Fire, Water and Mud

The sheet rock hangers have completed their job and the entire house is covered in 1/2" drywall, except for the following locations:

- the boiler room and under the stairs gets 5/8" drywall for fire protection

- the showers, baths, and vertical tiled surfaces get "Durrock", a kind of concrete drywall that provides superior water protection.

The drywall finishers move in and use a bazooka like tool to apply drywall tape and drywall mud on all the seams.  The hangers did a very fast, very good job of hanging.  

However, the finishers will always point out areas where the hangers could have done a job differently to make the finisher's work easier.  Finishers always want the number of "T" intersection seams minimized, because "T" seams are difficult and time consuming to mud.  For example, in the picture below, there is a vertical seam that is to the right of the pass-through opening.  The finish crew would prefer that the hanger crew would have placed the seam under the opening, thereby eliminating a "T" intersection.

If it seems a bit esoteric, it shouldn't; a really good hanging crew will save the finish crew loads of time.

Our gas meter release inspection goes without a hitch and the local utility company hooks up the new meter.  Meanwhile, inside the house, the last of the baseboard units are installed and the system is purged of air.  The boiler is kicked up and the inside of the house is 68 degrees in a few hours.  Having heat is really wonderful!  The first night we really test the system as the temperature outside drops to only 6 degrees.

Once the house is warm, we turn on the domestic water pipes and check for leaks.  There are two pipes in the dining room wall that I have holed while installing OSB sheer walls.  My nail gun shot through the metal protection plates and "nailed" the pipes.  A saws-all and some soldering replace the damaged sections

Outside, I add chains to some of the front gutters.  I think downspouts would look silly on our nice porch posts.  The chains were typical on old Victorians as an alternative to downspouts.  They work using the surface tension of the water to guide it down from the gutter above.

The drywall finishers will be working in the house until November 30th or so.  They apply 3 coats of mud to each seam and will be finishing the walls to a smooth texture (no texture actually).  I will not be in there much while they are working - the sanding of the dried mud puts very fine particles in the air that are not very healthy for lungs.

Painters are tentatively scheduled for 11/30/00 and the wood floors will follow the doors in early December.  Kitchen cabinet, tile, and plumbing fixture installation should follow the floors.