Shelving this Project

For the past six days, DH has been doing the finish work on the American black cherry shelving for the home office. Hood Ornament helped on nights two, five and six, in return for which we fed him dinner! The aid and assistance was welcome, as DH doesn't like this part of the project, and HO's participation cut the varnish time in half.

Things get really interesting when the two of them start to talk about politics, but they kept it light tonight and the last coat is done! Soon we'll be picking up the piles and piles of books that have littered the house since last summer, and I'll be decorating those gorgeous shelves.

Floored

Of our little home office project, DH said that things would be changing rapidly now, and he was right. The painters are finishing up, the hardwood floor is just a few hours old, they're sealing the tile on Thursday, and on Friday we get electricians!

Lately we've enjoyed watching pedestrians stroll by and glance inside to check on our progress. You see, we're in a sort of fish bowl right now, since we have this big naked picture window displaying the goings-on in the kitchen.

Reagan and Lolita were living in the walk-in closet last week, and this morning I rolled them into the foyer. The cats are still comfortably appointed in the guest room. Occasionally they walk through the office and loudly meow their approval--or disapproval--we're not sure which. Frasier's had quite a few comments on the Tigerwood flooring today.

And I'm learning things, or at least making an effort to learn things. I visit with the various crews before going to work each day. Just this morning, for example, I heard a new term from Ted, one of the painters.

TS: My husband wanted me to remind you guys that there's another door out on the patio. It just needs one side painted.
Ted: Oh, well, we'll be dipping all the doors, so it'll get painted on both sides.
TS: (calling DH) They say they're going to dip the doors. What on earth will they be dipping them in?

When I got home, they were outside stripping the doors. I'm still trying to figure out if you dip them to strip them, or to paint them, or what. Perhaps a kind reader can enlighten me.

Ready to Paint / The Pantry's Bare

I'm happy to report that the new home office is ready for its first coat of Lenox Tan paint! In his so-called spare time, DH has done all the woodwork in the room, with the exception of framing out the ceiling. Papa C, who had helped install the plywood on the "short walls," came over last weekend and provided valuable assistance with framing out the doors and trimming the underside of the doors to prepare them for the new tile flooring.

The home office itself will have Tigerwood flooring along with cherry cabinetry and shelving.

As often happens with home renovation projects, the office makeover spilled out into the kitchen, which is also getting a new coat of paint and new tile. Consequently, we have emptied the pantry and moved its contents to various other spaces in the house. I just hope we can find the peanut butter and the cereal.

Sheetrock Dust Disaster

Why did I even shower today?

Our home office has walls now--yes!! But it also has something else--sheetrock dust, which, if you're not familiar with it, is white and has the consistency of baby powder. No. Wait. It's finer than baby powder.

Robert cleaned around the edge of the floor with the ShopVac, and I am working on the rest of the room. First, I tried the Dyson, which we use to clean up after the kitties--it's not our primary vacuum, so I thought, let's give it a go.

Well, that may have been terminal for the Dyson. It worked somewhat, but after a while it started to make a choking sound and quit picking the stuff up.

Next, I attacked the floor with the Toro Ultra Blower Vac. It seems to be doing a good job, and I'm just praying that the fine dust is staying in the bag. Of course, emptying either of these vacuums is a challenge, because as soon as you open the bag, the fine dust flies out and mingles with the breeze. At that point, your instinct is just to duck.

What I'd really like to do is bring the pressure washer inside and just blast the whole house.

And I don't even want to talk about my kitchen, which is adjacent to the home office. I have wiped the counters twice, but I still feel like I'm walking on baby powder in there. And there's not much point in cleaning the kitchen floor until we can mop the office and the bathroom a few times, and we're not there yet.

It's going to be gorgeous when it's done, but right now, I'd really like to have a Fast Forward button.

Sheetrock & Roll

The home office renovation continues, and we've seen some real progress the past two weeks! Weekend before last, Papa C came over and helped with "skinning" the short walls with birch plywood. (Now, I can see bookshelves in my mind's eye, kinda sorta.)

Last Thursday, DH assisted 'Puter Dude with running computer power and network cables in the walls. We're trying to minimize the tangle of cords that one usually sees in such a habitat. Dear Husband had a couple of questions, but 'Puter Dude said, "I don't ask you questions about teeth, so don't ask me questions about Cat 5." He also mentioned that he may masquerade as Glenn Beck for Halloween.

Tonight we've been clamping an arched door together. (We needed a little more stress in our lives today. I'm in the other end of the house, so ideally, if one of the clamps falls off, I won't hear it clatter to the floor.)

It almost seems too good to be true, but the Sheetrock guys are coming on Friday!

Wrecking Crew

DH: That was Grumpy on the phone.
TS: Oh, yeah? When does he think they can start working on the computer room?
DH: They're parking a dumpster in the driveway today, and they're going to start tearing up the room tomorrow.
TS: Oh, my--that's big news!
DH: Yeah, they had called early last week.
TS: Surprising.
DH: So, we've got to take everything out of the room today--desks, computers, bookshelves . . . oh, and I think I'll go ahead and let them demolish that bathroom, too.
TS: Mmm-hmm. What about all the stuff in the closet and the window seat?
DH: That's going, too. We'll move all the furniture and computer equipment to the dining room for now.
TS: Oh, that reminds me--are we having company for dinner?
DH: Uh, maybe we should just go out . . .