Sunday was a very productive and exciting day. The day before was spent getting ready for Saturday night's party at the new house. In an attempt to improve the house's first impression, I cleaned the front porch of probably 10 years of dirt to find actual wood. I also tore off the trellis sections which had been nailed to the front porch railing. As it was 35 degrees out, that was about the extent of my outdoor activity.
The party was a cocktail/light snack event... we don't have a working oven, nevermind any other kitchen necessities like knives, plates, etc. Many thanks to our friends who dropped by with encouragement or condolences, and a special thanks goes out to our new neighbor Kevin who accepted the invitation we tucked in the mailboxes of our neighbors on Third Ave. I will try to post a photo of the comment-wall we created.
Now, on to Sunday. Our goal was to take down the ceiling in the living room. After a quick baby-sitting stint for our neighbors (congrats to the Hoyts who have a new baby girl!) we arrived a the house around 11:30. As a warm up we tore out some of the rough wood panelling in the dining room. Then we cleared the living room and got to it. AND IT WAS GREAT! Within 15 to 20 minutes we had popped off all of the ceiling drywall panels, revealing the original ceiling height around 10'. We didn't even send any pieces through the windows! It was so quick we attacked the middle room ceiling, only to realize it is much easier if you have taken down the wall drywall first. So we changed gears and went after the walls, which requires you to pry up the carpet strips first. So from floor to ceiling we worked.
Our work became even easier once our friend Barb arrived. We tore through 2 layers of drywall and returned to the ceiling. Barb and Mary set a record by pulling down a fully-intact drywall sheet. And Barb also pulled down a right angle piece, earning an honorable mention.
In the "what the?" category, we found there was panelling above low ceiling in the middle room, but not below it. We also found what looked like a doorway from the middle room, but when we pulled out the drywall filler, found it was only a 4 inch recess... no idea what that was for.
Having accomplished twice what we had hoped, we still were not quitting. Instead we laid siege to the rest of the rough panelling in the dining room. We told Barb it was easy to remove (the first section had been), only to find her nearly cursing at the stuff. We attacked it as a team and after some near injuries such as Barb falling off the step-ladder (we caught her), we prevailed. Our work revealed a closet which had been covered with the paneling, leaving only 2 shelves to indicate space behind the wall. The closet, which is not deep at all, still had this amazing wallpaper with stars and clouds. Suzanne said it's a doorway to another dimension!
Final note, our neighbor to the east stopped in to introduce herself and say hello. Jody has lived in the condo for 3 years and is very excited that someone purchased the house. She apparently did not have a close relationship with the former tenants, who she confirmed were in the adult entertainment industry. She says the rest of the neighbors are great and told us if we need anything as construction continues, just ask.
While I am sure many challenges remain and setbacks will occur, we can't help but feel energized by the huge progress we made in one day. Thanks, Barb!
The party was a cocktail/light snack event... we don't have a working oven, nevermind any other kitchen necessities like knives, plates, etc. Many thanks to our friends who dropped by with encouragement or condolences, and a special thanks goes out to our new neighbor Kevin who accepted the invitation we tucked in the mailboxes of our neighbors on Third Ave. I will try to post a photo of the comment-wall we created.
Now, on to Sunday. Our goal was to take down the ceiling in the living room. After a quick baby-sitting stint for our neighbors (congrats to the Hoyts who have a new baby girl!) we arrived a the house around 11:30. As a warm up we tore out some of the rough wood panelling in the dining room. Then we cleared the living room and got to it. AND IT WAS GREAT! Within 15 to 20 minutes we had popped off all of the ceiling drywall panels, revealing the original ceiling height around 10'. We didn't even send any pieces through the windows! It was so quick we attacked the middle room ceiling, only to realize it is much easier if you have taken down the wall drywall first. So we changed gears and went after the walls, which requires you to pry up the carpet strips first. So from floor to ceiling we worked.
Our work became even easier once our friend Barb arrived. We tore through 2 layers of drywall and returned to the ceiling. Barb and Mary set a record by pulling down a fully-intact drywall sheet. And Barb also pulled down a right angle piece, earning an honorable mention.
In the "what the?" category, we found there was panelling above low ceiling in the middle room, but not below it. We also found what looked like a doorway from the middle room, but when we pulled out the drywall filler, found it was only a 4 inch recess... no idea what that was for.
Having accomplished twice what we had hoped, we still were not quitting. Instead we laid siege to the rest of the rough panelling in the dining room. We told Barb it was easy to remove (the first section had been), only to find her nearly cursing at the stuff. We attacked it as a team and after some near injuries such as Barb falling off the step-ladder (we caught her), we prevailed. Our work revealed a closet which had been covered with the paneling, leaving only 2 shelves to indicate space behind the wall. The closet, which is not deep at all, still had this amazing wallpaper with stars and clouds. Suzanne said it's a doorway to another dimension!
Final note, our neighbor to the east stopped in to introduce herself and say hello. Jody has lived in the condo for 3 years and is very excited that someone purchased the house. She apparently did not have a close relationship with the former tenants, who she confirmed were in the adult entertainment industry. She says the rest of the neighbors are great and told us if we need anything as construction continues, just ask.
While I am sure many challenges remain and setbacks will occur, we can't help but feel energized by the huge progress we made in one day. Thanks, Barb!
1 comment:
DANG! I missed the empty house party. This is all Eleanor's fault.
Why did someone lower the ceiling so much before?
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