The Downtown Farmhouse

It’s a big deal to be purchasing wood and nails. You know what that means????? She’s going back together. Today is exactly 5 weeks and 1 day since we started tearing her apart. We have beaten, beaten and BEATEN down wall after wall after wall after wall. OK you get it. The walls are plaster and were not salvageable so its not just 1 layer of drywall and some nails…..it’s 3 layers of plaster which only comes down with relentless hammering and then a layer of lath (remember the lath whisperer?) which comes down with a crowbar and a hammer. It’s hard work people, just sayin. Dad has quite the system for removing lath and can take down a wall like nobody’s business. Mom and I feel like the clean up crew most of the time. They tear it up, we clean it up.

This picture was the first trip, we have since been three times for 2 x 4’s. Insert happy dance here. Watching the floors being repaired and new walls going up is so exciting.

Everyone is hanging in there. I will be posting pictures of the family this weekend so you know that everyone is still alive and kicking.

growing muscles like popeye,

Charma

There was a room where all the walls were black. It was a closet. The first time we looked at the house, this room was pad locked. You would think I would have a clue. Nope, not a clue. The second time we looked, the lock was gone and we were able to peek in. I’m not sure I wanted to but I did anyways. I was enlightened by my Millennial aged children. This was a pot growing room. Black walls and a special light. Yep, makes sense. The walls have been torn down. No more pot. Thank you

Are you ever so tired, you just need to sleep wherever you are? I needed a nap. There was no way I would be able to function without one. I drive a little 2 seater pick up truck with not a lot of room to spare. No biggie.

Step 1: figure out how to maneuver yourself into a semi laying down position

Step 2: Set your phone alarm for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Pray that no one weird comes up and finds you asleep in your driveway

Step 4: Feel better and GET BUSY!!!!

love,

the non pot growing napper

There is a bedroom in apartment 1 that is the worst. The walls are covered with siding, there was a large poop smear on the floor, it has a super scary door that leads to the outside and overall it’s nasty. This room we are hoping to be our new and improved master bathroom.

Super Trooper parents have been removing the drywall and paneling from the walls this week which left the ceiling. The night crew arrives and the ceiling is our plan for the night. You know when you just have a feeling that something is going to be so much worse than you expected. Yep. You guessed it, the ceiling. oh my.lucky you, you get a close up 🙂 The paneling itself is just so pretty, not. You must use a crow bar and a hammer to loosen the boards.

The insulation falls on your head. Thankfully this was a big huge piece that I so lucky get to drag out to the dumpster while Steve is yelling, cold showers tonight. Insulation makes you itch. Great, so excited

then when we are not so lucky, we get this nasty blown in, stinky, wretched insulation that falls out of the sky. Oh my word. Don’t breathe.

old, dirty insulation is not my friend.

CD

plaster walls are a whole new experience for me. You would think they would be super strong but they ARE NOT. They crumble and our plaster walls are super duper gross. They have not been painted in a very long time and they have absorbed all kinds of interesting smells. Most of them are leaving by way of the dumpster. When plaster is removed, via hammer and my very strong muscles, there are little wood strips behind called lath. There are hundreds no thousands of little strips of wood. My mind starts building things with all those little strips of wood. I hear Steve in my brain…… oh no you don’t!!!! Just a few I say. I already have a marketing plan for those babies.

So I found  a closet under the stairs that can hold a few hundred.

The Bea machine does her magic and poof they are de-nailed and bundled for the future.

love.

the lath whisperer.

So far we have been extremely fortunate in the area of injuries. We do have two “not so young” people working hard every day at the house. We also have some younger more inexperienced workers that are very willing but have not had much time behind a hammer.

Kyle stepped on a nail the first week and had to get a tetanus shot. Since then, we encourage up to date tetanus before entering the premises.

Last week, we uncovered a vent in the floor.

The vent was removed from the floor.

The hole you see……..was where my foot went through the floor. My large posterior kept me from falling all the way through the floor. I am unable to show you my injury. I would be arrested for porn. Sorry, no way.

We are still grateful for the few injuries.

Keeping our fingers and toes crossed.

Charma