Operation Reduce Wood Piles

With the kitchen remodel project behind me and warm weather I am once again fully focused on my house.  During demo I saved some of the lathe as I knew I would need to fur out the studs surrounding windows and doors.  The window and door moulding was installed accounting for the thickness of the lathe and plaster.  If I attach the drywall directly to the studs there will be a gap between the  moulding and wall the width of the lathe.  I definitely have to fur out the walls with windows, but I’m being selective on walls with doors.  Since I’ve removed all the doors and hinges, I may opt to cut down the door jamb.

In addition to the lathe piles I need to get rid of scraps of 2x4s I saved for fire stops.  During my demo inspection the city flagged me for a lack of fire stops.  Due to the age of the house the flooring does not extend to the walls, so in case of a fire I have to fill the void with a piece of wood.

Now that all the air ducts from the second floor have been run to the basement, I also have to frame in new ceilings and walls to hide the ducts in three closets.  My cousin Cameron returned to help me out on that project.  He handled all the cutting and nailing of the frames.  We also raised the opening of the doorway from the living room to hall, so that it matches the height of the other two openings (kitchen to dining room and dining room to living room).

While hanging the furring strips I also worked to remove the remainder of the knob and tub and pulling all the nails out of the studs from both the walls and ceiling.  This is critical in preparing for the drywall phase.  That is too simple a task to not have it done prior to the drywall crew.  I swear if I had a dollar for every nail I’ve removed I could afford to lift the house and completely replace the foundation.

The living room is completely finished.  It is ready for wiring, insulation, new windows, drywall, paint, and floor refinishing.  It’s really scary to think how close I am to the finish line.  Once I get the other rooms to this level my professional trades will take over and things will fly!   There’s a light in my tunnel.