Black Boogers

This weekend we started work on the bathroom, started painting the south bedroom, and stripping layers two and three of wall paper. Becky's parents, Doug and Jackie, came up to Portland to help us with the project. It was a whirlwind weekend in which we were trying to cram in as much work as possible, but I guess I should get used to it because this was the first of many.

To refresh your memory, here is a picture of what the bathroom looked like prior to this weekend. What you can't see in this photograph is that there is no fan in this bathroom, and the only electrical outlet is a single plug right below those lights you can see on the right, almost completely inaccessible due to the mirror right below. So, our plan was to add a bathroom fan, as well as a an outlet since we'd have to fuss with the electrical anyway.

While Becky and Jackie prepped the bedroom for painting, Doug and I found a plug in the middle bedroom near the back wall to serve as our starting point - that's where we bashed our first hole. We had to continue the wiring from the the original plug in the bedroom into the bathroom, over to where we wanted the plug and switch for the fan, then up into the ceiling, all behind the wall of course. The hardest part was trying to fish the wire behind the wall through two tiny holes in the studs Doug drilled. We almost had to take the whole damn wall down, but finally I was able to hit the target.

Next we had the pleasure of crawling up in the attic to try to drill a hole down in between the bedroom and bathroom walls so we could fish the wire down from where the fan was going to be to where we'd made the hole for the switch.

Here's what it was like up in the attic, hence the title of this post:

On top of the insulation was a four inch layer of this flaky dust that was probably sprayed in in the fifties. The hole we were trying to drill was at the corner of the roof so we had to lay down in this nasty stuff with our faces right in it. After struggling for what seemed like an eternity to drill through six inch studs (apparently they used 2x6's back then instead of 2x4's) we decided to try a different approach. Oh, and to go to Lowe's and get some masks.

As you might guess after spending time in this attic I think I got the black lung. My tissues at the end of the day looked like I was blowing soot out of my nose. Anyway, at the end of day one we had the fan casing up in the ceiling, but we ran out of light to actually do the electrical work so we started ripping the linoleum off, patching the holes we'd made in the wall and working on other projects.

On Sunday we finished up the ceiling fan (we had to go back up there to connect ducting to one of the roof vents, although this was cake compared to Saturday's work), then the real fun began: Tearing up the bathroom floor! Doogie got his saws out - all three of em' - and cut slices in the plywood so and I pried them up to get to the bottom layer of flooring. We did this so that when we put in the new floor it is flush with the hardwood in the hall.


Here is the result of our labor. Next up for demolition is the pink tile in the bathroom and the drywall behind it.

The bedroom is starting to take shape. The hideous brown trim that you can still see in the bathroom and which is still all over the house is now gone and the ceiling is painted, we just have to do the walls and maybe out another coat on the doors.

Tomorrow's task is to measure the kitchen so we can go to Lowes on Tuesday where they will create a computer model of our new kitchen, that's going to be rad!

Whew. Like I said, it was a whirlwind but it has been satisfying (except for the lying in four inches of dust and getting the black lung. That part sucked).