This week on the menu, we have drywall, drywall dust, and drywall paste. Working around the drywall crew of six, is a two-man tile installation crew. They have laid the tile in each bathroom and are covering it so as not to get drywall goo in it!

Jeff is doing a great job with the tile! This is the Flying Room bathroom floor under construction.

Working around the tile guys and the drywall crew are two homeowners.  Jack has completed the floors on all of the decks.  That’s a good thing so I don’t fall through again.  He is starting to build the upper (star gazing) deck.

I have been hobbling around still doing some exterior painting, admiring the stonework that was installed next to the driveway, and scheduling our final contractors for paint, trimwork, flooring, and kitchen. My sweet sister has been here this week contributing time to helping stain window trim and stain concrete.  Since stone is too expensive to do all around the base of the house, I have had to investigate alternatives for covering up the drab gray concrete.  I have been told that staining (instead of painting) will allow us to still adhere stone if we decide (or win the lottery!) to add stone later.   Some areas are getting a creative flair.  For example, this is where the guest hot tub will go but instead of full stone, it will receive an Italian piazza treatment, once complete.

Hobbling now for over 4 weeks, I did go have an MRI yesterday afternoon and after a quick glance, the on-call doctor immediately called.  Apparently I have a hip fracture and I should be on crutches or using a cane.  But as (those faithful follower) readers know, I have been pulling wire, climbing ladders, and not really stopping for the past 4 weeks.  I can’t really imagine how a cane might help now. Nonetheless, I found a walking stick at the thrift store.  Tomorrow is the Orthopedic appointment for the more inclusive reading.

So…for today’s blogging pleasure, we have a little fun photo identification activity (sorry, I am a teacher!).  I am going to post photos of tools that have specific jobs.  You try to decide what they are and then I will tell you what they are.  Fun, right?!

Name these items!

If you said wet saw, scratch cutter, mixer, stand-up automatic screwdriver, square, ½ drill and pump-jack stilts you would be correct!  Here are some of these tools in action.

  Wet saw: Used to cut tile to size.

 

Stand up screwdriver: Saves your back somewhat on deck work, right, Dave?

The drywall crew looks like robo cops! Pumps them up about 4 feet.

 

Just like a cake mixer, I have seen several crews us this mud or concrete mixer.

But this is my favorite one.  I often catch Jack looking like this.  Name that tool, Jack!

 

“I know I have seen this somewhere before.”

Why isn’t it called a triangle?  That’s what I want to know!

I can see light at the end of the tunnel.  The final steps are all coming together SO FAR!  But before I share what has happened this week, I wanted to share a mini-documentary of those friends I have captured hanging around with us as “trailer trash!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhOmVR33FTs (Drat!  No audio. use your imagination)

Indeed the drywall process is a mess but I am staying out of the house as much as possible. This week, the house was drywalled and is nearly complete with the wall board.  Next week starts the “mudding” process and I guess “I ain’t seen nothin yet!”

Here are a few shots of that I took of progress inside.

 

 

Here is the link to the blog about the Time Capsule. 

 

On a side note, I did go to the orthopedist today and got a shot of cortisone.  It hasn’t helped much.  I have an MRI scheduled for next week to see if this injury from falling through the porch joists is a cartilage tear. Not sure what next steps are.

In the meantime, the light at the end of the tunnel is keeping us both going!

 

OK, so I am a little compulsive about keeping our construction site neat and clean.  We have all kinds of curious people dropping by and I feel it not only makes a good impression for the B & B, but it is safer for those who are walking around looking up at the timbers!  Through the process, I have been told that the drywall stage is the messiest of all.  Well, lo and behold, we are to that stage!  I am so proud we have come this far but if their truck is any indication of what they house will look like over the next 2 weeks, then ICK!

I see online many strategies for cutting down on dust and mess.  Hopefully David Fitzgerald and crew have seen these sites too!  They have been diligently working today, cutting off pieces, tracking in mud, leaving pieces and parts, tools and saws scattered about, but it is getting done.  They started on the top floor and have affixed the wall board to the walls of the flying room and fourth room.  They are working on the Fishing room and probably will complete the Forest room by the end of today.  Here is a shot of Jack flooring the loft in the Flying room last week compared to today’s drywall up from the same angle.

 

 

Jeff, the tile guy has also been hard at work laying dura rock in preparation for the tile.  I can’t wait to see this bit of an artistic touch added to the house!

 

Last week, I selected the granite for the kitchen and Master bathroom.  I will expound more on that next time when I have a photo.  I am still limping so I am limiting my trips to the house and I left the sample there.  I do have an orthopedic appointment for Thursday.

Kudos this week to our friend Tom Brown who gave us a hand with various tasks in preparation for the drywall debacle!

I was out of town last week for 4 days. Hopefully I will get back on schedule this week, blogging on Thursdays.  If you want to get email notifications, just click FOLLOW and you will get a notification of the next blog. And if you have a chance, LIKE US on Facebook!

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Celebrate!  We passed the framing inspection which includes all plumbing, mechanical, framing and electrical work!  Bring on the drywall!

We estimate well over a mile of wire in the house!  The floor joists each have to be drilled to let wire pass through it to the outlet or switch.  Some of those joists are starting to look like swiss cheese!

Stay tuned for more adventures from Bedford Landings!

At Bedford Landings, this was a week of identifiable progress and sad incompletions. Pro-siding completed the siding and gutters then erected their scaffolding Monday to mount the two ceiling fans and the chandelier. They are gorgeous here’s a link to a little video I took while enjoying the glow of my lumens!

We kept the new lights on until it got dark just to see what the chandelier looked like from the outside.

Between my faculty job, running to get additional electrical supplies, helping Jack pull electrical wire, and going to the doctor to see why I can’t walk,  I am whipped and so is Jack.  We can barely walk and have aches where we didn’t even know we had muscles and tendons.  Building a house is not for sissies!

About 3 weeks ago, I fell through two porch joists by stepping on a board that wasn’t anchored down.  Looking like an episode of the Three Stooges, I found  myself face down with my left knee bent between joists and my right leg dangling, unable to touch the ground.  I couldn’t push up to get myself out and our neighbors along with Jack had to lift me by the shoulders to get me out.  I thought that the cut on my wedged leg was the worst part, but after 3 weeks, I have decided that accident is what caused my groin/hip muscle strain.  The doc put me on Prednisone  (link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prednisone) for the inflammation.  I have been hobbling around like Grandpa on the Real McCoys (remember that show?)

We were so hoping to complete the wiring to call for the inspection on Friday, but as it is nearly 7:30 pm on Thursday and we are just coming in from working at the house. Disappointed, we didn’t get it done but it WILL be done for the Monday inspection! What we have left is the two water heaters, the oven, and the workshop lights and outlets circuit, and 3 HVAC circuits.   I bet we have used more than 12 rolls of the 250 foot rolls of wire.  That is over 3000 feet of wire.

Our friend, Bill is coming to lend a hand tomorrow and I know Bill doesn’t like wiring.  So Bill, you may want to consider going to that wedding shower with your wife in lieu of wiring. But if you come, we have other more fun tasks like more decking and installing subflooring in the loft areas.

After the Chandelier celebration, I didn’t take any more photos this week, but Jack took a few pictures; one of me wiring and one of Kramer supervising!  Until next week, we will keep stepping forward one step at a time!