Oh wait, that is another idea.
What was I thinking about? Ah, yes, present day in the Rehabber's Love Story. It is now November 2010, three years past the original purchase date of our house, built in or around 1880. We, Nate and Rebekah Paziamor, are SICK and TIRED of living in a project house. Hence, the real motivation of my writing this blog:
**We hope to finish, one way or the other, our house by February-March 2011.**
My blog shall be my ACCOUNTABILABUDDY. What?! Accountabilabubby.
(Butters, you lost your accountabilabuddy?! You will be held accountabiliabuddiable.)
I intend to try to update this blog DAILY with what I have worked on in the house, including pictures from that day's work. Why? Many reasons.
1. We do not like living in a home with constant projects looming over our heads.
2. Rebekah is no longer in medical school.
3. Rebekah now breeds standard poodles.
4. Nate and Rebekah want to move to the country in NH.
5. While we still want "Sweat Equity", at some point one buckles done and draws a line in the sand.
These are just SOME of the many reasons. The gauntlet has been thrown down!
You are no doubt confuzzled. How did we get from "Sunshine and Lollipops" to the collaspe of the great American Dream? Who would EVER want to leave medicine, the GREAT career path (a career path it seems most everyone has a fond thought that they themselves would have liked to have pursued or considered once) and utterly commendable calling in the world? Well, to roll all the past three years in to one measly post would do it a disservice, and well frankly, it is a long story with lots of thought behind it. I think it's best de-constructed over time, as flashbacks, or perhaps a PSTD type nightmarish musing as I am working on our home.
Yes...I think discussing the story of medical school, to breeding with a smattering of good ole dirty house rehabbing shall do us all some good eh? I will say, life is not a straight course as I once thought (thanks to my thougthful father reminding me of this recently) and we all CAN change our course over time. The decisions that have led us here have been, well Another (MANY) Brick(s) in the Wall.
True to form, what did I DO today?
Well, we have a front entryway we intend to be a formal entry and half bath. Last weekend my hubs finished drywalling it, so today I began the first step towards finishing the drywall. I used
a putty knife
lightweight all purpose joint compound
a joint compound plastic bin thingadoodle
two different types of drywall tape
My FAVORITE drywall tape is MESHED tape, which self adheres and you do not have to lay a base layer of compound prior to placing it down, AND you don't have to get it wet. Normal drywall tape you have to run through water and working with it on the ceiling is ICK personified. It does not appeal to my femininity to have dripping drywall junk landing on me, my floor and my dogs who are inevitably sniffing around the area beneath me puzzling the actions of the-woman-who brings-pizza-crust. Sadly, today I ran out of my cherished mesh tape and had to switch to normal tape. I survived though so, you know, that was good.
So I finished the entryway as best I can for today.
The ceiling I need to tape and stuff.
After doing some work.
The wood will be for new drywall in the half bath on the ceiling. One MUST provide something for it to be screwed to. (Hm...if I werent so tired I am sure there would be an innuendo in there somewhere).
Me all gross after working for 3 hours.
Tomorrow I will have to sand this all after drying and apply a second coat. It wont look great until lots of sanding and the ever so glorious moment when you get to put primer on it...and it seems to be a ROOM quite suddenly. I think its probably similar to having a baby, that while it sucked and was painful, once you have the baby the trauma fades with the rush of love for your little one (No, I have not born the fruit of Naterman's loins- I told you ADULT CONTENT! ;) )
Nate played the deconstructive role he seems to enjoy today- removing flooring from our bedroom.
Yes, this is our bedroom. Le sigh.
The reason of removing the floors is well....OLD HOUSE syndrome. House shifts with the earth, and the joists shift, and well then the FLOORS shift. So, Nate removes the floor boards with the intention of sistering (adding wood to the side of the joists) to the joists and them trimming the top of them so he can add new plywood that levels the floors. Yes, it is scary. Reminds me of all the beings who have fallen through our ceilings in the years....more on that later. BUT, no worries, I NOW (yes NOW implies there has been a time of inglorious walking on joists...pure and utter FAIL) insist that plywood be replaced prior to rooms being entered again. Safety first.....or eh....after hard lessons? No one has died or anything close to that (remember flare for the dramatic?)....but there has been some foots through ceilings over time.
This is an old photo....which was a re-enactment of an actual event. Horrifying. Now you understand our desire to move?
Rehabbing, should YOU do it?
I can think of many MANY cons:
Here I shall address one. Many people think it will build their relationship.
- Marital/Significant other effects: "Together yet Seperate".
- Unless you are both skilled at the same things, you are apt to be in the home working...but not on the same tasks or really able to help each other. This leaves you either staring at your lover's back side (mmmmm?), harassing them, or wandering off somewhere to play World of Warcraft (yes....I am ashamed), some combination thereof, or something even more pointless. You are perhaps not even in the same room, you may decide to do your own project (as we are now currently doing).
- The projects seem to loom over you; unfinished projects taunt you from their corner of the house, and future projects and the inadequacy of the existing part of the house they will replace gnaw at your sanity until your home seems a jail specially designed to torture you like a Chinese water-board technique type scenario. Over time this results in cranky attitudes in even the sunniest of dispositions.
- I, for one, am not muscularly built as I am a female who perhaps lifts 10 lbs weights and a 40 lb dog or so bi-weekly. I am not up for the task of lifting and screwing in drywall etc...which leaves me to the more artsy and patience requiring jobs...which I am not good at either.
Well now, I will leave you with a puppy. Who doesn't like a puppy? I shall take advantage of your no doubt fixation with my puppy to mention that no dogs have been harmed in the making of this blog.
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