Thank goodness for caulk

Thank goodness for caulk. Today I tackled the first part of trimming in around the back of the fireplace exposed during demolition. I don't think the contractor really knew what to do to finish it off so, he left it unfinished, both at the top and at the bottom.

The bottom I knew was going to be a pretty simple solution. We had some extra lengths of the finished white oak quarter round molding. This was a simple trim job nothing special, 4 or 5 standard cuts and it was finished. Tacked to the floor with a brad nailer and the base was finished. (well almost, still need to mix up some mortar to fill in the void between the rock and oak quarter round, but that's for another day.

The part of this fireplace trim project that ended up taking the entire day was the stacked crown molding I decided to use for the top part of the fireplace. I needed to build a base on the ceiling because the floor joist for the second floor were left 4 inches away from the stone (per code.) This meant there was nothing to tack the crown into on the top. I used a standard 3 inch base molding and laid it flat on the cieling, and with a generous amount of consturction adhesive, I was able to afix it to the ceiling (I used some nails as well - not sure if they realy are helping or not, but I felt better.) Next the crown mold was going to go up against the base and against the stone fireplace back. This is where the problems started.

There were a few problems the first of which was my own ignorance. The first time I did crown molding I think I got lucky with the angles - everything worked fine. This time, the moldings spring angles were not the same and thus I didnt get as lucky. After spending about 4 hours and cutting through 16 feet of molding I finally sat down and did some research. (with some thinking juice.) What I learned is that based on the spring angles of the molding the miter and bevel angles change - old dog / new trick. This miter / bevel chart was extremely helpful: http://www.installcrown.com

The second issue (which ultimately the caulk came to the rescue with) was the uneven surface of the rockes and unusual angles it creates. In one are I chewed away the back of the crown molding so it would sit against the stone a little better. All in all it came out -- ok. I had one corner that I had to use a generous amount of caulk to 'mend' it.

Now we can nap

Today was the second day of the blinds installation. We ordered blinds for the master bedroom and bathroom about a month and a half ago, they were shipped and time allowed for hanging them this weekend - Finally. Naps were almost impossible in because of all the windows - problem solved. Bring on the naps! :)










We were also happy to have our new bedroom furniture arrive this weekend. This to was about a month and a half wait. Well everything is up and looks good. We need to get deep pocket sheets, the new mattress has a bit of a pillow top -- great for sleeping but not for fitting standard sheets.

Next project will be to permanently hook up the dehumidifier in the basement to address the moisture problem.

To cap off the day we got to see one of those wonderful sunsets ----

Let it tickle your toes

Today was the second day of the carpet installation. The plywood is finally covered and they are just finishing stretching and tacking. Believe it or not, they finished what they said they would. Getting closer!!

Carpet,Carpet, Carpet

Today was the first day in the carpet installation. Padding is down and the carpet is waiting to be installed. The 2 guys claim they will have it all done tomorrow -- I question that timing. But we will see!

Steady as she goes

Well the contractor is back in the game (for now -- fingers crossed.) Today he worked on the garage, taping and mudding the drywall. Now, I am no expert but I think mine was better :) We are pushing for a final inspection for next week -- which would mean we can move in!!!









Well as this is moving forward we are also trying to clean up the landscaping a little. At least enough to make it somewhat presentable. I spent a day filling in this big hole we had from the water main break with gravel and top soil, raking and leveling things off. Well I was sore but the fruits of my labor are finally beginning to poke through!

another one down - balcony deck complete

Well it has been an interesting week. We finally heard from the contractor. I don't know the full story (nor do I care to) but there was something 'very important' that he needed to take care (more important than our house I guess.) Anyway, he finally showed up on Thursday and began working on the balcony deck.









We needed more material so after an early morning call on Friday it was delivered. No word (or work) on Firday, no word (or work) on Saturday. We made the decision that we were finished and would have the other contractor (yes we have another one in the wings) finish everything.

Well I guess that was the fire because as we visited the job site today viola - the balcony deck is complete!

Taking Control of a Lost Cause

Well our contractor situation has not improved. No calls back now for over two and a half weeks and the only thing completed during that period is the railing outside. It isn't looking good and we want to move in.

So today I began finishing the drywall in the garage. 95% of it the drywall is hung but none of it is finished. There are some huge gaps and some large variations in the surface heights (more than an inch in some cases) so this should be a lot of fun. (basically it wasn't hung too well.) For our Certificate of Occupancy we need to have it finished -- but it does not need to be finished well (so I think I should be able to handle this!) I would like to see if I can do it well enough to put a nice finish coat or paint on it all -- we will see.

Before









After (while drying - the huge mess is due to about an inch difference in surface heights, it may dry by next week sometime!)









If anyone has any pointers feel free to post them!