Wall Layers and Floor Plugs

This weekend Noel added plywood to the walls of the new hallway.

The old beadboard was installed over the level of the plaster, so we had to thicken out the wall to make it work. At the same time, each board needs to be nailed in place, and we were looking at adding lots of blocking. I suggested we just use a piece of plywood to make everything work and provide a nailing surface.

Noel used the laser level to make sure each piece of plywood was straight. And surprise, surprise, the floor is not actually level or straight.

I'm not allowed to do any upper-body exertion for several months, but I could help by kind of leaning on things to hold them in place.

Putting in the plywood really firmed up the wall (well, duh, plywood is a structural material), and now the hall actually feels like a real space.

And the finished hallway. I was opening and closing the door and enjoying the feel of two real rooms. The new bathroom is going to be small but really functional, and I love not having to go through the bathroom to get to the attic any more.

I thought I'd add a little note about some of the tools that are making this easier:

First, the laser level. I love it. I'm so glad I bought it. We use that thing all the time, and it comes in handy in so many ways. This photo is using the laser level to mark out the centerline on the little pocket door stud. Just set it up and it works. When I take it to work with me and use it on job sites people oooh and aaah over it. It was expensive but it has paid for itself over and again.

Last year while working on the deck, Noel bought this straight edge guide. It helps hold your circular saw in a straight line, and makes those long cuts so much easier. It was something along the lines of $40 and worth every penny. Noel sings little songs of praise about it every time he has to do something like cut panels of plywood for a wall.

I can't understand why the dog was sleeping under this chaos, either.

Anyway, our second project of the day was making a little plug for the hole from the toilet drain of the old toilet. We had a piece of board over it to keep curious cats out, but it kept getting in the way. But we still did not want to have to extract a cat from the ceiling or inside a wall, so we needed a plug.

Noel stood on the illegal top step of the ladder and set the little board he'd prepared in place. He originally wanted to see if I could hold it for him, but I'm too short. Also, I'm still not sure climbing ladders is a great idea.

The trick with this little board was that Noel stuck a screw in the top, so he could use a hammer to pull it upward while he screwed it in from the top.

It actually worked pretty well. Four screws in from the top, then he took out the center screw, and we have a plug that no cat is going to get through.

Anyway, status reports: Goldie started her chemotherapy, which she is taking well although she is also super clingy now. I've been home from the hospital for a week and am about to restart working part-time on Tuesday, which I am very happy about. I'm not allowed to lift anything over 10 pounds for the next 3-6 months, but we think we can work around that with the house work we have planned.

Also, I really messed up the commenting system and I'm working on fixing it, sorry.

posted by ayse on 05/26/13