Monthly Archives: April 2017

A Week’s Worth of Drywalling

Posted on April 30, 2017 by ellen

Our drywall contractor had a problem with his subcontractors. Basically, they didn’t show on the date he set for the job. They probably would have showed eventually, they did send two guys for a short time at the end of … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Empty House and Beginning Drywall

Posted on April 24, 2017 by ellen

It makes the house look big to have it completely empty with no drywall to separate the rooms. My friend sent me a panorama shot and I thought it would be a good technique to capture the feeling of the … Continue reading →

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A Hole for the Minisplit AC Lines

Posted on April 23, 2017 by ellen

I bought a used minisplit air conditioner for the compressor, thinking it would chill water for the radiant cooling system. But I have decided after lots of experiments with radiant cooling to just install it as an air conditioner this … Continue reading →

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Fixing the ERV

Posted on April 23, 2017 by ellen

I broke the ERV by trying to install an automated control system with the Nest to the Boost control and with Lutron devices to the 0-10 variable control system. The support for the Recouperator was very helpful and sent a … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Moving Stuff

Posted on April 22, 2017 by ellen

Tools, furniture, kitchen–moving it all out to the garage, which is of course not large enough so quickly ordered two storage units from MyWay to hold more stuff! We packed the garage as tight as we could. And all the … Continue reading →

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More Drywall Prep Items

Posted on April 19, 2017 by ellen

As we worked to prep for drywall several other items were added to our list. Little stuff that had to be done before the walls were no longer accessible or where we needed a wall we had not yet built! … Continue reading →

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Boxing in the Radon Vent

Posted on April 18, 2017 by ellen

Another pre-drywall project that I forgot to list was to box in the radon vent that entered the attic shelf over the storage closet. The vent has a slant to it that meant the lower part was uneven with the … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Membrane Installed

Posted on April 14, 2017 by ellen

The membrane on the rest of the walls has been installed, the seams taped, and the edges caulked to the studs. The caulk is super rubbery and stays flexible. It is recommended for the edges of the membrane. I put … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Ensure Denshield in Bathrooms

Posted on April 12, 2017 by ellen

I signed the drywall contract and the work is to begin April 24th. Included in the contract is Denshield in the bathrooms. We decided to have the walls match the existing knockdown texture but have the ceilings be smooth which … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Install the nailers for drywall.

Posted on April 12, 2017 by ellen

These are all finished now. Unless the drywallers find they need another one somewhere. There are some tricky areas where the house orientation changes direction to catch the sun. The rafters come together at an angle and the nailers had … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Reinforce Ventilation Shaft with Corner Braces

Posted on April 11, 2017 by ellen

The ventilation shaft is constructed of metal studs. It is long and hangs from only one side. The idea is that the drywall will reinforce the structure and keep it from sagging. Right now it flexes when pulled down. Our … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Install Membrane Progress

Posted on April 8, 2017 by ellen

We are making good progress on the membrane installation. The first area was to finish the wiring chase with insulation, polyiso and then the membrane seen installed here. The wiring chase included some tricky areas around the radon pipe where … Continue reading →

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Connecting the Ventilation Fans

Posted on April 7, 2017 by ellen

The ventilation fan connections also had to be done before the drywall can be installed. We have to ventilate the crawlspace to meet the requirements of a conditioned crawlspace. This can be done by placing a heating vent into the … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Decide About and Alter Master Bathroom Wall

Posted on April 3, 2017 by ellen

Seems like it shouldn’t take two days to complete the wall in the master bathroom and closet but it did. First I put up the membrane in the closet area as the bathroom was done already. The 50 amp wire … Continue reading →

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Broken Ventilation System!

Posted on April 3, 2017 by ellen

Amazing isn’t it? I can’t be satisfied with the existing system, I had to try to control it automatically. That would be OK if not for the problems I cause. The first project was just to connect the system to … Continue reading →

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