Putting on a Monday polish

Today was one of those days that help to make up for all the prep work and manual labor. Over the weekend the Palmers painted their new bathroom, which worked out beautifully. I had the electrician scheduled for fixtures and finish today, so paint was all but critical. Ditto for the plumbers and their finish work tomorrow. With paint in place no one has to cut around all the next stuff, which always turns out mediocre at best. Meanwhile, I had placed about three fourths of the floor tile last Friday. That set me up perfectly to very quickly fill in the missing pieces and to be able to grout the whole job by the end of the day. And that makes all the difference! In one day this bathroom went from "when will it ever be finished?" to "wow!." What a great feeling that is, to see all the work put in so far come together like that. Of course there's more to do, some of it substantial; but the bath looks very much like a finished product. Big fun!

Finally Friday at the big bath

You can tell I've been busy this week, just by the lack of posts for the missing days here. I've had three days of serious manual labor and stair-climbing, trying to ship-shape the Palmer bathroom. I've mixed a bunch of plaster batches, done a whole dust-storm worth of sanding and touch-up, set the shower walls (and weren't they heavy muthuhs!), and laid-in a couple hundred pounds of floor tile. Mike stopped in for two solid days of custom carpentry, which really spruced-up the rough edges. So far, we've stood up to the inspections that truly count: the ones made by the Palmer clan! We still have quite a bit of polishing to do, mostly in setting fixtures and floor-trim. The brute work is complete, though, except for some sore knees sure to come when I grout the new floor. This one should be mostly wrapped by Tuesday, so I can move on to the next one: a kitchen in Hamlin. That one features a complete lack of staircases. I can't wait!

Tuesday, getting "plastered"

Today was day two, and somewhere around Batch Ten, for plastering the Palmer bathroom. Well, it's not really plastering, but more plaster-finishing. I use Durabond-90 instead of joint compound, because it dries in about two hours. Then you can come right back and re-coat the same day. Not so with joint compound. Downside is you have to mix every batch yourself, you have a short work window (about an hour for Durabond-90), and the stuff is bad for your skin. Sure coats up nicely, though! Tomorrow I'll touch-up, add a final coat only where needed, do some sanding, and be ready for paint. Mike P will be on-site tomorrow, too. Sure will be nice to have some company. We'll kick a little construction butt. By the way, it was sunny and sixty again today. Hmmm...

Finally Friday: rockin'

Today was a physically demanding end to the week. I was on my own, starting out with a heavy load of green drywall on the ladder-rack. The weather was warm and clear, so I set up in the customer's driveway. With all the inspections passed, it was time to "rock the walls." Rock, in this case, refers to sheets of gypsum board, which was originally called 'rock lath.' I spent the day cutting and installing all the odd-shaped pieces of wallboard for this cut-up little bathroom. Though it was a short day (had to pick up Nicky from a school function), I still got most of the room boarded. Things are shaping up, and you can definitely get a feel for how this new bathroom will look when it's done. The plumbers and electrician will be back next week, and Mike P. will spend a couple days helping me, too. Getting to the good part of the job now. Should be hard work, but fun.

Thursday was Inspection Day

Had some important visitors today at the Palmer bath. Nearly all construction had to stop, awaiting approval of the plumbing (which required an open floor), and of the electical (which required open walls and ceiling). The plumbers stopped by early to test their work, all good. That inspection passed at about ten am. Same guy gave the go-ahead for framing and insulation. That was good, too. Unfortunately, the electrical inspection didn't happen until almost three this afternoon. That did give me time to putter around with some of the smaller, tricky tasks, in addition to the floor re-install. So it wasn't so bad. Got a lot done, and even started the drywall, wherever it didn't interfere with the electrical stuff. Worked out fine in the end. Full speed ahead, then, for Friday. It's going to be a busy Friday for me. That's ok, too: busy is good. Busy pays the bills!

Wednesday up&down

Busy day today, day three of the big bath job for the Palmers. Many trips for everyone, up and down the stairs. Floor's all cut up for both plastic drains and copper lines. Plumbers were back mid-morning to finish sweating joints. Kevin (electrician) spent about five hours doing the electrical rough-in, which involved much drilling and even a trip (for me) up onto the roof. Since it was sunny and fifty-five today, I didn't mind much; but I sure have lost any ability to handle steep-pitched roofs, as I did when I was twenty-five. I'll stick with kitchens and baths, please. Framing is all but complete, stopped short where the floor still has to be removed/replaced. Thursday will be hectic with multiple inspections: plumbing, electrical, framing, and insulation. Here's my fingers crossed.