The door opener works, I tested that out.
We're also ready for insulation - the vapor barrier has been put up and they'll start blowing in the insulation. Then, the drywall goes up for the ceilings. Very exciting. As of now, my house is finally not open in some way to the elements, which is nice.
This weekend, it was hot. Like almost 90 degrees hot. The kids asked if we could put the boat in, and my answer was, "you have to earn it." So, I had some great help taking off the kitchen and bath countertops on Saturday night:
On Sunday, we pulled up the sheet vinyl floor in the sunroom (in case you're wondering, the kitchen countertops and the floor in the sunroom and master bath were not considered "lost" by the insurance company, so those were not removed as part of the deal, but these are upgrades I'm choosing to make). Since I'm making several upgrades, I am trying to be frugal where I can...which means some do-it-yourself-ing is happening. I learned that I'm not too shabby with a pry bar. But, elder Brady Boy is better with the circular saw:
I've also decided that I'm going to enlarge my little pond in the front. I got busy prepping the area on Memorial Day weekend - clearing out the landscape rock, moving the large stones, and pumping the water out of the pond. Once I got down to the bottom of that sludge, I can't even explain the smell. It was some unholy mix of pig shit and dead cow farts. It was awful. I pulled out my water lilies and put them in a whiskey barrel, and I'm hoping they make it. I've had those lilies for 14 years and would really like to keep them alive!
I scooped out the gravel, rinsed it, and set it aside. Again, being frugal where I can!
After I pulled up the pond liner, I started digging...and stopped. I realized that I didn't know what I was going to do with the dirt that is removed, so I put that on hold until I can figure out a plan. I know a guy. Well, I know a guy who knows a guy who has a dump truck and plenty of land that might accept some dirt.
What caught my attention was the plethora of rocks in the dirt, and I thought that perhaps I could reuse those in the bottom of the pond instead of buying new gravel. I spent a few hours trying to separate rocks from mud and learned that the littles (of the Brady Bunch) think picking rocks out of dirt is fun. So I have enlisted some helpers:
They earned putting the boat in, so we worked Sunday morning at the house and then transitioned to Sunday Funday on the lake, with our brand new life jackets, tube and skis (all of which were replacements for those that perished in the fire). I even slalomed. It's been a good 15 years since I've slalomed, and I gotta say, it felt good. Really good.
Read on for Ceilings