Back in the Closet

First lesson every renovator learns is that one things always leads to another. 

The middle bedroom closet had a mildewy smell. Every time I opened the door, I was hit with draft of old wet woody smell.  I know It's normal for older homes to have mystery scents hiding in pockets. But, my clothes don't need wood sweat mingling with old lady sweat. And, based on the smell, I am fairly certain this closet is a portal to another world. 

I found the smell seeping in from behind the wall backing the shower. Luckily the plumbing access was easy to reach and inspect. It was dry as a bone. But, the handyman I had inspect it suggested I seal up the gaps in the access boards with clear silicone. That should help eliminate some of the smell. I went a couple of steps further. I painted the boards, sealed with silicone, and then covered with a wood panel contact paper. I also added an area rug on the floor to prevent palmetto bugs and other monsters from squeezing in from the crawlspace under the house. 

But, while I was dodging spirits in my closet, I figured a good paint job with a Kills base would also help to eliminate any odor clinging to the walls. And if I was gonna paint, I might as well replace the closet rods that were basically useless. 

I am quite certain giants and trolls lived together in the middle bedroom before I purchased the house. One closet rod was hung about 8 inches from the ceiling and the other only about 4 feet from the floor. 

I ordered a precut custom sized closet rod from Amazon. The shelf brackets they sent with it were useless. And they didn't send any screws. Which is fine because with the paster walls, normal drywall screws with anchors weren't going to work anyway.

I had to use toggle bolts to carry the kind of weight my closet rod would be carrying on plaster walls with no studs. And for that I needed a special toggle drill bit. 

Don't ask me how it went. It was ugly. I'll just say the skeletons behind the walls have about a dozen toggles to wear as jewelry. I can hear them jingling at night.

Also, my foundation isn't level. Yeah, that's it. That's why everything is leaning to the left. 

Regardless, the closet has been filled with clothes for a couple of weeks and nothing has collapsed-Yet. And my skeletons are well adorned. 

Bits and Pieces

I suck at drilling. So hanging curtains is an absolute nightmare for me. I've left my fair share of pieces of broken bits in the walls and wood trim. If there was ever a magnetic storm, every house I have ever lived in would be an executioner's weapon. Sometimes a bit will get stuck in the wall as I try to pull it out with the drill in reverse. I have no idea why this happens. Usually I can reattach the drill and tighten up the key. But sometimes the only answer is to get another bit and try to drill it out. Usually with the help of a pair of pliers to pull as I create larger and larger holes. Never a good resolution. Especially if you are precariously balanced on a 6 ft aluminum ladder. 

My go-to technique at this point is to start a pilot hole with a really small bit, then drill again with a medium bit, then drill again with a larger medium bit. And finally use a hand screwdriver to drive in the screw. 

And don't even get me started on trying to use the drill to screw in an aluminum screw. I can strip a head faster than a Vegas showgirl. I tend to use the old fashioned analog hand-held screwdriver. I place the top of the screwdriver against the palm of my hand to hold it in place and use my other hand to rotate the screwdriver. This method keeps the screw driver from slipping off the head and stripping it. And as a bonus, I only have to curse the gods a half dozen times instead of issuing a steady stream of profanity. 

But finally, after only 3 days of sweaty swears, 3 broken drill bits, 5 ruined screws, and multiple battery recharges, I was able to get sheers hung on all 7 of my bedroom windows!

Lessons learned: Don't let puppies play around the ladder when your standing on the top step in flip flops. 

Day 1: Ceilings

Lesson learned from last time: Matt and I have different timelines on renovation projects. So, we hired a contractor to do the work this time. The contractor assures us that everything will be done by Thanksgiving. Secretly, I have my doubts.

Today the ceilings are getting done. Its supposed to be a 3 day job to repair the dining room ceiling, remove the ceiling tile from the kitchen and retexture both rooms.

The first step is to make sure everything is covered in plastic. I mean everything. If these guys were at the Dallas hospital, the Ebola outbreak would have never happened.

   

             This is a great excuse to eat out.










The dining room is first. There was a minor flaw in the ceiling where it seemed to dip every so slightly. Turns out, the previous renovators had nailed up the ceiling drywall instead of screwing it in. As the ceiling settled, a couple of nails had pulled the tape away. So, now we have to screw in the drywall, re-tape and retexture the entire ceiling. Patching it would make it look worse.

Lesson learned: Screw your drywall like a 2:00 am booty call!!! And do it often. Having to retexture the entire ceiling because of a couple of sloppy nails is expensive.

The ceiling work continues tomorrow in the kitchen.