Dining Room: Part 2 (Bye-Bye Ceiling)

Well, everyone finally got their "Christmas stuff" on.  It's about 50 degrees outside AND inside.  And it's loud, if you can't tell from the picture.

The back wall of windows came out quickly...

And the second tarp went up in preparation for the ceiling removal.

Within minutes, we heard loud crashes as James cut free the ceiling joists from above. Sheet rock and insulation and joists falling to the floor. A beautiful sound.

Yes, he's swinging on the joists while he cuts them off.  Trapeze artist?

All done! Well, for now.

The girls and I had a "picnic" lunch in the living room. What they chose to watch?  Home Again with Bob Vila. LOL.

Dining Room: Here we go... (part 1 of many)

The very necessary tarps (1 of 2)

Cleared out and ready to go

 Before too long, the breakfast crowd files in to watch...

Windows out!

Smiling to avoid getting in trouble for crossing into the no-fly zone (as marked by the stools) :-)

a more comfy spot...

It's getting cold in here...

The BEFORE

Dining room ceiling and back wall...

Getting exciting around here!

James is doing some more work on the back porch to get ready for tearing out the back wall. Today, it was removing bricks that will eventually be in the way.  Good to see them go!

Side Projects

James took some time off from the major projects to get a couple of smaller things done.  He doesn't get to enjoy many "maintenance" projects around here, so these are usually a nice break.  The first was hanging our new TV.  It was given to us, and, although we don't have "TV", it is nice to have a place to watch movies!

The second was a surprise project. He half-jokingly called it my anniversary gift, but I think he was far more irritated by the ever-messy pile of shoes in the floor of our closet. I find it hilarious that we even have that many shoes -- we probably each wear 3 or 4 pairs on a regular basis.  But he took a morning to construct a shoe shelf for me. He'll be embarrassed that I posted a pic, because it's not pretty.  :-) But it means a lot to me. So thoughtful.

View from the Back

Well, here's an updated overview of the back of the house.
1.  The nasty barn. GONE.
2. The upstairs bathroom. PAINTED.
3. The temporary wall on the back porch. DONE.

To Do:
A lot.
(including tearing off that dormer on the right side)
:-)

Electrical work continues

One circuit at a time, James is moving wires from the existing panel to the new one.  Tedious, tedious work...