Rock On

For the past several weeks, John has been working on installing the sheetrock. It seems endless. Attaching it to the studs is just the beginning. Taping and "mudding" (a.k.a. applying joint compound to smooth the edges, seams, and nail holes; then doing it all over again...and again, then sanding, and touchup), has been his daily activity for a while now. Let's just say that he knows every inch and corner of our walls very well ;-)

The good news is that it's finished! Better yet, we have saved thousands of dollars doing it ourselves versus hiring a subcontractor, which was our original intent to save time. Two of our wonderful neighbors (you know them well by now), Paul and David, helped out. Once again, many thanks to you guys!

Paul and John started with the upstairs ceilings which had to be done prior to insulating. After insulating was completed, John and David, with the assist of a drywall lift, started the drywall installation. Here's David pulling another 4x12 foot sheet to cut:

He seems to be enjoying himself...

This piece goes on the kitchen wall where the sink will be:

John and his screw gun in action:

John and his RotoZip rout out the excess sheetrock around a window:

Remember John "contemplating" the skylights last January? Here's a follow-up photo. It looks like he's figured what to do with them now:

Sheetrock defines the rooms and walls:

Eileen helps fill nail holes:

Meanwhile John has been rotating through the house applying joint compound to smooth the edges, seams, and nail holes; then doing it all over again...and again, then sanding, and touchup. After the first week, he dreams of being a carpenter again....

Finally it's ready for a "mud roll" (sounds like Woodstock). A mud roll is watered down joint compound that is rolled onto the sheetrock surface with a paint roller. It's then immediately troweled off. This creates a consistent smooth surface that's ready for paint. Paul returns to help John finish this final prep of the sheetrock:

Now the walls are ready for primer and finish coats of paint.

Meanwhile During March & April... (continued)

Where were we? Oh yes, we're still catching up on the progress during March and April while the heater was being built. We've covered plumbing, HRV, electric wiring (actually this wasn't covered, but it was done), flood management, numerous decisions (i.e. where to put lights and switches), etc., etc.
John took the soffit boards that Rachel had painted, created a custom design and drilled ventilation holes in them. The holes then needed painting on the inside. Our dear friend Sarah, (remember "Tired of that 'cooped-up' feeling? Try Sarah's Fresh Air Eggs today!"), took on the challenge as she really wanted to contribute to our house building. Sick and weak as she was, she was determined and painted over 600 holes! Then with the help from her six year old son, they stapled screening to the back of each board. Well done! (BTW, Sarah is feeling much better now.)
Here's a view of the installed soffit vents:


Some spots were tight so John folded himself up to fit in the corner:


The cellulose insulation crew arrived:

This is the hopper/blower machinery in the rear of the truck that blows the cellulose through a large hose into the house:

Before insulating, the walls were prepped with fabric and furring to hold the cellulose:

One of the installers fills the stud bays

The attic has 18 inches of cellulose. These pipes are for future solar hot water, wiring, and radon mitigation (if necessary).

The walls are finished. They have 8 inches of cellulose.

Spring arrived and the tree canopy is budding:

During a break, Mr. Bean (shown viewing a beaver lodge), and Ei enjoy a nature hike.

The next post will cover a favorite: SHEETROCK and JOINT COMPOUND!

Meanwhile, during March and April...

Once the masonry was finished, the roofers returned to complete the metal roofing and ridge vent near the chimney and to finish up other miscellaneous roof-related tasks.

Here's Tim cutting the plumbing vent hole:

Not sure what he's thinking about here (contemplating career options?):

Mr Bean and Eileen spent an afternoon building houses with the left over pieces of firebrick left in the yard.

And the basement flooded a few times. The water did no real harm to anything, but John spent many hours pumping it out each morning.

Here's the unfinished drainage ditch which Gary dug out more to help drain the footings. Once all the site work is finished, the flooding will no longer be a problem.

Don Pittsinger, our plumber arrived. He tolerated all the commotion going on around him with ease.

He does quality work, too.

Don installed pipes for future solar hot water. Plumbing for baseboard heating is also in place for if /when it's desired. Notice that Don also got his semi-annual haircut.

Rachel came one day and painted the pre-cut boards which will become soffit vents.

When he wasn't pumping water from the basement, or digging out the drainage ditch, or collaborating with the subcontractors, John installed the HRV (heat recovery ventilation) system. An HRV system basically brings fresh outside air into the house and pumps out the stale indoor air. It takes heat from the inside air and uses it to warm the outside air. "Popular Mechanics" explains it nicely:

• "A heat-recovery ventilator (HRV) is similar to a balanced ventilation system, except it uses the heat in the outgoing stale air to warm up the fresh air. A typical unit features two fans—one to take out household air and the other to bring in fresh air. What makes an HRV unique is the heat-exchange core. The core transfers heat from the outgoing stream to the incoming stream in the same way that the radiator in your car transfers heat from the engine's coolant to the outside air. It's composed of a series of narrow alternating passages through which incoming and outgoing airstreams flow. As the streams move through, heat is transferred from the warm side of each passage to the cold, while the airstreams never mix."

This is what the HRV unit looks like:

When the panel is removed, the core can be seen:

Here is a section of ductwork running along the knee wall upstairs:

This (not quite completed) duct will bring fresh air into the dining area below:

It's a pretty amazing invention. It's also quite impressive that John researched and consulted with an expert on the installation so that he could confidently do this himself. We saved some serious lettuce by doing this work ourselves.

The next post will continue with more progress from March and April: Insulation, sheetrock and spring popped somewhere in there too.

The Masonry Heater: Part III

Here comes the fun part. The core is finished and it's time to add the brick facing. We had hoped to find salvaged (vs new) bricks and Stephen found some for us in Hudson, New York. We don't know what type of building they came from, but they have lots of character.
Below, you can see the first vertical "soldier" course of bricks and the flues on the backside which will evetually be enclosed with bricks.


This is a full view from the front side:


After the courses of brick surround the firebox, a bluestone shelf is added where the heater narrows in dimension:


The cardboard acts as spacer between the facing and the core while the mortar sets. It's important that the core and facing move independently.

Steve works on a decoration with some granite cobbles we aquired.

The workbench:


Next. the chimney is built around the flues:


Here's the chimney going through the second floor.


Staging is set up on the roof where the chimney will break through:


And Steve finishes it with the chimney cap:


The facing and chimney are finished. The next step is to install the doors to the firebox and cook oven.


A bluestone hearth is added:


The heater is complete!






Stephen meets with us today to light the ceremonial first fire. Many small fires must be burned prior to a regular one. This allows the masonry to dry and cure properly.


Ei enjoys the moment (and thinks about someday having a nice cushiony rug where she's sitting):


We love our masonry heater: