Attic Update - allllllmost ready to rock {sheetrock that is}

After taking much of the summer off from the attic project, we're back at it!

Dad & I have been working on finishing up the foam board insulation (1 small piece left), & making sure we have all of our "nailers" in place so we have something to screw the sheetrock into.  It's exciting stuff!

We also purchased all of the plank paneling we'll need for the end walls & bunk nook.  (Can't wait!)

View from the top of the stairs looking toward the bedroom.  Office area will be on the right of the stairs, bunk on the left, with French doors leading into the bedroom and closets on either side.  (Ignore the tools scattered around!)

View from inside the bedroom toward the stairs...we're going to leave the chimney exposed.

This corner will be my office...

and this is the space that we'll build in a twin bed with the walls & ceiling in white planks.  (Grady says it's his room & that he'll use his old bedroom just for naps...haha!)

Oooh!  And the most exciting development...dad is almost done rebuilding the French doors...you know, made from my cousins, Keith & Megan's old windows!  He just put the glass back in & they're just about ready to paint!  I'll post more about how he refurbished them once they're painted & up!  (PS, I would have loved to keep the old blue paint, but we would have had to match the paint & the distressing on the new bottom panel & it just wouldn't have been possible.  My dad ran the whole window frame through the planer to get a nice, smooth surface to prime & paint.)

Next on the list:
Put in that last new window
Get sheetrock up (ceiling first)
Work on painting/staining the stairs
Nail the planks up in the bunk

Sometime later this fall/winter:
Sand, prime, paint ceiling & walls
Hang light fixtures
Finish floors
Hang French doors
Trim out everything
Build storage access doors
Paint & put up new stair rails
Closet systems

After taking whole the summer off, I'm crossing my fingers that we can finish, or get close to finishing by Christmas.  Wish me (us) luck!!!

Attic progress - early March

We made a little progress on the attic remodel/finishing this weekend.  It's such a HUGE project, so sometimes it seems like we're not getting any closer to being finished, even though we're spending quite a bit of time working on it.  I feel like once the insulation is finally ALL up, and the last remaining wall is framed up that it'll feel like we're making progress.  (Hopefully)

This past week we finished framing out the bunk, insulated under the east eave & got the foamboard insulation up under there, & are almost done sealing that off.  Once we spray a little foam in the cracks we'll be ready to fill up that storage space with junk & start working on the main areas (bedroom, closets, landing, office nook...).

Here's a little something to help a bit with understanding the layout & where certain things will go:

And for proof that we're working away, some quick photos.  :)

 Built-in bunk progress...

Almost to the end of this itchy, dusty, dirty, cramped space...thank goodness!

Done under the eaves - bring on the storage space!  We still have to tear out those old 2x4s & frame up the walls/access panels, but it's close.

Ever wonder what construction looks like to a 3.5 year old?  Grady stole my phone & I found these gems on it this morning.

...slowly but surely we're getting closer.

Insulation Contortionism

I feel like I haven't posted in ages.  Probably because we're just starting to thaw out a little bit here in the frozen tundra.  Temperatures are thhiiiiiiissss close to being a positive number.  A couple of days ago we woke to -14 temps - brrr!  It's -1 today but feels like -24 because of the WIND!  Remind me why I live here again!?!

Anyhoo...dad & I have been focusing on getting the attic insulated & air tight these past couple of weeks.  We thought we had it sealed up pretty good until we went to put the foam board insulation on this weekend & felt a chilly draft coming through.  Ughh.  That meant another trip to Menards to pick up a couple of bags of mica insulation & a few more hours of scooting around under the eaves stuffing it down into cracks.  It was a total pain, but I'm glad it was a windy day & we could feel that draft now as opposed to discovering it after the entire attic is finished.  Sidenote: I was blowing insulation chunks out of my nose all day Sunday...probably should have worn a mask.  You live, you learn.  {Hopefully some of you can learn from me...wear a mask!}

Ok, so here's dad in that eave/crawl space stuffing that mica insulation down.  (Enter the contortionism I mentioned earlier.)  It's hard to tell from this angle, but it's a tight fit getting down in there!  That sawdust/sand looking stuff by his hands is the insulation.  We had to push it down in the corner handful by handful.  Fun stuff!

After we finished that type of insulation down the length of the house, we moved on to the foam board.  (We've just got 2x4s for the roof "trusses", so there isn't much room for insulation between them...the foam board will add another layer of insulation to keep us toasty warm in the winter & cool in the summer.)

Of course the rafters aren't 16" on center (that would have just been to easy), so we had to cut down the foamboard to fit down there.  Not hard at all, just more work.

A couple of days later & we're finished with that portion of the insulation.  My homework is to shop-vac the floor down there & get some of the attic clutter stored away to give us more room to work in the bedroom & on the landing.  Progress is progress, no matter how small!

Oh, I almost forgot!  After we had gotten all of the foam insulation hung, we took a few 1x3s & nailed them down in the corner where the roof meets the floor.  This gives us another layer of protection from any drafts that manage to work their way in, as well as acting as a barrier to keep that loose mica insulation inside the wall/floor where it's supposed to stay & not getting itself all over the items that we'll store in that area.

After I get my behind in gear & organize this space, our next steps are as follows:

• Rewire lights.
• Repair/replace old insulation.
• Frame out closets.
• Fill gaps under eaves with loose insulation. (finished on west, still need to do east)
• Foam board insulation on all ceiling surfaces. (finished under west eave, still need to do east eave & center)
• Frame out under eave storage & built-ins as well as door jamb.
• Wire for electrical outlets.
• Drywall (hang, tape, mud, sand).
• Wood planks on north & south walls.
• Hang lights.
• Baseboards, window & door trim.
• Knock out stairwell door.
• Paint & install stair railings.
• Prime & paint walls & ceiling.
• Closet systems.
• Finish built-ins.
• Flooring?

Remember, this is what I envision for the space.

My goal is to get it all completed by the end of April.  I think that's totally doable.  Right???