Drywall Pic

Drywall Begins

We can't cover up the exterior walls yet, because the insulation has to dry, but the drywall guys came today to begin hanging the ceilings and interior walls. This guy is standing on a 2x10 plank stretched 12 feet above the entry way. Braver than me.

Knee Braces

The house that was our inspiration for the exterior had these knee braces under the eaves, and even though he was hesitant, we convinced Hyrum to do them for us too. Don't they look cool?

More Insulation, and Drywall delivered

Here's our new blown-in cellulose insulation. We have the furnace turned on to get it drying out, and we asked the drywall guys to hang the upstairs ceiling as soon as they can, so we can retain more of the heat we're producing.

Insulation (some)

We thought we had insulation scheduled for yesterday, but even though I left a message for the guy on Wednesday after the inspection, he didn't get us on the schedule until today. This morning a lady from the office called to let us know that some of the blow-in guys called in sick, and they had already dispatched the crews they had to other jobs.

The fiberglass guys did come this morning, so the bonus room is insulated, as well as the rim joists. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next week for the exterior walls, which means we'll have to wait for a few days after that for it to dry before we can begin drywall.

Okay to Insulate!

Today was too busy to take any pictures. I went to the house early to clean before our inspection at 9:30. Arlyn was supposed to meet me at 8:00 to test the plumbing, but I think I woke him up at 8:30 when I called to tell him the water supply was covered by three feet of solid ice. Joe was there to work on siding, and he broke through the ice using his blow torch and hammer, and I bailed out the hole so we could connect a hose.

The inspector showed up about 9:00, before Arlyn did, and before I was done cleaning. He inspected everything he could while waiting for Arlyn, then while waiting for Arlyn to pressurize the system, and ended up going to his truck to write up what he could. It turned out we couldn't find where the air was escaping the system, so Arlyn left to get a part so we could fill the system with water instead, and the inspector left too.

Eventually we did get the water supply lines filled, and the inspector came back. He left us with a list of 20 things to fix, but they were mostly small, and he said we were okay to insulate. Hooray! It's been a long time leading up to this day, and after some bumps, we made it through.

Eave Lights, More Siding, and Yet Another Cool Sunset

Today we got the lights under the eaves hooked up. And here's yet another good sunset.

More Siding

Here's the whole crew, and they're getting into the siding groove.

Incidentally, the little roof on the back of the garage is new. With all the snow this month we've had runoff down the wall and seeping in around the mud room door, then freezing again. We decided we might avoid some future headache by putting a roof over the back doors so the water has a better place to go.

Another Kickin' Sunset

Fireplace Working

It's hard to see in the picture, but the flames are actually on. I understand it's rare to have a gas meter and have a fireplace working before the 4-way inspection, but I asked the inspector if he could inspect just the gaspipe, and he did. This will be a nice spot to warm up hands, feet, and buns during cold days.

Awesome Sunset

One Side Done

Doesn't that look good?

Siding Started

This is Hyrum and Joe working out the very first of the fiber cement siding.

Furnace In

This morning we lifted the gigantic furnace into it's home in the attic. It weighs about 300 pounds, and is slightly wider than the space between the trusses, but the HVAC guys spred the trusses apart enough to fit it through, and four of us hefted it up. Good thing we only have to do that once this decade.