Please share your opinions and expertise since we need all the help we can get!

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Dry Walls

The addition really started to feel "finished" recently, as we were approved to continue progressing a bit further without a door and without being truly sealed in. First, they came in to blow insulation in a truly terrifying process that sent all our air filters ramping up into high speed. We were warned to stay away for the day and the few times we had to stop by, we found the crew suited up in what were essentially HAZMAT suits. We didn't come back (including the dog) until our air filters went back into calm mode and our air quality readers were down at normal levels. None of that is pictured, because we really did not want to stick around long enough to get some snaps.


The next day, they installed traditional fiberglass insulation on all our outer walls between the studs as well as in the eaves.

To our surprise, they insulated the floor as well, even though it was encapsulated, i.e. conditioned and brought "into" the house. It does make a nice muffled thud now when we walk on it, so I wonder if it's more for sound than temperature regulation.


Within the span of a day, someone came and reframed the wall where the bathroom vanity will be, for our medicine cabinets.





At our request, they also put up particle board alongside the pocket door--this will allow us to install a towel rack there, since the screw can grip into the particle board instead of just empty space behind the drywall.

More framing (and plumbing) was done in the other bathroom (toilet room) - they framed another rectangle for the medicine cabinet there, and had to reroute some plumbing in the process. (We know very little about plumbing but this one seems to be going up and out so maybe it's some kind of air hole?)


With that done, it was time to start putting up drywall. The crew spent several hours just carrying in giant quantities of sheetrock.  Then, quite quickly, it appeared on the walls.
Drywall all up:


Then the skim-coating began! We now have a lovely patchwork of rectangles and covered-up screw holes.


The pale gray walls really make everything seem huge. It lightened up the whole place after all those dark wood walls.

There's another pause coming because without doors, we can't seal it up and begin on the floors. But there's progress in the bathroom (saved for another post)!