As a first project I’ll (we’ll) be tackling alone, this seems like a good one. No complicated cuts, and fairly straightforward overall. I’ve been reviewing the instructions a lot, and honestly… it’s the math and the throwing in the screws that has me more concerned. I’m not that nervous at all, in terms of cutting things down to the sizes we need.
We had several conversations during our time there, trying to figure out where we might place particular items. At a certain point, we stopped trying to answer that particular question and thought about the opportunity – when else might we be able to purchase something like this? It was a little dizzying.
The big work week continues. Last night, Bob and Liz worked on getting the kitchen cleaned up, while I was in the basement sweeping and re-arranging.
It’s funny in that, talking to Liz, we both realized we were kind of excited at the idea of Permaseal coming. We’ve been getting so much done and ready for their arrival, it’s almost turned into a mini-milestone.
Liz, using a 20 ton jack to prop up the house. Though we heard some slight creaks and pops, nothing extremely loud (something we were expecting).
This is another huge milestone, to me and Liz. With this window filled, along with our new security door – the basement feels that much more solid, our house that much more private and secured. It’s a really great feeling.
We are fast becoming a house just filled with rabbit-related stuff (and actual rabbits too). At the rate we’re accruing rabbit-related art prints and such, I’m wondering what’s going to happen when we finally get around to putting artwork up on the walls…
Having a new security door in the basement is another one of those big milestones for us. It seems that there is a never-ending list of things that need to get done in the basement… but to have this particular item checked off the list? It’s huge.
Last night, Liz and I came home from work and went right into the basement to work. We’ve had several days off in a row, and it’s always hard to get back into the swing of things (particularly when coming home after a day of work).
I had accidentally mixed up regular cement… and this set off a scramble for us to prep a metal pipe we’re intending to use as a support column. The goal was to pack it with cement, and Bob helped quickly set things up so that we could tackle this task instead.
One area that’s needed some help is directly below the basement stairs. You can see what it looked like originally from this post, and it’s now nicely patched up.
Our goal was to prep some of the plywood we have downstairs, before cutting it up and placing it over the ” target=”_blank”>the basement insulation. One side (the side facing outward, towards the insulation) needed to get covered in paint.
With all the sleet that fell earlier this week, coupled with a day or two of snow, most of Chicago is covered in a layer of white. I assumed most everything was solid, but it turns out… the snow still seems to be tracking the animals that walk through/across our backyard.
Last night, Liz and I talked, and re-confirmed our plans to pick up work once more. So even though today is New Year’s Day, and most of the rest of the country is nursing a hangover… we decided to put in a few hours on the house.
Bob warned us that one of the biggest challenges in living in a house while you work on it is navigating all the stuff. You’re working where you live, and you need to move things out of the way, then back, and then out of the way again.