Homework, 1/18 through 1/20

I didn't get much done on the house for the rest of the week, because I had pretty booked evenings. Kate is so addicted to physical labor that she went and worked on Friday evening while I was off getting my hair cut.

Saturday was huge. My mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law, and Kate all came to help. My neice and nephew were there as well, keeping us all entertained and making sure the decibel level was at an acceptable high all day. Cole assured me a couple times that he's the best worker and the best painter. When they left, Brynn instructed me, "Tell me thank you for helping." I did, and she graciously responded, "You're welcome! Now tell me thank you for coming to your house." I did, and I got a "you're welcome!" and a hug and a big wet one in return.

I forgot my camera at the house, so photos will have to wait until tonight. In the meantime:


Accomplishments:

• All carpet and padding in the family room removed.
• Baseboard heaters in the family room removed.
• Family room closet ripped out; outlet re-routed to south wall, with extra outlets added.
• All paneling in family room removed.
• Drywall added where closet was attached.
• All family room walls sanded to remove imperfections and paneling glue.
• Door and window trim removed in family room.
• Ceiling patched with popcorn.
• Nail and screw holes patched throughout.
• Bedroom primed, painted, and 2nd-coated.
• Bedroom outlets and cover plates replaced.
• Both toilets repaired.
• Both bathrooms scrubbed clean.
• Leaky tub "JBwelded" in upstairs bathroom. Still a little leaky, but less so.
• Faucet aerator replaced in upstairs bath.
• Lots of time was spent on the kitchen sink, and I think one leak is fixed and one is not. Guess I'll have to call a plumber on that one.
• Most outlets in the garage are now live.
• Front living room primed and painted (one coat).
• Coat closet almost painted. It's so tiny, I have to have my back up against the wall in order to paint, so I painted three walls and the ceiling, but will have to wait for those to dry before painting the final wall.
• Office closet painted.
• Hallway painted (one coat).
• Beautiful dining set purchased and picked up from a craigslist posting.
• Two lovely meals (chili with finger sandwiches, lasagne with caesar salad) prepared in advance and served to the hungry masses.

Surprises:

• The shiny layer that I thought was some kind of extra insulation in the family room carpet pad was also in the bedroom pad. Guess I was wrong about that being insulation. I decided the floor definitely doesn't get that cold in the family room above the garage anyway, so we'll move forward with the hardwood without any extras.
• My dad and brother in law know a lot more about electric and plumbing than I expected. Thanks guys!
• My deck door is frozen shut.
  

People Hours Invested: 112
To Date: 117

Need to buy: Trips to Hudson's Ace Hardware & Home Depot: 5

Tears: Once.