The Saga of the Remodeling of the Family Room

Stage Two

It is just beginning to look like a room again with the insulation going in.
 
Those are the bundles of insulation that will be put into the walls and ceiling. Here you can see the new ceiling joists, the framing for one of the new skylights and the insulation which is up in most of the wall. Jack putting the insulation into the ceiling.
 
We had 4 companies give us bids to put in a hardwood floor.  Each told us it could be put over the linoleum that is in the room now, but we decided to take up the old linoleum before putting in the hardwood floor which will make the floor in the family room the same level as the kitchen and front hall floors.  This meant the linoleum and one layer of plywood had to be taken up.  To save $300, Bruce decided to do this part himself.
 
In order to take up the floor, Bruce cut it in sections first. A huge amount of  sawdust was created after each saw cut. So I swept it up each time, so that we wouldn't track it all over. The next step was to pry up with crow bars the section which was just cut.  That's black tar paper underneath.
 
It was hard work.  Each piece that Bruce took up must have had 20 nails in it.  We took all the pieces outside and tossed them into Jack's dump truck which has been parked in our driveway since the beginning of the job.
 
Now the changes become dramatic and it really starts looking like a room as they put up the sheet rock.
 
The room looking towards the stairways.  The sheet rock has been nailed up - on the ceiling and most of the walls.  And now Jack is cutting through the roof for the skylights!  You can see the old skylight that Bruce put in several years ago.  That will be taken out and we will have 3 new bigger skylights of clear glass. And there are the 3 skylights!
 
The difference is amazing!  The room is so bright now!!!   For the first time I am seeing the brick fireplace in natural light.  We can see trees through the skylights.  It's wonderful!!
 
It is very grey outside now - looks like we're going to get rain, and still the room is very light.  Greg is putting "mud" all around the skylight. You can see the "mud" in all the seams of the sheet rock and on the nail holes. July 9th - Kenneth came all the way from Texas to see our room.  He approves! And here are the skylights from the inside.  See the trees!
 
 
Looking toward the green room.  Again, you can see the trees through the skylights.  The black spot in the ceiling is where the fan will go. The fireplace wall is covered with plastic to protect the brick from the next step - sanding the sheet rock.  The brick wall next to the fireplace has not been cut through yet for the window. The long mantle over the fireplace was taken down to put up the sheet rock.  Bruce thinks we shouldn't put it back up.  The 2 black spots in the ceiling are where 2 recessed lights will go - to light the bookcase.
 
 
 For more click on Stage Three
 

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