Second Column, Second Pour
Though we were both a little tired, Liz and I suited up after work and went down to the basement to keep the house train going. With the concrete set from Saturday’s pour, we got things ready for the second pour.
Posts Tagged "our first home"
Pouring the Base for the Second Basement Column
Working in the basement felt really good tonight, and I walked away from the evening feeling really proud of myself and Liz. While we had Bob on hand to help advise/guide us, Liz and I fell back into our familiar cement mixing routine.
Prepping for a Second Column
To make space for a new support column, we needed to remove some concrete. A plumb bob and some measurements later, we had the space marked out. Broke out the grinder again (been a while since I’d used it).
Basement Painting: Near the End
Today, Liz and I went down to the basement for a few hours to tackle the last remaining portion (in the main basement area). We’re close to finishing up all the paint work, and are making a push over this weekend to get done.
Fixing the Sink
On trying to tighten it again by hand, it started to make a “clicking” sound – which I learned later is a sign the clamp isn’t tightening. After turning the water back on, we noticed a smaller leak… and had to shut off the water for the evening.
A Temporary Bypass
The condensate line goes down through the house, and then runs alongside the North wall of the house in the basement. And best as I can tell… somewhere along that stretch, it got exposed to a draft got cold enough to freeze up. It’s the only explanation I have.
Taking Down the Tarp
With a new (temporary) furnace going on the second floor, it was time to take down the tarp I had put up a long while ago to keep Liz’s sewing room a little warmer.
The House and the Holidays
Liz did a lot of decorating last week, making our under-construction house feel more in the spirit of things. It’s been amazing how much cozier things feel now, with the slight glow of some holiday lights.
Temporary Heat
In the early evening, Bob got a decent sized cut on his finger. While I was trying to find a large enough bandaid for him, he patched himself up with a paper towel and some electrical tape.
Shuffling Along in the Basement
It’s been a mess over here for a while, and this is the last stretch of wall that we need to paint in the main area… so it was high time this all got swept up and cleaned up.
Clearing the Guest Room
We got home tonight, and though we were tired… threw on our work clothes and put a little time into organizing. We had on our to-do list the task of clearing out the guest room, and so took down some excess wood and relocated lots of boxes.
Finishing the Back Basement Walls
Getting all the cement in between the existing pipes wasn’t an easy thing, but Liz did an amazing job. It looks awesome back here, and this covers up the last remaining bits of brick along the perimeter of our basement!
A No-Supply Supply Run
I woke up early this morning to run out to Home Depot, to pick up some additional Quickwall bonding cement. This is what we’ve been using on our basement walls, to help seal and prevent moisture. After being close to finishing the back basement area, my estimate was we needed about two bags total. We had one, and I needed to pick up another.
Back to the Back of the Basement
Our first batch was… not great. It was much too soupy (think pancake batter), and didn’t really solidify much. We ended up having to open a second bag and manually mixed in more concrete, to try to firm things up.
New Old Hardware
Liz has always been quite exceptional in her online research, and was quite proud at finding hardware that actually matched what we have in the house. All told, I think she’s been on the lookout for two years, and only recently found some matches. She’s been doing this a long while!