoenix, we settled on Titanium.
Done. Ordering!
I’m weak. I started ordering plants for Spring last night. That is all.
So what’s up down? Well, David and Joe have been busy since their last round of ceiling-up-putting with final prep for closing up the walls and ceiling. Tell us all about it, David…
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The hallway got its energy-efficient, eco-conscious makeover. Now fully denimated and insulated…
That ridiculously frigid storage area under the stairs got the same treatment…
And the bathroom will now be much warmer and cozier, too…
Including the shower…
[The concrete foundation wall was insulated earlier with 3" EPS — the floor was also insulated, so it will definitely be more snug in here even after we tile. Gyp board (sheetrock) is the next step.]
Our electrician got all the new wiring roughed in downstairs — we passed inspection, which is why Joe and I are able to button things up. Our old electrical panel was code-compliant in 1971 but had since become outdated with a grounding system no longer acceptable. So we now have a nice shiny new 100-amp box.
All electrical boxes and ceiling lights are getting special soundproofing. Heavy putty pads are wrapped around them which block air (and noise) from getting through all the little holes and openings. The pads also add mass to the boxes so they won’t vibrate and transmit sound…
This thing that looks like a boring old light is actually going to become a smoke and CO2 detector…
To complete the soundproofing, the gap between the detector’s electrical box and ceiling gyp board will be filled with non-hardening acoustical caulk. The box itself will be wired to another one by the upstairs bedrooms and to a heat sensor in the garage. If one unit is triggered all three will sound the alarm, giving us the best chance to get out and get the fire department here.
All pipe and wire penetrations are getting sealed against air and noise passage as well as against fire. Special fire-rated caulk first, then expanding foam where appropriate…
Last minute additions to the A/V network: more smurf tube. One run from the desk area to the stereo cabinet to get digital music from the computer to the DAC, and a video cable to allow use of the TV as a monitor. Mmmmmm, 50” internets…
The other run goes from behind the TV to the future home of the upstairs stereo to allow for AM/FM and TV signal wires…
Someday soon we’re going to put antennas on the roof. That way we’ll be able to pull in distant radio stations and if the cable ever goes out we’ll still be able to get local TV channels.
The plant stalking for spring continues. This time up: vines. The more crazy and exotic it looks, the more I long for it.
FROM SELECT SEEDS
Mina lobata “Exotic Love Vine” an old fave. must revisit.
Clematis viticella ‘Alba Luxurians’ so unusual. love.
Vitis coignetiae (Crimson Glory Vine) brilliant 10-12″ leaves!
Apios americana (Groundnut) native. looks like a wonky wisteria.
Passiflora caerulea (Passionflower) somehow mine got dug up.
Where will I put them all? Um… hmmmm. (Btw, I added a few others to Pinterest.)