Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Yet another project started

It's so easy to start a job,
Seems so easy, seems so easy,
Yeah, so doggone easy.

Finishing it now, that's the  hard part! Since Ameranth is here for awhile, we figured it was a good time to redo her bedroom and make use of the extra pair of hands. And by redo, I mean tear down the old plaster and sheetrock and paint the walls. Her room is the only one that still has the original plaster and layers of wallpapers.

Those layers of paper were the only thing holding up the sagging plaster in places on that slanted ceiling. J emptied the trash cans as we filled them- I think it was a total of 10 cans worth? The floor was linoleum that Ameranth and I wanted to pull up, but J didn't think we should since we didn't know what was under there. The little room next door had wide painted floorboards, and we lifted a corner after J went downstairs. Yes! Pine boards.

We ripped up the lino, tossed it out the window- that was fun- and found 20 inch wide virgin planks which apparently had a carpet originally since there was a painted border.

This past weekend we started sheetrocking. Ameranth told us she didn't want to work with us if we were going to argue all the time. J told her it was a discussion and we always start out that way. Once we agree on a direction, it's fine.

When we moved in, this room had an odd little 'closet' just 10 inches deep, on the wall which backs up to the staircase. We added shelves and made it a bookcase. Ameranth wanted us to tear out the rest of that wall and make it all bookcases. As tempting as that was, I didn't want to lose the wall space, since the room is not that large. None of our bedrooms have closets, so we use armoires. Gotta love old houses.  I decided that we would tear out the wall, but build it out to incorporate a closet and built in drawers. I appeased Ameranth with the prospect of a bookcase on the end.

We can't figure out why it was there, unless clothing was hung on hooks- it does have hinges, so had a door at one point. 

There are nails, old-fashioned square cut nails, sticking out of the back of the studs. Plus, a length of twine tied to a lower one and looped up around an upper nail. Why?
I'm interested in what that yellow paper is too.

4 comments:

Mary Freaking Poppins said...

wow... what stories live in our older homes, right?
Good luck with it... excited to see the process along the way!

Unknown said...

What a cool room! I'm curious about the story your house has to tell too! Neat project, can't wait to see it all finished! (I also find finishing what I start to be the hardest part of projects)

Anonymous said...

I see progress! Is this why Ameranth isn't posting??

Linda said...

Ameranth is busy cooking for little girls at summer camp. That's her story, and she's sticking to it!