Another weekend is here, and as you read this, I’m hopefully at the new house, building a catio fence.
I mentioned earlier in the week that we got a fair bit of rain which put paid to my plans for last weekend at the house. Sunday, it poured, so while Dave prepped the livingroom for drywall (running tubes to hide the cables for our electronics, insulating where needed, and fixing some small electical things) I was in the studio playing young grasshopper to the drywall master (my Dad).
I was equipped with the tools and a trough of drywall compound and set to covering all the screws. Once that was done, he taught me how to bed drywall tape.
We were back at the house on Monday, to direct the digging of the internet lines! (We’ll be up and running with internet this weekend!). Before Dad got there, I put a second coat of compound over all those screws (and I’ll probably be doing a third this weekend). When he arrived, he decided my talents would be best put to use elsehwere.
I’ve mentioned before that there’s a serious coating of nicotine through the house. The kitchen was bad. The downstairs bathroom was worse… but the room that will be Dave’s studio… it was probably the worst of all. We solved most of the issue by ripping out the carpets and panelling. We plan to paint the ceiling tiles, but before we did that… I had to clean one thing. The ceiling fan.
Our original plan was just to replace it… but money is getting tight, and that won’t happen right away. I could tell the fan was coated in nicotine, but based on what I had seen in the rest of the house, I assume it was an off-white fan, with a moderate coating of the gross, yellow, sticky stuff.
But… then I got up there with the Fantastik.
Um… yeah…. it was THAT bad! the fan is actually white. Pure white. It ate up a good chunk of the day but…
Yowza! Of course, now the ceiling looks even more gross. We might get to painting it this weekend if all goes well.
While I was at it, I also scrubbed the sliding glass door (which needs to eventually be replaced) and the window. It’s amazing how bright it is in there now without nicotine blocking out the light.
This room at least, it’s really coming together. And with any luck, we can finish it up not long after we move in. (Just one more week!)
Wandering Cat Studio 
It is all looking GREAT!! I love seeing it transformed and I envy all the great spaces you are creating for yourselves.
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The ONLY good thing about nicotine is that once cleaned off, everything looks so much better!
Good luck with your progress – that room does look so nice and bright. 🙂
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Oh, the stories we could share Val! Our first house in Spokane we had to drywall the ceilings in the basement for two bedrooms. We didn’t have that thingy that holds the drywall up so I put a BUNCH of socks in a stocking cap and held it up with my head! Ha! Yes, I did. Two whole rooms worth.
And the nicotine in this house. Oh my gosh! I think it was much like yours originally and now we’re down to just one closet that really reeks of it. The painters we hired for the ceilings and walls throughout the house were worth their weight in gold. I think I told you they did 3 coats AFTER washing all the walls. Yuck!
I’m so impressed by all of your hard work. You two will really appreciate the house when you’re done. I can’t wait to see the catio and how the “kids” all like it.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy
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WOW! You are acquiring so many new skills! It is so shocking that the ceiling fan is white. I don’t think I have ever seen anything that had accumulated that much nicotine. The house is undergoing an amazing transformation.
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OMG . . . that fan was GROSS, but you sure got it looking nice again.
I can’t imagine how much those people must have smoked!!! YIKES!
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Val! you are doing an amazing job. I love grasshoppers appreciation of father’s instructions. I know the drywall tape mess. Sand. Clean. Mud. Sand . clean . mud But think of the money you’ve saved rehabbing yourself.
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Go, Val, Go!!!! That is an amazing transformation on the ceiling fan!!! Wow–the whole house is gonna shine while you are on the job!
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