Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Weeks 7 & 8

Lots of action in the house. Carpenter Rick and John built a wall to divide the large back room into two rooms - a bedroom (with a full closet!) and an office/laundry open area outside the kitchen. I'm excited for this open space. At our last house, I found I didn't need a full size room for an office, but I did need a desk. This will allow both of us a working space without using a full room.
new wall looking from mini-office into bedroom with closet! 
looking out from bedroom
All the walls have been scrubbed, and the door frames have been scrubbed inside and out. We've taken off all the trim and cleaned both sides. Without going into it too much - because I fear that none of my family & friends will come visit - let's just say that it was necessary to clean both sides of the trim. Did I mention that we found one final rat's nest? We did. Just nasty. At first I thought the plastic bags stuffed under & into the wall holes were the result of people trying to keep pests out, when, in fact, it was the rats keeping the people out! Plastic grocery and food bags, a kitchen dish cloth, papers all used to make a nest. I'd google it to learn more, but I don't want to see any more images.
last rat's nest
We continue to paint the inside of the house, and we've hung some of the doors back up after cleaning and painting them. It's nice to see the place brightening up bit by bit. It's also nice to clean up the house after a work day and sweep up all the sawdust and scraps. Every time I sweep, as the dust fills the air and I can see the earth through the holes in the floor, I think of Dorothea Lange photographs and a black and white picture of my great grandma standing on the porch of wooden house in the early 1900s. I also think that I need to start getting bids on refurbishing the floors.

cleaned, primed door
one of a few holes in the floor
The electricians started. They pulled out all the old wiring and had to cut a few plug and smoke detector holes to bring the house up to code. The first day the youngest of the fellows was under the house drilling holes for wires and when he came out, he said, "I think y'all have rats" and held up a rat skull. (!) I replied that, "yes, we did have rats." He was excited to keep his treasure.
early stages of new wiring! 


Speaking of treasures, I cleaned up and painted the mirrored medicine cabinet from the bathroom. When I removed the medicine cabinet from the wall, I discovered a pile of used razor blades behind it. At first I was spooked and creeped out but realized that the slit in the medicine cabinet was used for razor blade disposal all those years. I had initially put the cabinet in the trash pile just because it was one more dirty, rusty, old thing, but later pulled it out knowing that it, like the house, just needed some tlc & Lysol.
painted medicine cabinet with slit in back
Next up - electric inspection, more painting and Neighbor Rey gets started on painting the house

see all pictures here