Sourdough

One of my Amazon orders of stuff for the basement was shy of free shipping, and learning to make sourdough bread has been on my to do list so I added sourdough starter to my order.  I didn't realize how much care this sourdough baby would require.  For a week I had to keep the starter at a temperature between 70-85 degrees and feed it every 12 hours.  After 4 days I was sick of waiting so I decided to make a loaf of bread - this was also a lot of trouble!  The instructions call for kneading the dough for 20 minutes, by hand, before letting the loaf rise for 4-24 hours.  The first loaf of bread turned out too dense, I should have followed the instructions and waited the full week for the starter to mature.

The second loaf turned out much different. I let it rise overnight and in the morning it had flattened out into a huge fluffy disk.

 

I'm planning to make bread pudding with the second loaf and then go for a third try this weekend. I need someone to take some of my starter in case I accidentally kill the original, let me know if you are up for the job.

Electrical --> Finished!

My Uncle and Aunt came over Tuesday and Thursday this week and got the outlets and switches installed.  I am happy to report that as of last night all the new circuits are on and working.

The next big project is flooring. I am pretty confident this is the floor I'll be using. I can feel that the current floor isn't level, but I am not confident about using floor leveler on my own.

Introducing Artichoke Heart

The chosen color is called artichoke heart. It's a Martha Stewart color, but based on my Mom and the Home Depot employee's recommendations I had the color mixed in Behr brand paint. The photo makes things look more complete then they really are.  The ceiling has been primed, but still needs to be painted.  A light second coat is required on the walls, and the edges also need to be finished up.  After painting I am really happy with the drywall work!  I noticed a few small spots while I was painting, but non of the joints are visible and I don't see any waviness.

Mandatory Work Slowdown

I've been under the weather the past couple of days, but on Saturday, before I started feeling terrible, M and I primed the ceiling and put up two potential test paint colors.

By the end of the weekend I was hoping to have photos of the painting completed and the outlets and switches installed, but the sickness stopped me. The only reason I am in any sort of rush to get this stuff done is that the stairway lights now belong to the new basement circuits that cant be turned on.

Priming

Rather than celebrating St Patrick's day with green beer, I ran over to Lowe's after Pilates and picked up a 2 gallon bucket of primer.  At the recommendation of the drywaller I also grabbed a 3/4 inch nap roller.  Three hours later the walls are primed and the bucket is empty.  It looks like I will need to put on a second coat, but the information online isn't definitive on weather this is necessary or not.

There is still so much drywall dust in the air that I couldn't get a decent photo without all the floaters.

Drywall Day 1

Drywall work started Monday morning, five guys arrived about 9:00 and started carrying 33 sheets or drywall down the switch back stairs.  I got a call about 3:00, letting me know they were leaving for the day.  When I got home this was the shocking change I encountered:

Before Drywall

Last Thursday I had a third and final drywall estimate.  All three of the drywallers I had come in for estimates came recommended, and I suspect they each would have done a fine job, but I had to choose one.  The estimate prices came in at $2000, $1200, and $1500.  I eliminated the $2000 quote from consideration and debated the pros and cons of the remaining options.

$1200

Pros: Very eager to get the work, open schedule, least expensive

Cons: Didn't know the difference between horizontal and vertical, schedule was too open, wanted payment on delivery of supplies

$1500

Pros: "Pay me when I finish, " suggested I clean up the window frames before drywall was installed, very busy

Cons: More expensive

I ended up going with the $1500 option, I am assuming that they drwaller who has a busy schedule in this current housing market must be really good.

This is what things looked like on Sunday night (I love daylight savings time! it's still light outside in these photos).

 

So How's the TV?

It's good now, resting on my patio chair, but the delivery and setup didn't go as smooth as I expected.

I ordered the TV from Amazon and was looking forward to the delivery service which should have included setup.  Instead of spectacular delivery, I was alerted that the TV had arrived by the sound of it being pushed across the front porch.  The shipping company hired by amazon, Pilot, sent one person with a shipper that clearly stated "2 man delivery" and shoved the TV through the door rather than setting it up. The initial attempt at setup failed when we couldn't find one of the parts to attach the base.  The next day, after calling Amazon and having arrangements for a replacement to be sent, I found the missing piece while boxing the thing up to be sent back...

Last Tuesday

On our last Tuesday working together, my uncle hooked up the new circuits to the main panel.  I left work a bit early so we would have daylight to shut the main power outside the house off before going into the panel in my condo.

As far as I can tell everything looks good, but I'll have to wait until the drywall is done and the outlets and switches are hooked up before I can turn the new circuits on.

Sweating the Small Stuff

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week drywall estimates are being made so I've got to get everything in top shape, it's my last chance before it all gets covered up.

I put in a block so I'll have something to screw the heat register into

Looking up at the ceiling, I attached a metal plate with cords to the duct so I will still be able to close it off in the summer and not air-condition the basement.

On the walls I reinstalled all the plaster rings, this time ensuring that they are level

Seventeen Months

Big News!
I've lived without a TV for seventeen months, but I am not that virtuous, I watch plenty of TV on my computer.  This Friday, I will be TV free no longer, my new fiftyfive inch Samsung LCD is being delivered.

With M's help I initially had my mind set on a Panasonic Plasma, but after checking out the actual products at two Best Buy locations I decided to my eye the Samsung LCDs are better.  I ordered the TV from Amazon, I have heard good things about their TV delivery service, plus there is no tax.  Why the rush to buy the TV?  I couldn't come up with any better way to confirm that the HDMI cable is functioning before it gets drywalld in.

One Tuesday at a Time

Every Tuesday after work my uncle has been working on the electrical. Progress is usually slow because nothing is ever as easy as anticipated.  Last week we discovered that adding a third light to the existing three way light switches would require fishing a wire up through the wall to the top of the stairs - so this week I learned how to fish wires through walls (almost) without damaging the drywall. Like a everything it helps to have the right tool. At the end of the workday today we had all of the switches wired and lights that turn through an extension cord. 

The plan for next week is to get an early start to take advantage of the remaining daylight and turn the main power off so we can add the new circuits to the breaker box.