IMPATIENCE

   Patience is said to be a virtue, but in the case of getting this house ready for final inspections I am completely without that particular virtue.  This past weekend Wallace, Donnie and I spent our time doing some of the contractor's work so that we might get our certificate of occupancy this week.

Installing an antique street light in the kitchen

I install a light kit in a fan to make up for the contractor error of not wiring a switch to an outlet
(View from the light at ceiling)

Wallace and I attach the remaining 30 switch plates and outlet covers on the first floor.  Donnie gets rid of a 'dummy' switch in the 1/2 bath (Having a 3rd switch that does nothing would drive me crazy for years to come) and patches the hole left in the drywall.  All this should put the electrician a day ahead.  Fingers crossed!

    Remember the shower disaster a week ago?  It is repaired.  Donnie installed a new shower pan and we tested it Saturday.  No leak in the pan.  No leak in the drain.  No leak in the plumbing.  He then patched the gaping hole with sheet rock and will give it all a finish coat this week so painters can go over the scar.  

Pipes and beams are covered with sheet rock

DRY WALL GOES UP

    Today the sheet rock installation begins.  Donnie, Wallace and I spent all last weekend adding the last bit of blocking, clearing the house of ALL our property not nailed down, removing a few architectural pieces of trim that had been nailed down but would be difficult to replace, and sweeping and vacuuming.  A LOT of sweeping and vacuuming.  We want any mess created from this day forward to be the responsibility of the contractors to clean up and this way there is no mistaking...."Who made the mess?"  In addition, we understand that sheet rock installers work with reckless abandon.
    Sheetrock will be glued and screwed (as promised by the contractor).  I am eager to see the progress later today.
   
* Note:  I have printed out the text of this blog February 26, 2011 through today.  I will put it in a tin along with some photos of my family and the project thus far.  It will be closed up in one of the walls in our house on Hawthorne Avenue.  Perhaps one day, in a hundred years or so, someone will find this 'time capsule' of our renovation adventure.  It has been a fun one and I am confident it will continue to be!

Continue to check back here  (http://fairytoon.blogspot.com/) readers.  This leg of the journey comes to a conclusion but the trip continues.  Oh what a trip!