Well, we are moving along toward completion of the sunroom. I have installed insulation, but had a big problem when I tried to drink a beer with the full-face filter mask on.
Next came the bead-board, it was a pain but with a lot of help and advice from Granny Grumps I got it done.
Granny Grumps primed, then painted the bead board a color called Yellow Mist. As you can see it looks darn good.
Next is the trim………………
We finally started on the “Sun Room”. We had 6-3 foot by 5 foot windows installed and french doors installed on a new wall that divides the sun room from the screen porch. We plan to install beadboard on the interior walls and I am in the process of re-installing the lap siding on the outside walls.
Granny Grumps is working hard cleaning and moving “junk”, I mean nick knacks, while I am working to install wiring, repair the tongue and groove ceiling and replace the lap siding on the outside.
Although we plan to put a split-system air conditioner in, we are supprised how cool it stays by just leaving the den door open.
We are doing most of the finish work ourselves so it may be several months before we complete the work, but that hasn’t stopped us from moving in.
More pictures to follow.
With Gustav, Hanna, and 2 low-pressure areas following, we don’t know when to leave Mobile. As it stands now we plan to hunker down for Gustav and run from Hanna. If worst comes to worst we can leave Mobile as late as Monday, September 8 and still be in Wisconsin for the Tapestry planting. Cross your fingers for us.
The last deck board has been screwed in place. After $300.00 in lumber, 10 pounds of screws, lots of help, and lots of work we are finished with the floor.
Granny Grumps did everything except screw the boards down. She picked up scrap lumber, held boards for me to cut, helped me lay out and hold the boards for screwing down, kept me in coffee and cokes, and in general kept me working. Ken and the kids helped rebuild the fondation and John kaser helped me build some supports. All that is left is for us to build and install the built-in seats along the long side.
Granny Grumps and I, (mostly Granny Grumps), decided that we needed a new roof and other costly improvements at the old homestead. So far we have (mostly me) begun rebuilding the deck , and contracted to have the roof replaced.
The plans are for us (mostly me) to remove the screen from about 20 feet of the back porch and replace it with windows. I found six 3 foot by 5 foot insulated glass windows on Craig’s List and bought them, but we (I) won’t start working on the porch until after our September trip.
The roofers will finish the roof tomorrow, and I should finish the deck within the next few weeks.
The chicks are all in their roost and are safe from the bad fox. I am geneticly predisposed to be a worrier. I come from a long line of worriers. So I am always worried when any of my “kids” are somewhere in the great unknown. I don’t know why I think they are safer in there home towns, but there it is. Ken and his brood have arrived back in Thornton and have dutifully reported in by email so all is well.
We had a wonderful visit with lots of happenings. With 10 people in my little house, it is no wonder we are seriously thing and planning on enclosing part of the back porch and making it an all weather sunroom.
The grandkids are coming next weekend, so GrannyGtumps is cleaning up. I would say GrannyGrumps and I are cleaning up, but I’m not being much help. She has gone thru all our old paperwork and thrown so much of it away. she only kept things she thinks the boys will like to go thru when we are history (smile).
So far 2 large 4-drawer file cabinets have been reduced to 1 small 2-drawer cabinet. Everything else is burned, thrown away or stored in plastic tubs in the garage.
For two months, at least, Floyd and I have spent a major portion of our time sitting on the couch on the back porch watching a couple of Mockingbirds set up housekeeping on top of the hummingbird feeder. They worked dilligently and tiringly for several days building a nest and evidently doing everything else necessary to produce and hatch eggs, in this case less said the better. They have been exhaustively caring for and feeding two or three hatchlings. For the last few days we have noticed that they have been scolding them and not bring as much food as before. Well evidently sometime this am or last pm, they pushed them out of the nest. They are still watching over them and the little birds appear to be hopping around and flying short flights. As amazing as this is you are not going to believe this. They appear to be starting another nest in a different part of the yard. You see them carrying straw, etc. to another tree. I couldn’t believe it so I looked them up on line. Yes Mockingbirds can and do produce two or three nest a year. This is definitly “above and beyond”. I can’t believe that once they had “raised” the kids, they would be so anxious to jump back in. Who Knew!
Well, it’s running! I road around the “hood” today, making noise and blowing blue smoke, but I was riding. Finally figured out that I needed a more restrictive air filter.
We posted some “before” pictures on flick’r, the “after” pictures will be coming as i complete the work. I plan to fully restore the ‘ped to original condition. It will be kinda cool to take it to a carshow in the bed of the Shelby, then unload it and ride it around as I look at the other cars, or I could enter it in the motorcycle class at the car shows.
Mom took pictures with her new camera and tomorrow I will get her to take one of me riding, or better yet, I will get a picture of her riding it.
Now all that’s left undecided is a name for it. Adam and Noah put your thinking caps on and help me.
Although I never thought Evelyn’s bathroom was dated, the tile was a lovely shade of harvest gold. Baths are like cars, they should always remain their original color. No, she didn’t buy that one either.
We decided (she decided, I agreed) to re-do it a few weeks ago. First, I rebuilt the cabinet and moved the lavatory from the far right side of the countertop to the center. Never could figure out why it was but on the right. There was no elbow room, you couldn’t even brush your teeth without bumping your elbow.
I also eliminated one cabinet door and added 4 drawers, then installed 4-1/2 X 4-1/2 inch tiles in a bone color. It now looks fabulous. We plan to paint the cabinet a light brown antiqued.
Now the floor, I started chipping the old, gold tile from the floor. The first tile was a bugger. After that, the rest was fairly easy. There was a mortar bed about 1 inch thick under the tile and it was hard to get up. Evelyn went today to pick out tile and we will go buy it tomorrow.
More pictures on flickr
Wish me luck.
Papa 'n Granny Grumps 