"Hi, I'm Dallice... and it has been, umm, zero days since my last DIY fix".
Damn it! Not in recovery at all?
So, Osman left for his "national tour of family and friends" 6 days ago. As he prepared to leave, he looked me in the eye and asked what I was planning to do while he was gone. I answered "nothing" and that was genuinely my intent at the time.
However, 3 hours later I had a change of heart. Three weeks of eating dinner alone, with only work to keep my mind sharp... I needed something more. What could I tackle?
Of course it had to be the back room. With 200+ square feet of nasty carpet, wood paneling and worst of all, the drop ceiling just waiting to be torn to shreds. Who better to call for advice and reason than our good friend and craftsman, Josh? Lucky for me he had some time to help out the following week too.
Friday July 31st:
Before the project begins
Saturday August 1st: Preparing to act.
I find a little French Doors bargain on craigslist.com, borrow a truck and brave 95 degrees without A/C to get those puppies home. My neighbors and their friends help me move the heavier furniture out of the room.
Sunday August 2nd: Let the mayhem begin!
I begin removing trim, ceiling and carpet with pad, then gear up to paint those doors. At the end of the day I'm left wondering why I felt the need to re-caulk the bathroom today... and now have 3 more hours before I can shower away the filth that has been trapped in the ceiling - with mice - for 50 years!
August 3rd: The cavalry are here!
Josh and Brian arrive and the wall paneling is removed, along with the insulation in the ceiling and walls. While we are at it I decide that if we took the fireplace mantle off and removed 4 rows of bricks I might actually have room to put art above the fireplace ... brilliant!
I spend the day working like true home-owner and the next 8 hours hacking up black mucus and trying not to scratch at my arms and face, which now itch and burn as a reaction to all the rock-wool contact. But it's worth it!
Tuesday August 5th: Thank goodness they came back today, bright and early too.
The end of today sees the electrical outlets re-wired, the recessed lighting in, the ceiling re-insulated and dry-walled. The temperature is immediately lowered in the room and although the house is a disaster I feel like we reached the "it couldn't get worse" point and are making our way back now. And on top of that, my wonderful neighbor Donnie, has rescued me with an invitation for dinner at her place, where I shall also be self-medicating with a great bottle of wine!
Oh yeah... and the French Doors are in too. But as you can see, I never quite finished painting them!
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