Showing posts with label guest room. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest room. Show all posts

Friday, July 8, 2011

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

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

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.  =)

Saturday, July 2, 2011

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.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Only Two Days of Work This Weekend

We worked only Friday & Saturday this weekend.  Sunday we celebrated Father's Day early as Mom and Dad will be out of town next weekend.

Floorman came out Friday morning and measured the three rooms for carpet.  It should be getting installed about the 24th - it's got to be made then shipped.

Friday, the living room window was replaced.  Saturday, Mom flashed it.  Dad put chicken wire around both the front windows so he can stucco them later.  That took up just about most of the day.  Cutting and stuffing it around the window is a slow, slow process.  Window sills around both windows have been installed and need to be joint compounded and painted.

I got some weeding in the front done.  Also, some trim and cabinet door painted.  Mom added some sheetrock to the short parts of the bedrooms.  In some places, the sheetrock doesn't come down all the way and would leave a gap between the wall and carpet.  Since I'm not planning on putting baseboard in them, I definitely want that gap gone.  I taped and Mom compounded the additions.

We're getting there.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

My Parents Continue to Be Amazing

I went camping for the long Memorial Day weekend.

Mom and Dad decided to keep working on my house.  They textured, primed, and painted the back two bedrooms.

Master bedroom

Guest bedroom

Bedroom closet

As if that what isn't enough to get done, they also installed the blinds in the study that had arrived during the week.


In case I haven't mentioned it, my parents totally rock!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Getting There

Only 2 days of work this weekend to report about.  Things that got accomplished:

Dad installed attic vents in the front and back of the house:


(back vent photo coming in the future - I forgot to take one in time for this post.)

The vents will allow me to run my whole house fan.  It's much more powerful than it needs to be, but was the smallest one we could easily find.  It empties 3200 cubic feet in a minute.  My house is 7200.  It'll be cooled down in a jiffy!

We all worked at various times at getting the lamps installed in the two bedrooms.  Mom cleaned them, I covered chipped spots, Dad installed them, Mom attached fan blades, I attached sconces.

Master bedroom

Guest bedroom

Mom also spent quite a bit of time with joint compound, getting everything all smoothed out in the guest room.  We'll be able to start texturing it next time.

I worked on painting interior doors.  I got 4 out of 5 mostly done.  They each need one side painted still (logistically, you can only paint one side at a time).  I ran out of time to do the fifth one, so, next time.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

While I Was Playing a Soccer Tournament...

My amazingly awesome parents were doing more work on the house.  The master and guest rooms now have electricity running to the ceiling, waiting to be connected to the lights currently in boxes in the shed.  They even got the holes in the walls patched up.  So thankful for all their help and knowledge.  =)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Finished!

Oh, no, not the house.  Did you think I meant the house?  Good heavens, no.  Still a while yet before we get there.  No.  Mom finished cleaning the ceiling! Yay!

Dad finished the stucco around three of the windows.  I put installed wallboard around the two window sills in the guest room and did some joint compounding in the master.  Slowly, we're getting there.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Mother's Day Weekend

We worked only Friday and Saturday, as Sunday was Mother's Day.

Dad spent the weekend stuccoing around the newly installed windows.  First he had to lay wire.  Then mix and apply stucco.


Laying the wire around the windows took considerably longer than he thought it would.  In the two days, he got the first layer done on all four windows.  They have X's in them to help them bond to the top coat when it gets applied.


Mom spent a good part of Friday putting up double closet in the master bedroom.  She planned on finishing it quickly, but it had other plans.  She got it finished, eventually, but then didn't have as much time to clean ceiling as she thought.  The guest bedroom (by far the cleanest of the house) still has a bit to go, but then she'll be done with that task forever!

I did a variety of things over the two days.  I applied quite a bit of joint compound, trying to smooth out walls and joints before we texture.  I also put spray foam around the guest room windows and filled in some ceiling cracks from outside the house (if you look at the roof-line in the first picture, you can just make out some yellow foam).  I also marked where the light/fans are going to be installed in the two bedrooms and drilled the holes for them.  I then went a hunt to find wire to connect them to circuits.  I found one piece right away, but another longer enough wasn't appearing so it was beginning to look like I would have to buy some.  Then, I looked around the shed some more and saw a nice long piece that was still connecting two outlets even though the shed no longer has electricity.  Disconnecting it from the two outlets took quite a while (and some wrenching of my already hurt and braced wrist).

Sunday, we hiked to waterfalls in honor of Mother's Day.  I love you, Mom!

Monday, May 2, 2011

End of the Weekend

Not much picture worthy on Sunday.  I oiled the countertops and did some joint compounding on the walls of the guest room.  Mom finished cleaning the ceiling of the master bedroom.  Dad put up some wire around a window to do stucco - but ran out and will have to finish the job next weekend.  He also cut and installed moulding around the inside of the bathroom door. It definitely needs to be painted - it's all old and beat up looking.  Will be great when it's got some paint on it though.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Wallboard

Dad was gone for the day for a show for his ceramics class.

Mom and I picked up where we left off on Friday.  We got the rest of the wall board up in the guest room.  We then got the joints taped and applied compound.

In the afternoon, Mom fixed a hole in the wall.  When she did, she could look under my bathtub.


It seems kind of funny that there isn't wall board on the bathroom side of the wall at tub level.

I put corner tape on the window sills of the master bedroom windows.  The 'tape' is paper with sheet metal strips in the center.  You cut it to length and then fold the angle.


Then you put up a thin layer of joint compound on the sides getting the tape.  You put it in place ad scrape away the extra compound.


After it dries, you put a second layer of compound over the top (that will be for Sunday).  They make really nice clean, straight corners.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

More of the Same

We started Friday morning by doing some clean up work from last weekend.  We had to vacuum up all the sheetrock mess so that it wouldn't be in the way when we put up the plywood and new sheetrock.  This wall, like the other back bedroom wall, had it's diagonal bracing cut, so we had to install plywood to increase its shear strength.  After cleaning up, Mom and I put the insulation back in the wall.  Then, Dad and I got to work measuring, cutting, and installing the plywood.


I wasn't terribly helpful with the installation aspect as my wrist still seems to be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.  I could, however, cut and measure.

During this time, Mom got started back on her favorite task - washing ceiling!  This time in the master bedroom.  She was quite excited.

After Dad and I got the plywood up, we started on the dry wall.  We got most of that up and I was able to be more helpful with it as we attached it with a combination of nails (Dad) and screws (me).

Monday, April 25, 2011

Weekend Entertainment

So, I felt useless this weekend.  My wrist appears to be suffering from carpal tunnel and there were many things I could not do.

Friday we worked on interior doors.  I got the doors ridiculously cheaply - only $10 each.  Some of the hinges needed to be moved, but we managed that.


We got them all hung.  Now, they just need to be painted and have their moulding (painted this weekend) installed.


Mom and I (mostly Mom) worked on the moulding throughout the weekend.  Some of it started out in bad shape:


 Looks like a dog was let loose on it.  The spaces got filled in with joint compound.  Then sanded and painted twice.



Saturday and Sunday were spent dealing with the windows in the guest room.  Saturday we removed sheet rock, took stock of what needed doing, and bought needed supplies.

Sunday was the day of major activity.  We removed the two windows.


Once they were removed, we had plenty to do.  The one on the right needed a larger opening, so Dad worked on that.  Mom and I made the frame for the one on the left.  When the frame was installed we put on the first layer of flashing.


Then we were able to install the window itself, complete with the tedious task of shimming.


Then the exterior flashing was put in place.  The second window happened during this time, too.






Best moment of the weekend:  Mom had been working on painting moulding, but said she was ready to help with windows whenever needed.  We knew we needed to work efficiently in order to get two replaced in one day.  After a morning tea break, Mom yelled down the hall to Dad, "Let me know when you're ready to use me in the bedroom!"  Dad then came back and grabbed a bottle off the table, saying, "Let me get this ultra hard, all day hold."  Too hilarious.  (Bottle was hair gel which we had been joking about earlier.)