Long time, all the things!

Insulation was wrapped up on Monday, with only a couple of blown out walls.
The insulation guys were very nice, but drywallers they are not. This problem was the studs at the far end of the house were all over the map, so in some sections there was just too much pressure behind the drywall once they put in the insulation, and it cracked the drywall panels down the midde. The back bedroom is going to have to have a whole lot more love now.

This was one of their better repair jobs in the hallway.

 

 

 

It's a lot quieter, and I think the temperature is more even in the house now. I would highly recommend the MassSave program for anyone looking to add insulation to their older home. It was well worth the run around.

Friday night, after poking the spackle in the bedroom I'm working on for a few minutes, I decided it was ON between me and the masking tape on the floor. If you remember, Ms Mary was a firm believer in modern adhesives, and decided loops of masking tape were the best thing for keeping her area rugs in one place.
I can approciate keeping your rugs in one place, but there are better ways. I have no idea how long that tape had been down, but it wasn't coming up for love of money. I tried hot water. Hot water with soap. Hot water with vinegar. GooGone (took off the floor finish with the tape). Wallpaper remover. And you want to know what worked?
WD-40.
I should have know this. A million years ago when I was fighting heavy list in the SCA, that's how we would get old decals and tape off of our helmets. I had to let it sit for a good while, but in the end, it worked brilliantly.

Tape.

Tape everywhere.

WD40 to the rescue!
(I tried to score the tape a little too, so it could soak faster.
In the end, it didn't seem to make a big difference.)

TaDa!

I feel so much better about the floors now. The floor refinisher people were going to charge me $150 and hour if they had to try to get it up themselves. I've added WD40 to the toolbox as my go to adhesive remover.

Saturday I had to fix a wee gap out on the porch. After the insulation guys had done their thing, I went and swapped the screen for the storm window in the porch door. The suction it created whenever I would open the porch door, or then the door into the house, would suck a little poof of insulation out of the ceiling every time. It's was like my very own fake snow machine, and I was tired of vacuuming it up.

The tiny gap where the ceiling meets the wall.

A little foam insulation and a piece of pre-primed quarter round.
No more gap. No more fake snow!

After that was done, I moved on to the mudroom. Dealing with this room is necessary before I can get a new fridge. I had mostly gutted it, but made sure it was good and empty, then ripped up the floor and patched/primed the walls.

Closet doors removed (weeks ago.)

Most of the closet surround removed (weeks ago)

Closet bar and carpet removed (Saturday)

First coat of primer.

Second coat of primer.

I have to try to pick a paint for this small, windowless space this week. You'll notice that the far left wall is being ignored. And for good reason - it's going to be studded out because right now it's just a plank wall between the mudroom and the back of the bathroom. I wish, dearly, I could make that electrical crap disappear into the walls, but I can't really. Maybe it can be made prettier though.
At least some of it will be dry walled over on the left. The floor will be leveled, and I'm thinking some sort of tile for this floor, since it will be under moisture-producing machines (the fridge and washing machine will eventually both live in here.)

Sunday was much of the same, but sanding/priming the bedroom upstairs. I could still be there, smoothing and tweaking the spackle, but at a certain point I had to call it good enough. And so for now, this room is good enough.

Not much to see here.
Spackle Spackle Spackle.

This room has gotten a coat of primer all the way around (walls and ceiling.)
Tonight will be a coat of ceiling paint and another coat of primer on the walls.

It will feel really good to get this one room done.
Of course, I need to pick a color for it too.
Dang.
I'm beginning to understand why people would buy a contractor bucket of Navajo White and do the whole house one color.