The husbands life in an antique farmhouse

This is a secret project that I am not allowed to tell you about...

I told the husband that I was doing NaBloPoMo this month. He said "yeah I know, a co-worker told me".

It is nice that he learns about his life from others. I didn't think of it this year, but next April Fools Day I am going to post something scandalous and see how long it takes him to yell at me. Then I can sweetly say "April Fools".

This year, all I did was run up the basement stairs yelling "Honey there are about eight snakes down here..."  He rushed down to check it out as I yelled "Got Ya." Then I ran, but not before he grumbled, "honestly it wouldn't surprise me if there was an alligator down there." He's got a point.

Anyway, I told him that I need 30 days worth of material and that he better get cracking. He didn't exactly like that. He told me that I do a bad job documenting all his work around here and only post things when I feel like it and that I didn't even show you the completed walls from my previous post.

I have to remind him that this blog is called "Modern LIFE in an antique farmhouse" not "The husband renovates an antique farmhouse". After all, I hold full creative license and shouldn't he be happy to be featured so often?! Then I tell him he is free to create his own blog and he says "maybe I will". But, we both know that day will never come. Plus, there is no way he is as funny as I am, I mean come on, just live with me (that is a joke, sort of).

So to make him happy and to complete day four, here are some fabulous pictures of the hallway with walls. He said I can't tell you about his current project, but I can tell you that he will be working on the dining room closet next.  Yay!

Hallway and front door walls

Stairway walls

Walls around the bathroom

Where were we...I forget!

The support beam which will soon be covered up...

At long last, a house update.  I know, I know...it has been awhile, I promise, things are slowly moving along...

Okay, the truth is, the husband got sucked into the basement for a few weeks and I despaired of him ever coming up.

The wall and beam before plaster board.

I thought we had agreed to finish the hallway next, but somehow that morphed into insulating the basement stairway.  Insulation = good.  I cannot argue with insulation.  However the project required cleaning out the existing, inferior, or lack thereof insulation, rebuilding the wall framing, cutting insulation (both backed and hard foam), and numerous discussions on where to put a light in the stairway.  We also covered up a non-functional window that looks into a crawlspace and stopped to admire the rabbits that are wintering under the house!

The insulation project morphed into better basement lighting, which resulted in wiring no less than 13 overhead lights, and figuring out the wiring circuits.   Let's just say the basement now lights up like a Christmas tree (minus the pretty colors) and illuminates all the spiderwebs and dirt quite nicely.  Yes Virginia, I can also now see the laundry!

This past few weeks he surfaced and began once again adding plaster board to the hallway.  He has to cut wood strips to build out the wall so that the wallboard attaches and is level.  Then everything has to be cut to fit.  Then he has to coerce his assistant (me) into holding heavy things.  Usually the drill gets dropped at least once.  And if we are lucky, no one bleeds.  It takes a long time.  I think the rate is one piece of wallboard per day...

Sometimes, hanging plaster board also involves fixing the floor (don't ask, just accept that as the truth)!

Covering the beam, piece one.

Action shot!

We were (and still are) hoping to finish the hallway this winter.  We have until the end of March before outdoor projects commence (raking, burning, gardening, painting, you name it)...  As of today, March 16th, we have about 2 more sheets to go...

Walls! Walls in the stairway up to the second floor!

Walls!  Walls around the window.  Walls around the door.

Walls! Walls in the hallway.  Give me some more :-)

More Hallway Demo...

Stairs behind new wall...

 Here are more pics of the hallway progress.

The mess has been cleaned up (except for the dust traces that linger on) and the old insulation and mouse mess is gone.  Tristan cut new insulation bats.  They won't be fully tacked down until the electrician comes, but we are making progress!

We still have one wall to rebuild in the living room and under the stairs to gut for the half bath...

View from upstairs landing

Upstairs landing and what remains of the wallpaper...

 Oh and he said he only hates the house 95% (not 100%) so his hatred index has decreased by 5%.  I am not sure what that really means, but I assume it is a good thing and will take it! 

Front hall

Hallway demo update...

The hallway walls have come down!  We did find a few surprises:

1. The metal beam (aka trestle) had a pencil scrawled note letting us know that Jim and crew with beam and all had installed that monstrosity in 1969.
2. There was insulation in the hallway walls!
3. It looks like they blew insulation into the eaves, unfortunately they left about an 18 inch gap on top where you could see outside and feel the cold air rushing in...

Pictures of the demo fun (below).  The walls are actually freshly insulated, eaves boarded up, mouse poop cleaned up.  We are getting closer to having the electrician come in....!

Another big mess...

Scott likes wrecking things!

Half of a wall...

Yup it's true - we have half a wall framed, blue board and all...  There will be pocket doors in the opening when we finish the back of it...  And the opening is actually about a foot bigger - this picture was taken before the board was trimmed.

Don't get too attached to that beautiful wallpaper in the background.  It will be coming down...tomorrow night!  Stay tuned for demo night #2 as the hallway is ripped apart and more exterior walls begin the insulation process.  Who knows what interesting things we shall find...

In the meantime, here is the latest from the wall that was, that wasn't and that lives again.  Mind you this is being built under the railroad trestle.

Back of wall - waiting for electrician...

Pocket Doors coming soon...