A Week's Worth of Work

The looming mortgage appraisal seemed like a good reason for me to take a week of vacation. For the past five days, I've done what I could to "finish" the house. Scott was able to take Tuesday and Friday off, too, so we tried to keep each other on task. Read on for the highlights:

Painting

I know it seems like we're already done with painting but there were several rooms that either needed touch-up (like the great room and dining area) or had simply been put-off (like the kitchen and connector.) It took me the better part of two days to take care of all of the "Muslin" areas, including the walls surrounding the super high window in the connector. (That's right . . . the extension ladder was once again called into service.)

 

 All done with (at least one coat) of Muslin (which I've decided matches the color of pancake batter.)

One of the long-suffering in-need-of-paint areas was the stairwell and hall way in the 1920 portion of the house. Scott finally decreed the drywall patching was in good-enough shape so I happily added a nice coat of "Watery" blue. Amazing how a coat of paint can make you feel like you've really accomplished something! Painting will continue in the library and 1972 hallway tomorrow or as soon as Mr. Camp deems them ready.

Tiling

Scott continues to chip away at the tile in the master bathroom. It is looking fantastic . . . there's just a lot of it!

The walls inside the water closet are fitted with 6x6 tiles and accents of the dark brown tile we used on the shower floor. Scott finished the floor of the bathroom tonight. Still left to finish are the walls of the main bath area and the shower enclosure, most of which will utilize 12x24 tiles from floor-to-ceiling.

Steel Work

My contribution to the still-to-come Scotty-designed stair rail system was to clean the steel. Approximately 60 pieces of steel in various shapes, sizes, and lengths had to be cleaned of rust. It took me six hours over two days to clean the batch. Each piece also requires two coats of spray-on clear coat; sadly, I was dismissed from that portion of the project due to a lack of perfection (too blotchy).

By the time I was finished Friday morning, my pretty green gloves were completely grimy and my right hand was numb from gripping steel wool so tightly.

I thought I was pretty clever, using the trash cans as make-shift saw horses. Luckily, it was a beautiful and warm week at noTTafarm so tasks that could be taken outside were welcome!

Stay tuned to find out how this variety of steel is installed!

Donation

I arranged for Habitat for Humanity to pick up a stack of goodies. They were so happy to collect our unneeded items, and we were so happy to clear some space in the basement and barn! Kudos to Scott for "letting go," though there's plenty more where this came from.

We were able to donate a few light fixtures, two toilets, the double oven and stove top, the furnace, the air conditioner, and two chimney caps. I hope that Habitat benefits from the sale or salvage!

Drywall

Scott has been on an endless pursuit to have perfect drywall throughout the house. He sands and muds and lets it dry and sands then starts the process all over again (and again and again) so he can achieve the smoothest possible walls. The biggest challenge and time-sucker has been the 1972 hallway and cut-outs we created into the library. Luckily, it seems that the drywall portion of the project may be done tomorrow!

From the library looking into the hallway. 

You should see the dust! Ugh! If you come over, don't wear black and bring a damp cloth to wipe down any surfaces you may want to touch. Drywall work is the worst.

The crown above the powder room is almost done, too, which means I'll soon be able to paint! Remember when we tore the powder room apart back in January, 2011? I would never have guessed it would take 2 1/2 years to recreate it.

Stay Tuned for More Progress!