06 July 2009

It's starting to look like something.

I'm pleased to announce that we finally began work on drywall today! It was only 3 pieces, but it certainly feels like an accomplishment.

Hint: It's not the underside of a spaceship. Also, not a weird face with widely-spaced glowing eyes, a tiny mouth, and exposed brains.

Our weekend help will be out of town next weekend, so Tom and I will be on our own. That means a lot of long hours holding up heavy sheets of drywall, but I think we'll be able to do most of it ourselves. Tom will probably take a day or two off while The Help is on vacation to get a bit more knocked off the list.

In other news, Paul got us pretty well on the way with the plumbing in the bathroom. These are for the shower:
Corn mazes are out. CPVC mazes are in.

We used flex tubing instead of rigid CPVC connections. The idea is that if the shower valves and such ever need to be replaced, unscrewing those tubes will be easier, faster, and neater than trying to cut off rigid pipe and having to glue small extension pieces in place. In reality, replacing that stuff will never be easy, fast, or neat, but we can at least minimize damage this way.

This is the setup for the tub:


The connectors we used caused a bit of controversy with The Help. They're called GatorBite fittings, and they form a glue- and solder-free joint. You simply push the pipe into the end and call it a day. I guess he doesn't trust the connection. I can't really find any reliable information about them. All I can find are message boards where professional plumbers complain about them because they enable people to fix their plumbing themselves. I haven't seen anything that says that they form a poor connection, or that they leak, or that they're poor quality. Any negatives I've seen about GatorBite have been about a line of copper fittings that they don't sell anymore. I guess we'll do some pressure testing before we put wallboard up to see how they do.

During the week next week:

- Finish plumbing for shower (install straps, connect supply lines to main supply stack).
- Continue drywalling (the goal is to get the ceiling and one wall done before the weekend).

4 comments:

glenna said...

Dear Sarah and Tom,

What's the fascination with the history of the house? Not that I can blame you, it's a little like finding something that's been lost.

You might ought to look into local chicken farmers who sold eggs locally instead of a Dr. Whoever--you might just have better luck at finding the original owners.

Good Luck--Hanging 12 foot dry wall isn't any fun. You know it can be installed sideways to prevent material loss. No kidding, I would find someone who is a good mud man and PAY him to mud it--will keep you from sanding your lungs out and also give you a finished look to it. Nothing looks worse than a poor mud job. Check the guy's work, along with BBB in town. Again, Good Luck. Love MOM

glenna said...

PS......What broken window are you referring to? The front one broken by a vandal with a beer bottle, or is there another one? MOM

Sarah said...

It started out as curiosity, trying to find pictures of the property around the time it was built to see how much it's changed. As I learned about the people who lived there, I wanted to know more. Knowing about the house is kind of like knowing the genealogy of your family. You always want to know more about it and the people who lived there. And on top of that, it's the thrill of piecing together a mystery and getting creative with resources.

The drywall is only 8' sheets. Bumping up to 12' would have been less mudding, but the benefits would have canceled out having to maneuver drywall that much bigger and heavier.

The broken window is the same one as before.

glenna said...

Where's the love? Haven't heard from you in a long time. I did find where you had called me, but the reception in Houston is weak, at best. Between the house, the hospital, and the parking garage, I haven't been able to use up the battery life once since I came. My sister had surgery, another friend had surgery who lives close by, and even your dad couldn't get through to me......well, at least one of those wasn't all that big a deal.....you figure out which one it was.

How is the house coming along? No blog means you're:

a)too busy
b)too tired
c)stuck for descriptions
d)out of town
e)weary of the project
f)incapacitated
g)FORCLOSED
h)deceased

I need pictures, descriptions, instructions, labels, etc. Love MOM