Staycation Days 7-9

Scratch Coat Completely Done!

First Layer of the Brown Coat

Brown Coat Down the Side

Keeping the Prior Days Scratch Coat Hydrated (also keeping the project looking good)

Brown Coat Down Completed on the West Wall

It Does Need a Bit More Color, the Finish is too Close to Prison Gray.

Staycation Days 3-6

Ready for the "Scratch Coat"

Reinforcing for the stucco is a galvanized expanded steel mesh

Reverse progress on the two stairwell windows.  They had to be ripped out and replaced with tempered glass since they are located on a stairwell.

Portland Type I cement, Hydrated Lime, Shovels and Adhesion additives

 Getting ready to mix the first batch in the bathtub pulled out from the second floor washroom

Doug's Hand off to the left and the start of the scratch coat

The scratches in the initial coating will allow the brown coat to fully adhere

The ground floor took a full day to mix and apply however towards the end a rhythm developed and the plaster went up a great deal faster.  We also figured out how to mix the stuff so it was a workable consistency.

Starting the back

Closing the gaps

Doug and I beat It before it beat us.

Staycation Days 1 & 2

 

Putting Up the House Wrap

Wrapping a Taller Part of the House

Making Sure Things Are Done Correctly

Front with trim pattern waiting for lath

Back With Trim Pattern Waiting for Lath

And the Back With Trim Pattern Waiting for Lath

All my ducts in a row

With the exception of one run (which should take an hour or so to install) all the duct work has been installed and the gas lines have been put into place with their valves, traps, and hangers.  It marks a pretty big victory and ends a big segment of what needed to get done before it freezes again.  Plumbing should be roughed in by the third week of August and then the electrical will be installed while Doug and I put up the stucco.  A great deal of the forward progress comes from the fact I have been fortunate enough lately to have Lynch back in town.  The endless punch list of things to do got reduced a bit more the past few days with firestops installed around the duct openings, the master bedroom floor repaired, and doors installed.  By far the best door we installed the weekend had to be the doorway to nowhere (Pictured below).  It will be primarily used as an exit for people I don't particularly like and or people I may owe money to... But with that said I plead the fifth, and here is the photo journal of a few key points:

 The original balloon construction ledger (a 1"x3") which the whole master bedroom sat on

 The floor joists were not even tacked into the uprights, just resting on the Ledger

The 2x10 Fix to the rescue

New floor bracing and joists installed

 

The uninstalled door to nowhere...

Lynch building the frame to support the door to nowhere

The final product

Testing its effectiveness

My super detailed plans for black pipe installation

Looks just like the plan...