A Variety of Tasks Over the Weekend

We got several different project finished this weekend.

On the outside, Mom finished painting the cracks and spaces the roller couldn't reach on the front of the house.

We have one exterior wall left to fill the cracks on and paint.  Plus, all the trim work.

Dad moved dirt away from one side of the house to keep it protected from the elements.

We got a lot done inside.  We finished the texture around the door and got the texture around the window ready to paint.

We got the areas primed.

And painted.

We also got the blinds up.  Now, all the windows are properly covered.

We also finished the ceiling and floor moulding now that the last work on the walls was finished.

Another major task was Mom and I removing the front ramp thing.  This is what it looked like beforehand.  Quite ugly.

We put in a couple hours of destruction and black widow killing.

The end result.  Looking much better.  Still has some painting and column work to do, but it's definitely an improvement.  Although, Dad keeps forgetting it's no longer there and tripping as he comes out the door.

Dad also put in some GFI outlets.  Things are moving right along.  At this point, the inside is virtually finished with the spring/summer plan.  We still need to do the kitchen tile and trim and rehang the linen closet doors.  On the outside, we need to finish the exterior paint and trim and get the electric panel replaced (in process of getting scheduled).  When those things happen, we'll be finished with this phase of improvement!

Things on the longer term to do list:  redo bathroom shower, reroof, tear down random garden room.  So amazing!!

What Mom & Dad Have Been Doing This Week, Part 2

Thursday:

Joint compound at the joints & in holes

Texture

Another exterior wall painted

Blinds hung in guest room

Blinds hung in my room and bed moved in

Exterior around new door primed

Around garage painted

What Mom & Dad Have Been Doing This Week, Part 1

Tuesday:

Porch light installed

Insulation & drywall

First exterior wall painted

Wednesday:

Drywall and seam foam

Cracks sealed & new stucco primed

Second exterior wall painted

Holiday Weekend or More Work?

More work!

Saturday morning, we were all doing a variety of activities.  I was touch up painting in the bedrooms over the spots that got damaged from carpet installation.  Dad stuccoed around the patio door.  Mom sealed cracks in the stucco with elastomeric caulk so, hopefully, they won't continue after I paint.

After lunch, we took a truck full of junk to the metal recycling place.  This place is great if you have old appliances - they'll just take them from you. Yay!  Randomly, they paid us $14 for an old stainless steel sink.  We totally weren't expecting that.  Alas, even though they would take the aluminum window frames, they wouldn't take the one that still had windows.  We still had to figure out what to do with them.

On the way home, we decided to stop at a specialty paint store to get some questions answered.  The guy was very knowledgeable and we got information.  Also, he noticed our old windows in the back of the truck. He commented that he was building a greenhouse.  We said he could have them if he wanted.  Score for both of us!  We thought we were going to have to take them to the dump.  This was so much better.

That evening, we installed the baseboards around the floor of the bedrooms.  The uneven gaps are now hidden.

Sunday, the work continued.  Dad put the top coat of stucco on the door.  As I watered it Saturday night (something you do with stucco to, hopefully, prevent cracks while drying), I realized I need a light over it.  Just created another task.

Mom and I filled more cracks with caulk.  After lunch, we bought electrical supplies and exterior paint.  We're moving right along with this house!  The day ended with Mom and I filling even more cracks.  Dad painted primer (actually, cheap 'Oops' paint) over the new stucco on windows that had already been sealed by Mom and I.

Monday dawned and Mom and I continued our battle against the cracks.  We discovered the sun definitely has an impact on their creation.  Less sun = fewer cracks.  Dad spent a bit of time moving things out from the enclosed patio room.  It's been a major work and storage area, but the walls there need to be painted as well.

When it got too hot for Mom and I to work our front on cracks, the three of us came inside and installed the ceiling trim in the guest room.  Now, the only place left needing trim is the living room, since we're still working on closing up the wall from installing the door.

After lunch, we spent some time moving furniture from the garage into the house.  Many things had been there while rooms were under construction.  Now that all the bedrooms are available, I can get more moved in. Yay!

Dad spent the evening priming more new stucco areas.  Mom kept working on cracks.  I worked on the wiring for the new light over the patio door.  This involved installing a switch and running some new wire to connect the light to the switch and the switch to the circuit.  I ran out of time for the light itself to be installed, so that will be a project for another day.

More things will be happening this week, as Mom and Dad decided to work here the rest of the week, while I go off to my paid job.  =)

Carpet!

Floorman's minions arrived this morning to install the carpet.  I'm very happy with the results.  Here's the study, guest room, and master.

It's hard to tell in the pictures, but some of the wall doesn't come down far enough to the carpet and you can see a gap.  I was hoping I wouldn't need baseboards, but I do.  That's the next step now.

While they were doing that, Dad and I put up the top coat of stucco on the living and dining room windows.  First, bonding agent is painted on.  Then the stucco is applied and smoothed out.  After that, with a sponge, it gets feathered to help blend with the existing.  Finally, a broom is swept across it to give it a texture that should match the original.

Mom filled some exterior wall crack with elastomaric caulk.  That should expand and contract with the weather and hide the crack, keeping it sealed.  Dad put the wire around the door so that it can be stuccoed this weekend.  I measured the perimeter of the three rooms needing baseboard so that could be purchased.  All in all, a good day.