We pulled the stove out of its (temporarily hooked up) corner so we could work on getting the Z-Brick fireproof material on the two walls behind it. (This will be a definite improvement over the visual image created by the sheets of Durock cement board that have been leaning against the walls there.) Fastened to the fireproof material on the walls, we are attaching another layer of safety material held out an inch or so by ceramic insulators to provide air space between the two layers of fireproof material. This will insure the safest installation for our wood stove, and it's the same method we used for the installation of our other wood stove sixteen years ago in what is now the kitchen area.Only problem (oops) is we underestimated the number of insulators required for the floor-to-ceiling covering of these two walls and are now waiting for another order of them to be shipped from a small company in Indiana. Seems the only insulators readily available anymore are now made of plastic, and that wouldn't do for our use.
So our living room remains in a state of limbo for the time being.
We could plop on the couch during down time, but the plastic sheeting is so cold and crinkly. Okay, we could easily pull that off. But we would be staring ahead at . . .
. . . this arrangement. I sorta like it, don't you? It appears as if the stove and recliner are having a private tete-a-tete. Most likely making fun of my room arrangement skills.When one is in the middle of extensive remodeling, it seems your living space will never be "normal" again. My quilt room and the pantry are both nearly unusable because of furniture and building supplies stored there. When we're working in the living room, the recliner and another chair have to be smooshed into the kitchen.
But it's still not as bad as having the kitchen torn apart. So I'll quit my bellyachin' and concentrate on how great the living room will be when it's finished. Someday. Maybe. Dependent on whether or not the order of additional ceramic insulators arrive.
Ahh limbo. I know it all to well. Some days everything is in such a state of 'in between' I think that I am actually living in purgatory. I move neither up nor down. But your livingroom does look wonderful and is coming along very nicely.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jane---it is coming together. And look at that cheery kitchen just beyond. Oh, it will be worth it. Keep hanging in there!
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Jane and Sue - Thanks, ladies, for your kind words of encouragement. It's road blocks like not having the proper or enough supplies and having to wait . . . 'cause this has to be done before we can proceed to that . . . that gets discouraging. It feels like it just pushes the finish line farther off into the distance. But it's not like we don't have anything to do while we wait. No, no, never that type of situation as you both well know. :o}
ReplyDeleteIt will be finished, just think of how far you've come. Do you know what type of flooring you are putting in?
ReplyDeleteSparkless - Yep, and we even have the flooring already. We went with a wood laminate. It comes in 8" wide "planks," snaps together and is what they call a "floating" floor. We got a super-good price on it and it has a lifetime residential guarantee. Actually, the flooring will show very little in the room. The room is small to begin with so by the time we get the furniture in and an area rug in the center, you'll not notice the flooring to any great extent. Still, I think we're going to like it a lot. Hope so because we bought enough to do our bedroom floor, too!
ReplyDeleteLoving what you are doing, and I know it's not easy living in construction limbo, but it will be worth it in the end. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI hate limbo,but heaven will be nice ,which it will seem like when you are FINALLY done! don't underestimate ,please.I watched my BIL go through this sort of -he is jack of all trades and lifted his house and put in a basement and put in 2 fireplaces,but he " underestimated" on one of them and had to rip it out ,it wasn't exactly to code.
ReplyDeleteStephanie - Thanks for all the encouragement. It's appreciated!
ReplyDeletejudy - That's what hubby and I were saying yesterday. You DO forget the weeks of having things torn apart once it's done and you don't have to think about it again! (If I can just make it that long . . . !)
I'm trying hard playing 'catch up' today... can you tell?! I think your place is coming along nicely and ya'll are handling the frustrations and roadblocks along the way quite well. A sense of humor is good and you've definitely got a great sense of humor!
ReplyDeleteRead your reply to Sparkless and we put in a 'floating floor' in our M. Bdrm. last year. It wasn't the laminate, but another type of wood product you put down in 4" boards, I think... I can't remember all the specific details now, but it is a 'floating floor'. The installation was a breeze, though Tom still needs to put down the final corner molding strips. We had fun putting it down together, though my knees killed me for about a week after! You will enjoy your new floor and those laminates are supposed to be low-maintenance.... and low-maintenance is ALWAYS good!!!
Don't worry, it WILL come together!!
ReplyDeleteLisa - What is it they say about laugh or cry?? Take your pick, but laughing is much easier on the soul!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear you've been happy with your "floating floor." I'll let you know how my knees hold up through it!
Erin - It WILL come together? Can I have that in a hard copy, please?
Miscalculations really do happen, in almost everything. At least even if it caused some delay, you can relax somehow because at that point you were already in the process of preparing your house, if ever a serious fire occurs. I hope you didn’t forget to invest even on one fire extinguisher, to complete your fireproof house. And if you have ample budget, might as well install smoke alarms. ;)
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