New York Renovator

*sigh*

This is why:

Nothing is straight! It takes us hours to hang a couple of panels. Even then, we have gaps. I know things will look better once I spackle…. but the gaps make me perturbed. I will have to buy crown molding as cheap insurance from those nasty gaps. I do NOT want to be eating a sumptuous meal only to have those gaping holes staring down at me, lol.

The Dining Room is almost finished. We have two small panels left. Then, I spackle. I’ve done a little patching already, but not nearly enough. It’s been so humid here in Upstate New York, that you could hang out laundry on the line, and it will be wetter than it was coming out of the washer, LOL. The humidity saps my energy… after a few frustrating days trying to work in the soaking-wet heat, we decided to wait until it cools a little.

I have purchased my cabinets, and I ordered my countertops. Things are looking good. I’d better hurry up and finish this project.. we are totally out of room for storing all the boxes of new stuff now!

My apologies for being rather absent the past week or two. I’ve been EXHAUSTED. Hanging sheetrock is very physically taxing. We are almost done with the dining room, and have started the kitchen (THANKS, GUYS!!!!). Here’s a tiny snippet of what’s been going on…

Before:

After:

You can see that we have to cut the panels *just right.* In an old home, nothing is level, plumb, or square. *sigh* And I have discovered that, 150 years ago, builders built homes in 3s and 7s. Today’s homes are built in 4s and 8s. Did you ever notice that? The old homes have a symmetry of rectangles and triangles, divisible by 3s and 7s. With the inception of sheetrock, homes are now built around the 4 x 8 panel. It makes retro-fitting a very difficult job, indeed.

Our goal is to spackle everything that has been hung up to this point. The weather will be hot and humid this week, which may slow us down a bit. I’m hoping to have the walls up completely by Sunday.

I also have some exciting stuff to share, when I have time to sort through it– we’re building a pantry shelf and a pull-out trash area (VERY COOL), and I bought cabinets today!!!!! I am stoked!!! More to come.

Oh, and for you Livvy fans… sorry I have been neglecting to post photos of her. She’s bored out of her mind right now, because we have been so busy. I hate to ignore her like I have, but what can I do??

So she’s decided to bug the outdoor cats– she stares at them out the windows. LOL, I don’t think they like it much.

News is out today that Chinese-made drywall is causing severe headaches for homeowners– physically and financially.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – James and Maria Ivory’s dreams of a relaxing retirement on Florida’s Gulf Coast were put on hold when they discovered their new home had been built with Chinese drywall that emits sulfuric fumes and corrodes pipes. It got worse when they asked their insurer for help – and not only was their claim denied, but they’ve been told their entire policy won’t be renewed.

Thousands of homeowners nationwide who bought new houses constructed from the defective building materials are finding their hopes dashed, their lives in limbo. And experts warn that cases like the Ivorys’, in which insurers drop policies or send notices of non-renewal based on the presence of the Chinese drywall, will become rampant as insurance companies process the hundreds of claims currently in the pipeline.

At least three insurers have already canceled or refused to renew policies after homeowners sought their help replacing the bad wallboard. Because mortgage companies require homeowners to insure their properties, they are then at risk of foreclosure, yet no law prevents the cancellations.

What a disaster! The law requires homeowners insurance, but what do you do if no insurer will step up to the plate? You lose your home, that’s what. Moreover, the sulfuric-emissions coming from the drywall is affecting homeowners’ health and ruining the rest of the house.

During the height of the U.S. housing boom, with building materials in short supply, American construction companies imported millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap. An Associated Press analysis of shipping records found that more than 500 million pounds of Chinese gypsum board was imported between 2004 and 2008 – enough to have built tens of thousands of homes. They are heavily concentrated in the Southeast, especially Florida.

The defective materials have since been found by state and federal agencies to emit “volatile sulfur compounds,” and contain traces of strontium sulfide, which can produce a rotten-egg odor, along with organic compounds not found in American-made drywall. Homeowners complain the fumes are corroding copper pipes, destroying TVs and air conditioners, and blackening jewelry and silverware. Some believe the wallboard is also making them ill.

I have to wonder– how the heck does a homeowner know if one’s drywall is from China? Is there a “Made in China” stamped on each sheet? If not, do homeowners now have to call drywall manufacturers, researching exactly where the drywall originates? It’s crazy! The best bet would be to STOP all this importation of CHEAPO Chinese crap! Between the toothpaste, the pet food, the milk products… haven’t we had enough toxicity in our products yet? But that would require that our government to cease their special interest with the Chi-Coms. It’s all just another symptom of how Americans are cattle, to be corralled under the guise of “the economy” but we’re only just servants of the Big Government and their Chinese profiteers. It all makes me SICK.

ABC News has a video about the story, if you want to see it.