Mudding... the beginning

My younger son Aaron, age 11 and I went to work... mudding!

Neither of us had ever done sheetrock mudding so... we started off mudding the screw holes.

It's Friday... which means we get to spend the whole day working on the house... yeah!

Back to mudding over screw indents!

Rich and Matthew will be putting up more sheetrock today.

Sheetrock Continues 6/17/09

Toni the tiler..

We've switched gears a bit... yes, I'm still going to get the tiling going... but need to do a Billings run to get supplies. Did purchase the v-notched trowel that I need to put down the thinset between the hardibacker and Ditra.

(photo: this is the tub/shower that we installed in the Guest Bath last week.)

Sheetrock... Guest bedroom/bathroom

Rich and I put up 1 piece of sheetrock in the guest bedroom. One more piece to hang in there.

Put up 1 piece of ceiling board in the guest bathroom. That was exciting... thank goodness for the sheetrock lift.... wow... what a great gadget! If you're going to do sheetrock... you need a sheetrock lift!

Watching the Ditra Installation movie... AGAIN..

Welcome Faye! Thanks for following my blog!

You know when it's the first time you've ever done something... how hard it is to get started... or is that.... just ME?

I'm going to watch that Ditra installation movie again... I posted it on the side bar for reference... because I knew that I'd be needing to see it again.

1st floor bathroom

We worked on the first floor bathroom today... sorry didn't get any pictures yet...

Installed the shower and put down some of the hardibacker boards for tiling.

I found out that the Mapei Ultraflex 2 thin set mortar that I bought from Lowes a while back for my tiling job... won't work with the Ditra. The Schluter Rep said to use un-modified thin set only...on the substrate and to set the tiles...

So... can't start my tiling job until I get my supplies.. which includes returning 24, 50 pound bags of Mapei Ultraflex 2.

I'm looking for a 1/4"x3/16" V-notched Trowel...

It's not easy...

I'm getting ready to put down some Ditra in the guest bathroom! But as I watched the Ditra installation video... I found that I need a 1/4" x 3/16" V-notched trowel...

Awesome... just called Home Depot in Billings, MT (90 miles away... one way) and they have one!

I'm just a few days work away from a flushing toilet! Yeah!

Update....

I decided to call the Ditra tech reps to make sure that the thin set mortar that I bought a while back is OK. The instructions say that I need "un-modified" thin set.

Well.. .this is my first adventure into tiling... and to be honest... I don't know modified... from "un-modified!"

WHAT I HAVE IS THE WRONG KIND...

The GOOD NEWS...

What I need is way cheaper than what I bought!!! Return... return... return...

Another trip to Lowes is in order...

Boy's bathroom

The Boy's bathroom is in the process of having a bathtub/shower installed!

We're just back from a Lowes trip...

Got some drywall tools... so ready to get started on mudding.

Got some tile supplies...

Picked up a book on Drywall & Tiling...

Utility Sink in the basement

Running water inside...

We now have a utility sink with running water in the basement!

Introducing... a shower.. in the Guest Bathroom!

Breakfast room window as viewed from outside... under the window!



Rich working on running PEX water lines. And now... a shower in the guest bathroom!

Cable guys...

Did I ask for a cable box?

Today, unscheduled... the cable/phone/internet company came to install the outside box for our future cable/phone/internet service.

Hmm... they must think that we've moved in already... Must be my beautiful garden out front that's confusing them...???

Guest shower/tub installed!

We installed the shower/tub this past weekend! And put down some of the cement backer board!

Tiling soon!

Water line connections

Connected some more PEX water lines that run thru the kitchen ceiling tonight. Progress!!! It all counts!

No toilet yet... but I'm loving having water to my spigots!!!

We have water to the outside spigots!

My plants aren't thristy anymore!

Rich got the water lines to the outside spigots all set up for me!

Can't set a toilet until the tiling work is done.

Pulling PEX water lines

We're pulling water lines throughout the house!

Running Water lines...

The latest project is running water lines.... oh the dream of a flushing toilet!

Rich is using Pex tubing to run water lines. We have blue & red spaghetti strung all over the house!

The Pex manifolds have been hung.

The town turned the water off for us so that we could make a change in the main water line... (my poor little plants... thristy...)

We ran into a snaffoo yesterday.

The main water line coming into the house needed to be shortened so that it can be tied into the cold water manifold. We went everywhere looking for these special elbows.... all over Lovell, to Powell... then Billings.

Then... we decided to take a different approach. I'm hoping that we can get that fixed this morning and get the water turned back on!!!

I'm thinking about...

Mudding! Got to have my Dad come over and give me some pointers!

Water lines... the beginning

Rich is running water lines. He worked on it all day today. We're using Pex tubing... so it's going pretty fast.

Friday... plumbing... loopy... loopy

Boy, that PVC cement sure makes me loopy!

We worked all day gluing more piping. Back at it tomorrow.

Can't find my camera... shoot!

Started gluing PVC drain pipes

Oh my goodness... that glue can sure make you loopy!

Rich started gluing together the drain pipes. We're about 1/3 of the way done with that.

I'm starting to think about tiling...

Plumbing work continues...

We're continuing to work on the sewer lines. Getting closer now!

A friend from church stopped me this morning when I was out for my walk. He and his wife want to sell their beautiful, "too large for their house" dining room set.

Need to go over and see it!

I will need lots of furniture to fill our new home!!! I'm going to enjoy that process!!!

Scoping out the bathroom in the basement

Rich and I were in the basement last night... It's going to have a full bath... well.. no tub... it'll have a shower stall.

So... we were "scoping" it out... deciding where the piping was going to go... seeing how the spacing would work... you know... with the toilet and vanity.

It's a small bathroom... but it'll be perfect for the boys and their friends! We plan to have some gaming tables down there... and a microwave... and would love a popcorn machine.... or... hmmm... scrapbooking tables... ooooo... sounds like mama might have some fun with friends too! : )

2nd floor sheetrocking... continues...

Took supper up the house... spoon burgers and pumpkin pie... fed everyone too well... didn't get too much accomplished.

Joe, Matthew, & Trent continue to work on sheetrock. The 2nd floor is really coming together! They worked on the 2nd floor hall last night.

Rich & I looked over plumbing... and put together a plan of attack for tonight.