Smooth Stuff

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Tyson smooths joint compound around ceiling light fixture
Tyson smooths joint compound around ceiling light fixture in the camera room.

Tuesday, June 17

The big job in the last week has been finishing the drywall work. Once the A-1 Builders crew had all the pieces in place they brought in a specialist to finish all the joints. Tyson worked several days to get the walls and ceiling nice and smooth. First, a layer of “hot mud” to fill all the big cracks and joints. Then he taped the seams, with another layer of mud (a.k.a. joint compound). A little light sanding. Then another layer of mud. Then a little more light sanding. Each layer had to dry overnight, so they brought in an electric furnace and lots of fans to move the drying process along.

By this morning the drywall work was nearly done. The photo above shows some of the last work, finishing the edges around one of the recessed ceiling light boxes. Those boxes will ultimately have fluorescent fixtures that will be the work lights in the camera room. They’re built so the plexiglass lens will be essentially flush with the ceiling.

Reception and sales room with drywall taping complete
Reception and sales room with drywall taping complete and ready for texture.

In another couple of days another specialist will show up and spray “light orange peel” texture on all the walls and ceiling.

Outside, Mike did some detail work to prepare for the stucco crew. When the building was moved onto its present foundation in the early 1960s the walls didn’t line up perfectly with the concrete blocks. So the stucco flares out a few inches at the bottom in some places.

Stucco crew attaches wire mesh to wall.
The stucco crew attaches wire mesh to the wall around one of the new bathroom windows, filling the space where an old window used to be.

Today, the stucco crew attached wire mesh to the walls everywhere they’re going to apply new stucco. They should be back tomorrow to apply the first of three layers. When they get to the top coat, the idea is to match the existing texture as closely as possible so that once we’ve painted the whole building it won’t be obvious where the old window and door holes were.

?Sidewalk alignment at front porch
Orange lines mark front sidewalk alignment where it will meet the front porch.

Mike from Whatcom Excavation backfilled the trenches he opened last week for electricity to the chicken coop and the sign out by the road. He also prepared the base for the sidewalk that will run from our wheelchair-accessible parking space to the front porch. Then Mike and Matt built forms for the concrete. That should get poured one day this week.

We’re on track to paint the interior starting on Friday. Then Brian Morris, of Morris Floors and Interiors, will lay our hardwood floor. I think I can begin to see the end of this construction project. There’s quite a contrast to what the space looked like two months ago, just before we started work.

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