Ouch! That's Gonna Hurt

As I wrap up August, I realize 5 months have flown by and I'm within 3 months of completing this house! I took a couple days off from my "day job" and began installation of the HVAC ducting. If you ever plan to do this yourself, keep in mind that the tape will slice you like a hot knife in ice cream. OUCH, yes and everytime you will bleed like crazy. I think I have about 15 cuts on my hands and every time that darned tape got me I was thinking "man, that's going to hurt tomorrow" ha ha ha! I'm waiting on the "HVAC professional" to decipher what size supply and return mains are necessary (some crap that he's got to do with his numbers and measurements ha ha). This weekend will be full of finalizing the drain plumbing (yea, my dad has had a time with that, so I am trying to help him - the supply plumbing was my job and thats been done for weeks) and then some final framing to prepare for DRYWALL! The only hurdle in my way of drywall is the county inspectors - yea, GOVERNMENT! Of course, when I finish working on my new house, I come back to my townhouse and work for a few hours there, trying to get it ready to be sold. Can't wait for this weekend - going to hit a Blues hangout with some friends - YES, some social time WOO HOO! Gotta jet - PEACE OUT!

BACK to Work!

Here we are mid-August and where am I? Well... I took a week off to visit my brother and his family in Wisconsin - that was nice. I didn't work on the house for 2 weeks, which means I'm behind schedule ha ha! I finished the plumbing and most of the odds and ends framing for drywall. Getting ready to do HVAC - think I might take off a few days from my "day job" to bust this out and get it done! Once the system is in, I'm ready for my major inspections by the dreaded County Government... man, I hope they don't have any issues! I'm hoping to get drywall within a month, then after that - things should fly like fur in a cat fight! I was quite overwhelmed (to say the least) before I went to Wisconsin, but taking some time off I realized just how much work my dad and I have done. After a week of awesome, cooler, temperatures and doing nothing more than eating, lounging and a couple 2 mile runs - it was difficult to get back to this heat and major hard work. I did a 10 mile bike ride in 90 degree temps to get back in the "swing" of things ha ha! Had a slight mishap this first weekend back at it - I forgot to put my hammer in the hole at the top of the ladder (BIG LADDER) and it fell on me. Hit me on my collar bone and wrist. Both bled and hurt like heck! I almost cried - I can get away with it because I am a girl ha ha! I'm better now, but you can bet I wont make that mistake again! Well that's about it Gotta jet - Peace out!

Twists & Turns

Well, well, things always have a way of twisting and turning - leaving you confused and headed in a different direction than anticipated. It's been some time since my last blog - that's because I'm just barely hanging in there. Building is tough! When I started I wore a size 6 and now, I'm in a 2! But, enough of that... lets get caught up, shall we? Let's start with the changes from the last blog... finished framing my bathroom and closet, stairs are done - but changed... didn't do the fancy rounded landing thing (too much to deal with when it comes time to trim) Finished wiring my surround system (its going to be awesome). Finished insulation (UGH, that was nasty!) halfway done with plumbing (both supply - copper - and drain - PVC). I had to refer to some "web help" with sweating the copper pipes... I just didn't quite get it until I went online... then, I got it. So if you need help, the web is a wonderful tool http://www.remodelingmyspace.com/how-to-videos/plumbing-videos/how-to-solder-copper-pipe-video.htm We've decided to do the heating and air ourselves rather than hire a HVAC person... found a guy who is retired and is going to get us everything at wholesale and tell us what we need to do - should save major bucks! My contract with my townhouse fell through - first time buyer who had no clue what she was doing.... ended up wasting a lot of my time, but hey, that's life. I took it off the market temporarily because I am going to paint the exterior and since my deadline is more like October - I dont want to have to move in the with parents too soon ha ha! Had to rip out a triple window and re-do the header (guy who did it, didn't know what he was doing). Once we finish with the plumbing & HVAC we'll have the framing inspection and then DRYWALL! I'm excited, its moving along, but man it's hot out there! That's about it for now - gotta jet! PEACE OUT

Leaps and Bounds

Ok, looks as though I have been slacking on "blogging" soooooo back to it. Since last writing, framing is done except the bathroom and closet in the loft - and those shouldn't take too long. Stairs are laid out (good thing I've been doing a lot of math lately.... laying those out was interesting ha ha) - stairs from basement to 1st floor are completely done, stairs from 1st floor to loft are almost done (just finishing this neat little curved landing at the bottom before we can glue and screw (had to write that) the treads in place. Wiring is done - all of it - except my speaker wire.... did the cable and phone but not sure what I'm going to do about speaker wiring. Figure by May 20th, I should be starting the plumbing. Since I mentioned my Algebra exam in the last blog, I'll note that I got an A in both English and Algebra - WOO HOO! guess studying doesnt hurt ha ha! Recently put my townhouse up for sale and within 2 weeks I had a full price contract. Yikes - good and bad - gotta move in with the parents until the house is done. June 30th is the closing date set for my townhouse..... I better "buckle down" and get this house DONE! Other than that - trudging right along. All this contruction is keeping me in great shape (but I dont think I'll add it to my regular work out regime) Gotta bail - PEACE OUT!

Who Needs a Stairmaster?

I can't count how many times I've climbed up and back down ladders - but I swear I've lost 5 pounds or so since starting this project. Well it's either the ladder or the heat of working in the "loft" all day - I have my own sauna ha ha! It's been awhile since I've posted so let me catch you up. The house has been properly "jacked up", the main support beam has been moved to its appropriate position and the house has been properly "supported". All the framing fixes are complete - I've got to buy my front door tonight and install that tomorrow, run a couple outdoor electrical lines and then we can move on to starting the plumbing - Woo Hoo - what fun!

Last weekend was hot and productive - got to start using the nail gun, which packs a pretty good punch, I'd have to say. Although, I do like swinging a hammer better - just kinda makes me feel like I am "working" ha ha! I've been working every weekend since 3/24/06 and I'm TIRED! Working full time, going to school 2 days a week and building this house has been quite time consuming - but there is a light at the end of the tunnel - school is out after next week and I dont think I'll take summer courses. Not much else to report - trudging along - slowly but surely. I'll try to blog Sunday night to let you know how far we got this weekend - PEACE OUT!

Will the Framing Ever End?

The front door is in - and its right this time. The wiring is almost done - Ive got to run my cable, phone and speaker wires but then I am done. Next weekend I start laying down the 3/4" sturdy floor - the final subfloor. Of course that is after we cut the hole for the stairwell that will run from the 1st floor to the basement - got the stairs layed out and they looked pretty darn good! Starting to get a little antsy - ready to get the framing out of the way for good.got some rain out there this weekend - the dogs loved it and they were covered in red clay - nothing a bath cant solve! Gotta get some sleep so I can be ready for my Algebra exam tomorrowPEACE OUT!

Gotta Laugh or I'll Scream!

Well, we just discovered that the house is not quite as it should be - to be exact, the floor is not supported properly! Darn good thing we caught it now instead of later. This weekend I'll be jacking up my house - literally and then fixing the "support" issues ha ha ha - yup, I gotta laugh or else I'll scream. I'll be really happy when we get past fixing all the former owners screw ups and can forge foward with completing the house.

It could be worse.... not sure how, but I'm sure it could be

OUCH!

If you've ever hit your finger with a hammer you know what's up with the subject title - dang that hurts like a buggar!Got the front door ripped out and re-framed to fit the larger door (the one to meet code - becuz the old owner is.... yea, a dumbass!). I managed to almost complete the wiring, only have the outside plugs and lights to finish. Bought my plumbing supplies - yikes that crap ain't cheap! Should be done with framing fixes either this weekend or next, then we start the plumbing. Once we get past all the "fixes" of the old owner's mistakes, things should continue to move forward (hopefully faster than they are now).

Moving Right Along

Last night I did some wiring at the house - not a whole lot since I worked all day and then tried to get some of that done before dark. Only have the bathrooms and my bedroom left to wire (as well as an area that I have to build a wall prior to wiring). Looks good, makes sense, pretty easy so far. Tonight I'll spend my paycheck - oh yes, the entire thing I'm sure! Meeting my dad at Home Depot to buy plumbing and framing supplies. We're going to bust ass this weekend and frame the walls we tore down (becuz the previous owner/builder was... for lack of a nice word - not an experienced builder (see I can ne nice ha ha!). Once the walls are done, then I can install the remaining electrical boxes and run those wires. Then we start the plumbing. Our next headache is going to be cutting a stairwell from the 1st floor down to the basement - yes, I have a basement - not common here in Tally - but it's awesome! We have to move a main support beam to be able to cut the stairwell in - hoping it wont be too hard (feel free to laugh at me anytime). Since I got up at 4am this morning (dont ask) I got to work at the butt crack of dawn - 5:30am! Too bad I cant leave early - dang! Well, gotta go do some real work - cya!

Didn't Do Much

Ok, so last night I took it easy. The only thing I did was install new door knobs so the old owners won't be pilfering through my stuff. The dude already went there and took some conduit that I was going to use to run my utilities underground - I couldn't believe it! The agreement was that all the building materials on site - stayed, period. Guess people don't stick to their "word" surprise, surprise. It's all good - I got my utilities run underground and now it's locked up tight. Tomorrow I run the wire throughout the house - already have the boxes installed so this is going to be a breeze!

That's it for now!