Wood Flooring Jenga

Behold the biggest Jenga game I have ever played.

What you are viewing is a stack of wood flooring, all turned on edge and spaced out to allow drying and acclimation.

Picked this up from the mill today, and schlepped it up to the second floor.  It will be installed next week, if all goes according to plan.

I HAVE THE POWER

Hopefully Skeletor does not also arrive with this new development

The house was hooked up to utility power this past week.

Gone are the sketchy daisy-chains of extension chords - now we can plug into the wall outlets.

The always lovely electrical masthead.

The Unbearable Whiteness of Being

Painting, painting, painting.  That's about the sum of it these days.

Hard to photograph.  Above is a photo that you might guess you've seen before, but it is subtly different.

First we whiten a mottled white-ish surface with primer.

Then we turn that white surface into an off-white surface.

Then we cover that surface again with off-white for good measure.

I estimate we are about 1/3 of the way done with the process.  My shoulders burn. There are a lot of surfaces inside a house.

For now we are going with off-white (Benjamin Moore "White Dove") everywhere.  We expect to add color accents, but want to live in the spaces with our furnishings first.

Lisa the Pro Roller

First Grout

The white tile at the bathtub, grouted. 

Penny tiles on the back wall still awaiting their turn.

Blue tape on the wood window, and red tape on the bath tub is temporary, if that wasn't obvious.

A little more drywall compound is required to fine-tune the transition between drywall and the tile edge strip.

Entropy

Our beautiful windows and doors are taking a beating.

en·tro·py  /entrəpē/  noun: 

     2. ...gradual decline into disorder.  

         synonyms: deterioration, degradation

Caution, I'm letting off a little steam below.

Drywall Sprayed & Sanded

Almost ready for paint!

Spraying the Drywall Topcoat

This project is asking for a "Level 4" smooth finish on the drywall. 

We prefer the look of a smooth finish, but it requires more skill and work to get good results. It will show minor irregularities more than a textured surface.  So it is important to get the wall installed flat, and the joints sanded very smooth and level. 

Going the extra mile, our drywall contractor sprayed on a sandable topcoat to really even things out, giving us an almost "Level 5" finish.

I am a mix of emotions: thrilled for the better quality walls, and nervous as heck to turn this guy loose in the house with a spray gun.

Tequila

Direct from his trip home to Oaxaca, some tasty Reposado from our siding subcontractor.

Drink the goat.

Muchas Gracias!

Progress Update

Main Siding complete on Garage

Siding, Drywall, & Tile updates below.

First of the Ceramic TIle

The 'penny rounds' on the back wall of the tub surround, and a few side-wall tiles have already gone up.

Last Piece

Picture taken moments before the last piece of vertical siding was installed on the house.

Starting on the garage tomorrow.

Minor Conflict

Today the tile guys were well in the way of the drywallers.  

A temporary detente was reached, but I suspect a bit more tripping over each other in the future.

The drywallers have the "right-away" - I allowed the tile setters in early only if they stayed out of the way.