September 8, 2006 :: Plaster Be-Gone
The ear infection has retreated, and I feel much more like myself again. Hearing is always a good thing, too. I tend to like it, and think I'd prefer keeping it as one of my senses. So, after wasting one weekend due to being stoned on Vicodin and in agony, work started up on the house again today.
My friend Bri came over around 4:30pm, and we started right in. There's so much to do, that there isn't any time for sitting around and socializing. It's nice having friends who are willing to help you with your house. When you don't have those, it's nice having people who can be bribed with tacos and Diet Dew.
Bri getting ready to get really filthy.
There were a few pieces of lath still attached to the ceiling. They're gone now. The baseboard was still in place on the south wall, and it has been removed as well. The rest of the night was dedicated to cleaning. Lots of cleaning. For those who are counting, we tossed out 32 big bags of plaster, a bunch of lath, and an old mattress and box spring. Tomorrow (today) is "trip-to-the-dump" day.
Tossing the bags out the window was much easier with both sashes removed.
So, for the first time in 4 years, there isn't a huge pile of plaster on the floor of the bedroom. There isn't any plaster in the room at all. Not much insulation, either, which will be addressed in the next couple of weeks. It's nice seeing this room completely empty and "naked".
These pictures were taken before the final cleanup.
Look at all that floor space! lol
I had forgotten that there was a heat register under there. I haven't seen it in 2 years.
There are some bad things, though....
The window on the southeast corner is history. It bows a good 1 inch at least. Good as a birdbath, bad as a window. So, the windows in the bedroom will definitely be getting replaced. As I've mentioned before, it will likely be vinyl for now, and reproduction windows later. The problem will be buying 5 of them in the time remaining before Sian arrives. Guess I'll have to work it out somehow or another.
We also removed the nasty linoleum flooring after we swept. It's nice being able to see the old pine floor with its coat of maroon paint. lol Actually, only the edges are maroon. The center part was painted over with a wood-coloured brown paint at some point. It is all getting covered with carpet however, so it will be hidden again for several years. For the record, only the bedrooms are getting carpet. Neither Sian nor I like carpet much, but it does insulate some. Good for frosty mornings. It's good as a soundproofer too. I don't want us walking around to echo throughout the whole house. Hence the carpet. Maybe in 10 years we'll pull it up and refinish the wood floors.
So, there's the update for today. Actually for last night. There might be another update later today if I get enough ambition to start destroying the walls in the library/office after I wake up. Stay tuned.
