Thursday, January 7, 2016

Insulation & Drywall

This is such a major step in our remodel. I couldn't wait to get the insulation done so we could put drywall up. I was really tired of looking at wires, pipes, and 2x4's. In order to meet the code of the R value in our now vaulted ceiling in our main living area, we had to get spray foam insulation. It is quite the process. Very interesting too. You need to make sure you hire someone who knows what they are doing. Two different chemicals meet at the tip of their spray gun which creates the foam. If you don't have the correct balance it can be a huge nightmare. Here is one of the guys who worked on our ceiling.



This is what it looked like when it was done.


I know, probably isn't too exciting for those reading, but to me, it was super exciting. When we first started working on the house this milestone seemed so far off. It started to feel like we were never going to get insulation. But it finally came!!


It looks like we hired out the rest of the insulation too! Mark's dad did most of the batt insulation, which was a huge help in speeding up to the next major milestone, DRYWALL. Thanks Ron!

From down below looking up, getting the drywall on our now 11' high ceiling wasn't an easy task. Thankfully the men did it all. It definitely was a group effort. My dad, Mark's Dad, and our friend Ryan came to help hang some big (4x12) and heavy sheets of drywall. I love this picture, it's a reminder of how much help we have had in this huge undertaking.


This picture is great too because Ryan is so happy!

That same day my mom and the boys helped prep the front yard for grass seed. It was fun seeing them working together and they really did a great job for how young they are.


The ceiling was just the beginning of many days and nights of hanging drywall. UGH! I would drop the older boys off at preschool in "normal" clothes, come home and change into my work clothes, put up as much drywall as I could in 2 hours and then change back to my "normal" clothes again. I really looked pretty bad in my work clothes. I didn't want the boys teachers concerned about my kids home life! Then I would just repeat the process when we got home from preschool. Lets just say the kids watched more cartoons then is recommended. But it was all for their better health in the long run.

I was so motivated to get the house to a point where we could get everything taped and mudded. I am in no way a pro in putting up drywall, I felt soo slow, and I was. But I wanted it to be done right so I took my time.  After the kids were in bed Mark and I would hang more drywall.


We hired out the mudding and taping as I am pretty sure it would have taken Mark and I a whole month or longer to finish. It took them a week and that was only because of the process of letting it dry between coats. They are amazing. I swore I took pictures of them working on their stilts but a kid must have deleted them.

Up next, PAINT!