Post date: Aug 14, 2015 2:56:17 AM
Yesterday Eli had talked with me about how we might lay out the wallboard — vertical or horizontal, if horizontal, does the extra 12” strip go at the top, the bottom, or the middle (my ceilings are 9’ high and the wallboard is 4’ wide)?
First thing this morning I climbed up onto the roof and wet the fresh plaster around the mechanical room door. But much more excitement today. We started to install wallboard!So the wallboard arrived early this morning. The fork lift unloaded three piles of wallboard and cement backerboard (for the tile in the bathroom). We immediately carried the green board (for the bathroom where not tiled) and the backerboard into the house. The 12’ long sheets of 5/8” fire-rated wallboard stayed outside the garage door.
Then we started to install the ceiling of the garage. Since each sheet of wallboard weighs 150 pounds, you don’t just ask one worker to hold it 9’ in the air while the other screws it in. We use a drywall hoist, which is a commonly used, relatively simple device to lift a sheet of gypsum wallboard up to the ceiling and hold it there until it is secured.
Of course this ceiling has five places where wires come through plus a junction box for an electric outlet. But the crew simply measures the location, cuts a hole, pulls the wire through while the drywall is being hoisted, and — somehow — it all fits nicely. I operated the hoist while Eli measured and cut and Lalo and Ulisses screwed. (Meanwhile, Jake is getting the various niches ready for drywall.)
After the ceiling we tackled the wall between kitchen and garage. This wall has the electric panel, the communications panel, several electric outlets, a utility sink (with four pipes), the water heater (with four pipes — gas, hot & cold water, and vent), the water softener, the main shutoff, and a pipe to the refrigerator ice maker. Many holes to align. All good.We had leaned the drywall against the long west wall, but now it is time to install the board there. So we put the drywall on the floor. Only five sheets do the entire wall, and there are only two electric outlets, so that goes very quickly. End of day.
Meanwhile I went home (five houses down) to receive all the interior doors. And my interior designer had picked a front door lock. She also gave me the catalog so I picked a similar, but different lock. Then we went to order it from the local locksmith. She wanted me to order the interior door locks at the same time, but since I chose interior locks six months ago and wrote this into my Requirements document (meaning I had long forgotten what I wanted), I deferred until I could check my notes. We will get that straight tomorrow.
I also finished rewiring the range hood with two relays so that it will control the ERV exhaust fan. I still have two shipments of lighting fixtures to receive. One will come tomorrow. The other…? No rush. We still need to install all the rest of the wallboard, tape and mud the joints, and paint before we are ready to install light fixtures.