The Ceiling's The LImit

Jim is working hard to get this section of the family room completely finished so we can move things out of the bedroom behind the door. That will be a problem because I won't want the space to go back to the mess it was. 

We picked out the ceiling tiles we wanted about a year ago when we were thinking this project would only be basement ceiling replacement project. Summer happened and nothing was done in the basement except the popcorn ceiling and the paneling taken off the wall. 

Then plumbing happened. 

The first stage of the plumbing replacement is done and Jim has the walls re-sheetrocked and painted and he's ready for the ceiling. Our basement family room had three lights. One in this smaller area, and one on each end of the larger area the size of our living room. Jim decided there would be LIGHTS when he was in charge so he put wiring in for 6 of those flush LED lights.

And, speaking of wiring. We've always wanted lights under the deck, so Jim wired for a light outside the basement door. It didn't work. Now, what? Years ago when we built the deck, Jim disconnected the flood lights that were there and put can lights in the soffets and wired them differently. He kept the switch in place to use someday for those under deck lights and didn't think about it for years.  

After investigating the no power to the new light, he found the wire he disconnected wasn't run the way he expected, so he had to run new wire down from the switch in the kitchen (you can see the hole next to the phone thingy if you look closely) down through the wall and through the uncovered 

joists to the new light. 

After the ceiling is finished this mess has to be cleaned up. 

The grid is all up and part of the ceiling tiles in.

The ceiling tiles slide in nicely. This one goes around the stairwell.

Four of the six lights are up and running. 

To install a light:

Cut a hole in the ceiling tile

Clean up the hole with a utility knife.

Show the photographer the hole for a picture.

Insert light in the tile and slide it in. 

Discover you need to connect the light before sliding the tile in.

The ceiling is completely finished. 

Flooring may be next. We picked out our color and I didn't take a photo. 

I may yet. 

 

Finishing Outside Basement Wall

Our basement is the "walk-out" variety and the builder didn't insulate the walls. Jim took out the narrow boards and put in 2x4s so there would be room for the insulation. That makes the walls a half inch wider than they were before. 

Jim tarped off the rest of the family room so no one can see the mess that's behind it. 

Or maybe so it wouldn't get the mess dirty.

Sheet rock in the laundry room with new outlet positions.

The foot of the stairs, before and after insulation.

Ready for sheetrock...

... and painting, Jim's least favorite job after mudding.

When the original sheetrock is off, Jim is rewiring switches and outlets so they are more user friendly. We want to put lights under the deck and by the back door, and the time to plan and do that, is before the walls are finished. 

 

Plumbing Progress

As the sewer project continues to progress, Jim is re-plumbing the laundry room which means the washer and dryer aren't always at my disposal. I have to make an appointment. This first picture doesn't mean much to me except dirt in my laundry room, but Jim wanted photos of how the pipes run for future reference.  After the pipe is connected with the new sewer pipe that runs to the new septic tank, he tamped all that pile of dirt shown in a previous post with a pipe and a sledge hammer, which is what he is doing in the second picture.

The long white hose is connected to the dryer, which is on the opposite wall from it's usual spot so we can still vent outside. Since Jim is putting insulation in the outside wall and using 2x4s to gain 3 1/2 inches of space with insulation  instead of the 1 1/2 inches without. That means the door has to be reset and this cupboard has to come out, which he is preparing to do. We thought perhaps I could unscrew that last screw while he held it up, but that didn't work at all, so it had to stay up until Jim could get some sort of jacks to help with the job. 

All tamped in and ready for concrete to be poured.

I obviously didn't take any photos of after the concrete was poured. It now is and Jim is reconfiguring the plumbing and outlets for the washer and dryer. 

This is what it looks like at the moment. No cupboard, drywall up, taped and mudded, and a new auto-vent for the sewer which we had done without all the years we've lived here, but the plumber consultant Jim used, says we need one, so we have it. I'm not going to explain what it is for, because it is complicated and I don't really get it, so you can look it up. 

When Jim does a thing, he's going to do it his way and the right way. No, cobbling things together. 

 

If It Isn't One thing It's Another

 This spring, we decided to replace our basement ceiling with tile. It was discolored under the kitchen because of previous leaks and just about then we had a major leak under the kitchen sink. We heard dripping in the middle of the night, like 3:00 am, and found leaking water. Jim tore down the ceiling to let the water out and then we mopped and used the shop vac and went back to bed.  

Then we went shopping. After the stores opened, of course. 

Jim had already torn down part of the ceiling to run internet cables when we changed servers.  That is another story for another day. 

Jim decided to start on the smaller area near the patio, which is where my sewing area is, so we moved all that stuff into the nearest bedroom and made an enormous mess in there, but I can get to the sewing machine, at least. Then, Jim tore off the popcorn ceiling and the paneled wall.

Next, he planted the garden and summer things happened, and there was nothing done in the basement until December, when a more serious problem reared it's ugly head as previously noted in the

December 10th blog post.

We knew several years ago when we had a problem with a blocked pipe that someday we would have to replace the cast iron sewer pipes under our basement concrete floor. Since there is already rending and tearing going on outside and in the other part of the basement, we decided that the time was now. 

Jim has both projects going on at once, because they somewhat overlap. Today we had the concrete people saw out the concrete under our stairs and in the laundry room, as the first part of the pipe project, because Jim isn't just going to replace what is there now, he's revamping the whole thing. 

One of the things we are finding out as we tear things apart is that the guy that built this place didn't do as good of a job as he should have. The load bearing wall in the living room has no support in the basement, so it is sagging a bit. Jim had to tear out some sheetrock he didn't want to do add support.

I don't understand it all, but there are 2x4s where there should be bigger boards. Some of the floor joists have been cut to "fit the space".

First on the agenda was to cut out the stair landing where the concrete needs to come out.

Jim wants insulation in the outer walls, so he tore off the sheet rock and is firring the wall out with 2x4s for more room, since it wasn't that way before. 

Outside walls plus mess on the floor.

Extra support here.

Jim forgot he wanted to change out the switch before he put the new piece of sheetrock on.

Concrete out in front of the stairs.

 In the laundry room.

Digging out pipe.

It's a good thing I was caught up on laundry on Saturday. 

 

Boston 2024

Last year, we met Bonita and Dorothy in the Boston area to spend some time together. This year when we got together near Boston, we stayed in the top two floors of a tall house with 

a very yellow door in Dorchester.

We were in a neighborhood that looks like it is all apartment buildings. Ours was about 100 years old, so it's no modern neighborhood. This is our street. It was a two way street with parking on both sides. There was no room for two cars to pass, someone had to wait. 

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Our first full day we planned to go to the aquarium, but there was some mistake with the tickets so we went instead to the USS Constitution and museum.  To get to the aquarium we had to find a parking lot close to the train. We found one near the trolley station at Butler, which took us to the Red Line train, then we changed to the Orange Line for one stop, then the Blue Line for one stop and walked to the aquarium. From there we rode the ferry to the Constitution site. 

I don't understand if we took the subway or the train, because sometimes on the same one, we were both above and under ground.

There doesn't seem to be any limit on capacity in these cars. At the end of the day, as we took the same way back, people are pushing to get out and pushing to get on. People are standing, holding on to posts or straps and away we go. The nice thing about being gray-haired is that always some nice young man stands up to give me his seat. 

These  buildings are built on piers over the water. 

The USS Constitution, which has been restored several times over the years is moored in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

I couldn't get a photograph of the ship itself because there were too many other things in they way. I was interested to see these fancy posts around the masts.  It seems odd on a ship. On the very lowest deck were the sailors slept the pillars that hold up the deck above it are also carved like

fancy stair posts. 

Bonita didn't come with us on the ship because when we went through the government check point, he had his pocket knife. He was ready to give it up, because things like that are not returned, but Bonita sacrificed the time and kept it for him.  

I took a photo of Jim by the cannon to show the size, and Jim thought we should have a photo, too. 

This is a LEGO model of the USS Constitution in the museum.

This is a scale replica.  We noticed there are strings hanging from the sails. Not having seen anything like that before, I googled it and they have to do with making sure the sails are true to the wind. I was looking it up just now and can't find anything about it. 

On day two, we went to the Museum of Science, taking the trip, sans ferry. About the only thing I learned there was not to go during Christmas vacation. Not only was it overflowing with parents, children and stroller, the kids ran around pushing all the buttons whether anyone was watching or not. I was going to keep that sentiment to myself, except another day we had company for supper and they were there the same day and the young man said exactly the same thing!

There was a special miniature train exhibit there. 

At "home" the others puzzled and I either watched or knitted. I'm not a good puzzler. 

I put in less than 10 pieces.

This is one.

Another day we drove up to Plymouth to see the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. On the way we saw these house with "original" cedar shake shingles. These might really be original, we were in an older part. No getting aboard the Mayflower in December. 

In all our views of the harbor I've seen this little white things, some with ships moored and some without. I understand the need for ships to be attached to things, but how do the people get from ship to shore? While we were at Plymouth I saw some boats coming in, so I watched.  One had a little boat with them and another had someone from the wharf come and get them. 

\Center left is a little blue boat heading in. 

This house has shake shingle siding. 

Here's another street lined with three story apartment house. 

One of my favorite book series are the "Betsy-Tacy" books. In the book "Betsy's Wedding", they live in an apartment house with bay windows bulging out in Minneapolis. This is the closest I found in Dorchester. 

This house has huge mirrors in every room!

And then, we flew home, Boston to St. Louis, St. Louise to Omaha, the same way we came.