Another room finished....almost!

This room is finally done - except for painting!

The far end you are looking at will be for storage, and the other end is my craft room. I am so excited. It has to warm up a bit before we paint down there though. I'll have a place to store all of my craft supplies, and I'll be able to build bee frames in the basement! I won't have to wait until summer time, when I need them, I can have them done ahead of time. Sweet.

You can see the duct work that Dave has been working on. I helped!

See the joint....beside the bracket.

I taped them all. Whut? That's helping. It's something.

I was especially proud of the end.

Then we had to paint these joints with some goopy stuff, where the duct curved.
While Dave was making notes like this....

I was making notes like this! awwwwww sweet.

Cindy

Pipes, vents, ducts, lines, holes, etc.

This is the kind of stuff Dave is working on. Water lines, Gas lines, heat ducts and vents, putting holes in floors and walls for vents and pipes etc.

It takes a long time to do by yourself, but he says it's just easier for him to do it than to have me help. (sigh)

He explains it all to me and I'm baffled. Look at all those wires in the box and at the top.

Then he tells me what this and that is for and where it will go,

and he even shows me how to turn things off and on,

but I'm just glad he is a perfectionist when it comes to this stuff, and he labels everything!

And the good news, Dave bought some of that denim insulation for me to try. See how they are using it with their bare hands? No masks, no gloves, on 100 degree days. No itching or dripping sweat onto my mask and fogging up safety glasses! WOOHOO! Dad will love this! He helps me with insulation and I get on him about wearing safety stuff.

That's what's going on at the house.

Cindy

Furnace and plumbing

Dave has not worked in the house this week, but he did get the furnace ordered and it came in last week. He also poured this pad, to set the furnace on.

It's in the mechanical/electrical room.

And the furnace has arrived. Some day we plan on getting one of those outdoor wood burner type furnaces. Apparently we have to put something on the furnace now to make it easier when we install the woodburner later. For now we will have natural gas.

I have no idea what this is, but it came in with the furnace so I assume it's part of it.

These duct runs had to be put together.

And holes had to be made in the osb to run the ducts through. Remember this is in the basement. The ceiling will be lower than the runs. And we aren't even going to bother with a ceiling in some of the rooms. We are not finishing the entire basement at this time, just some of it.

Back when we first started this house project, at the point of just having the frames up for the basement walls (see pic below), and having the gravel down, Dave decided rather than having a big open basement with two huge beams to hold up the second floor, we'd just put in walls. So the basement walls are bearing walls. And from looking at the house plans he quickly had to decide where to put walls in the basement. I couldn't have done it. At all. Then he had to decide where to put the plumbing, such as toilet, laundry, sump pump, sinks, etc. And he had to install the plumbing for the basement in this gravel. I was there when he was putting it in. Some pvc pipes had to come up in the walls, that weren't there yet, and the drain where the toilet would sit had to be 13 inches away from the bathroom wall, which wasn't there yet. You get the idea.

NOW....with walls up....

and holes in the floor,

I can think about it! Guess what though? It's too late! I would not have had my washer and dryer where he put it, but oh well, isn't it really minor in the big picture of life? See how that pipe is coming up in the wall in the above pic? And this pipe is next to the wall in the below pic? All of that had to be decided and installed, before cement was poured for the basement floor and walls..

I don't think I could have made those decisions, before I saw the walls and such. But now, we have to decide where to put the toilet, sink, and stuff in the upstairs bathroom, before we even finish the bathroom in the basement. Because once the plumbing is installed, it's too late. We are learning so much. At least I am!

Cindy

Putting up o.s.b. in the craft/storage room

It's been awhile since I've been on this blog. I had to buy more picture space for one, and I'm a wuss when it comes to giving my charge card out on the computer. I know it's crazy, people do it everyday, but it's just the way I am. I finally did it.

And, I find posting pictures of people putting up o.s.b. boring. But here ya go.


This is in the craft room and storage room of the basement. I thought by finishing this area, I could move more stuff out there and set up a craft room.



So we got all of this hung in one day.

But then Dave realized we need to put duct work in both ends of the ceiling in this room too. So I can't put anything in this room, because it will just be in the way.

But he went ahead and got it all ready to paint. I have no idea what color to paint it. We are not going to drywall it, at least not now. Maybe someday.

I ended up measuring and cutting this insulation that looks like Styrofoam. Maybe it is Styrofoam! But anyway, it was to put in the ends of the ceiling to keep the air out.

Dave ordered a furnace today. It will be in on Wednesday. He's meeting a 'furnace man' on Thursday. So we're moving along.

Cindy

Back in the basement!

No, we haven't quit working on the house. It just took awhile to finish up outside. That is my kitchen window. Dave decided to surprise me by putting up a couple of birdfeeders.

Just trying to give the house a homey touch. This is the back porch area.

We did get the garage moved. What a HUGE job!

Those cabinets are heavy. We moved one at a time, one day at a time. HEAVY I tell ya.

My little area in the garage. The bottom half. I'm still trying to talk him into the top half!

The siding is finished on the front porch. We're getting there.....little at a time. Still need to do the porch floors and columns.

But for now...we are back in the basement. This is O.S.B. It's heavy. We hauled in about 15 sheets of it to be put on the walls. We are only using drywall in the living area of the basement. The storage areas, pantry, and mechanical room will be O.S.B.

Which is made in the USA!

Cindy

Drainage Tiles

I realize the postings on this blog have been fewer lately. It does not mean we aren't working on the house. It just means that it is taking us awhile to do the same thing which makes the pics a bit boring. Right now we are still getting the outside ready for winter as it is fast approaching. Dave has been adding drainage tiles to the downspouts so the water will be directed away from the house. And he is digging by hand, of course. Is there any other way?

I think there are about five of these that need done. Plus, he is putting siding on the porches. We're not sure if Tyvek will hold up through two winters! He is close to finishing both, but the weather (rain) has put a stop to him working outside for awhile.

Cindy

Grass and gutters!

Look at all of this nice thick lush grass!

Remember the slats my Mom was painting in the last post? Or maybe two posts ago. Well there it is, covering up the big pipe coming out of the yard for the well pump.

Pretty cool garage sale find for 20 bills huh?

And the back porch,

now looks like this. (and my pictures will not move to the left so I'm just going to go with it)

Did you notice in the last picture, and this one, we have gutters! Gutters and grass.

Lots of both!

Cindy