Well, progress is always slow until the walls go up.
My walls are still not up yet.
But they will be!! Soon! Hopefully, we begin hanging sheetrock on Sunday. Oh dear, I just remembered, I need to order it! LOL
OK, well, we started leveling out the kitchen ceiling with furring strips. How does it look? 
Of course, this house is 155 years old. NOTHING is level. Well, except my new window– now that baby is LEVEL. But the floors, the walls, the ceilings…. not. So I don’t have any high expectations with the ceiling here. I’m happy that the furring strips are “within the bubble,” to quote a very smart man. It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?
By the way, those funky colored hoses is the new PEX plumbing system. The Hubs is installing it. It’s a tough job, because we, um, *kinda* need running water while he’s working on the new system. I have no idea how he is going to manage that, but I can’t be too concerned about it, as I have enough to do right now!
Notice the extra loops of PEX in the wall. PEX expands and contracts with the temperature fluctuations, so you have to account for loops. Also, it makes it great having extra material should you need to replace something down the line, someday.
Here’s a shot of the foam board insulation above the partition wall in the Dining Room. This is a weird partition, and I have no idea why they built it this way– it’s as if they built the exterior walls first, and then, as an afterthought, decided to add a partition here. Because the garage and basement is so cold in the winter, I wanted to seal off this area. I later sprayed Great Stuff expanding foam around the boards, to create a seal.
I’m working on installing fiberglass batts insulation this week. Unfortunately, the temperatures are back in the 90s and it’s humid. :-p But the job must be done, and it’s one of the top fat burners in the universe, believe me. Whew. More on that later…
Finally, here’s Livvy, resting from all HER hard work– chasing earwigs. We have a bit of an earwig population explosion here in Upstate NY, what with the soggy June and hot July we’ve been having. These ikky creatures are everywhere. We’ve sprinkled diatomaceous earth along the floor, and Livvy is on the patrol.
Soon, comes the sheetrock! And then things move very quickly!
July 14, 2010 at 5:35 pm
IS it just me or is a ghost holding that lamp up…its like..levetating
July 14, 2010 at 6:52 pm
It’s looking good. Maybe it will be nicer working in there with some insulation overhead.
July 14, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Great pictures! It’s fun to see how things are coming along. Glad to see Livvy is pitching in and doing her part.
July 14, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Hi Livvy,we are glad to hear that you are doing your job. Sounds like the rest of the family really have their hands full. Glad at least the kind of end is in sight. Have a great rest of the week.
July 14, 2010 at 10:38 pm
I love the table lamp suspended from the ceiling–very creative! Wow, you are coming along! Nice.
Hey, when did Livvy get out of the upstairs??
July 14, 2010 at 11:01 pm
This all looks fantastic – does this mean you’re in the home stretch? I see that Livvy has that self-satisfied “no earwig is safe when I’m around” look.
July 15, 2010 at 10:53 am
OneCatsNip: LOL. Maybe you should see this post http://newyorkrenovator.com/2010/06/the-mary-poppins-of-kitchen-renovations.html. Yes, it’s levitating!
Chuck: I am definitely looking forward to having these walls closed!
Carole and Lin: Yes, Livvy is doing her part.
Livvy is upstairs whenever we are working on dirty or cat-dangerous projects (such as insulation), but we clean up after the day is done, and allow her to come downstairs in the evenings.
Marg: Yes! The end is in sight!
July 15, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Hi Janiss! Well, we are nearing the home stretch…. I’d say we’re halfway done now. This is where the “big” projects get done: insulation, sheetrock, cabinets, counters, flooring. It’s also the most expensive part of the renovation… *gulp*
Yes, Livvy looks very satisfied.