Sorry about the Silence!

I can't believe it's been close to two months since I've posted anything here!  We took a little bit of a break from working in the attic...I think dad & I were both a little burnt out after a couple of months straight of spending nearly all of our free time up there.  That, & there have also been a few family things we've been dealing with.

But...I'm back!

In the last week or so we started taping & mudding the other half (landing/bunk/office area) of the attic.  It's going a lot faster & a lot smoother than the bedroom/closet area - woohoo!

If you remember what this view looked like a week ago...

And what it looks like today...

We're a touch-up coat & final sand away from being ready to prime & paint the walls.  The ceiling has a little more work to be done.  I have high hopes of getting it all primed this weekend, but I'm on my own with Grady, so we'll see how much he lets me get done!

We're slowly inching toward the finish line...

When we first started working up here, I thought it would maybe take 4-5 months to complete.  Here we are over a year later & still chipping away at it! 

We're planning on getting all of the mudding & priming done by next weekend, the painting, trim & planks, & light hung in the following week.  After that, we'll work on the stair rails, floor, & storage areas.  Then, we'll finally be able to move in!

I.Cannot.Wait.

Attic Update 12: Sheetrock {continued...}

Just a quick update on the attic - we're slowly making progress!  As of last night, we have the ceiling done (aside from one piece by the window), & have both closets & the doorway rocked.  All that's left are the two end walls (the ones with the windows on them) & the knee walls (the short ones along the sides).  The closets were full of angled cuts & the on the ceiling we had to deal with rafters that weren't spaced evenly...at all.  It was slow moving when you had to measure multiple angles, go up & down stairs to the garage to make cuts, haul the sheets through the house & up the stairs, then make any adjustments once up there.  The end & knee walls will be simple in comparison - one cut on each sheet - woohoo!

Now for a couple of Before/After Last Week/This Week pictures...

The same view from the top of the stairs looking into the bedroom:

Then from the bedroom looking toward the landing:

We've still got a long way to go, but what a difference a few days can make, am I right?!

Attic Checklist:
insulation: between rafters, loose in walls, foamboard on ceiling
frame up walls & closets
level out ceiling & jack up sagging roof
new electrical throughout attic
new window
planks in bunk & on upper portion of end walls
move vent from closet to bedroom
drywall (hang, tape, mud, sand)
build, paint, hang French doors
prime, paint (one more coat), stain, varnish steps
remove door to attic & open up
prime & paint walls & ceiling
spray, make, & hang lights
finish floors (stain, paint, just varnish?)
paint & install stair railings
paint & install baseboard trim
paint & install board & batten trim
closet systems
storage doors for under eave access

This weekend I'm off to the windy city (not Chicago...they have nothing on Marshall, MN) to help my BFF Angie decorate her house for a Christmas tour.  I'm hoping the boys hang some Sheetrock while I'm away.  Wouldn't it be nice to come home & have it all done?!

Attic Update 11: Sheetrock!

Well...we didn't quite finish up the ceiling sheetrock this weekend...but we got close!

With the ceilings going up, I've been getting more & more anxious to get to the fun stuff...the finishing!  I couldn't resist snapping a quick photo of what the attic looks like now, & Photoshopping it a little bit...just to get a glimpse of what it'll potentially look like in a couple of months.  :)

So, since a pretty picture is a lot more fun to look at than stud walls & sheetrock...

I...cannot...wait...!

Oh, & just in case you're curious...here's a quick graphic showing where we're at on the ceiling...

Yeah, my arms are still burning from holding all of those sheets above my head while dad screwed them in.  4 days later.

Here's hoping we can get the ceilings finished & a few walls done this week & weekend!