Interior Walls 1

Here are my first wall boards. Took me many sample attempts before I came up with this combination. I should back up and explain...

Remember how I had stained a bunch of boards to install on the ceiling? My plan had been to work from the ceiling down. Those boards are still sitting up in the storage loft.

I decided I was too intimidated by all the gable angles--and it had me too paralyzed to get started. So, I decided to switch gears and start installing wall boards. This wall is a good place to start--since no one will ever see it. The pantry cabinet, refrigerator, washer, and dryer will all sit in front of it.

Before I purchased the tongue and groove boards for the JayBee's walls, I looked into buying beetle kill pine. My lumber guy did not even know what it was until he researched it for me. Turns out it is only available in Wyoming and Colorado, which would make it hugely expensive for me to have some shipped here. (I guess we're very lucky we don't have beetles killing our pine trees here in Maine.) After much experimenting, I decided to make my own faux beetle kill pine. I then apply a white milk paint wash over it, and protect it all with three coats of matte finish poly.

Installing the boards goes fairly quickly. Since I'm finishing the boards before installing them, though, working my way through all the coats and drying spells takes time.

I'm pleased with the results so far.

Also see:
Interior Walls 2
Interior Walls 3
Interior Walls 4
Interior Walls 5
Interior Walls 6
Interior Walls 7
Interior Walls 8
Interior Walls 9
Interior Walls 10
Interior Walls 11
Interior Walls 12
Interior Walls 13
Interior Walls 14
Interior Walls 15


While waiting for finish coats to dry on the wall boards, I painted a bunch of framing that is going to be visible inside closets eventually. I also installed the casters on the bottom of the east closet section.

Spring is Here!

I think it might actually be spring. About time. Two nice weekend days, followed by today--sunny, and in the 50s all day. The last pile of snow in front of the garage has melted.

Today, I spent the entire day either in the JayBee or outside.

I finally finished painting the east section of the clothes closet. What a tedious job! I was reminded why it's not common to paint framing lumber. So much easier to paint a flat wall instead.

I decided today was the day to fix the trash bin. Remember the trash bin? It worked for years as I had planned; I never put actual trash in there, but it held all of my recycling. Then, over time, the execution of the plan derailed. A few times in high winds, the lid flipped itself backwards over the top--bending the hinges beyond repair and, consequently, so warping the lid that it would no longer lift open or close tightly. The final straw was when a family of mice moved into the bin and made a mess of things. Before the snow set in last winter, I emptied out the bin and moved it up near the house awaiting repair. It has been in the way of the outfeed of my table saw, so I need to get it fixed and moved back down to the end of the driveway.

Today, I removed the lid from the bin and threw away the hinges.

The lid needed some work.

After sanding it, straightening out the curve with some extra screws, filling in the old screw holes, and re-staining it, it looked acceptable again.

I installed all new hinges on the lid. I also installed some latch thingies on the sides, so the lid can no longer go flipping around in high wind.

Done! If I come up with a way to keep mice out of the thing, I can move the bin back to the end of the driveway and put it back in use.

Old Man George has been loving the weather. He just soaks up the sun and sleeps endlessly--

--when he's not begging for scritches.

I just love this evening light on the river.

Clothes Closet Shelf

I decided to add a shelf to the bottom of the east section of the clothes closet. Remember, this section will pivot open as a unit. If I want to keep things on the floor of the closet and don't want those things to scatter every time I open the closet, I will need a shelf to put them on.

I started by added a cross piece to the bottom.

Then, after much fussing and futzing, I added a shelf.

I am happy with the results!

On a completely different note...

After not seeing any cows at the neighboring farm all winter, they are back outside again. As they walked along this fence looking for something to eat, their feet crunched loudly through the ice and snow.

Three of them here among the trees.

These three cows on top of the hill were fiercely butting heads and pushing each other backwards. At first I thought it was some kind of testosterone-driven springtime male head-butting thing; then it occurred to me maybe they were just fighting over the one small patch of grass they'd unearthed.

More Clothes Closet

Not much sign of spring yet--except for the ducks and geese starting to return to the river. Brrr! It's been so cold! The river is mostly open, but sheets of ice and icebergs float by occasionally.

It is challenging getting much work done on the JayBee in this weather. It's cold, and navigating back and forth between the JayBee and the tarp garage to use the saws is not fun. Then, I track wet and mud into the JayBee--ugh. The days are longer, though, and I am determined, so I have made progress with the east section of the clothes closet.

Here is the east wall mostly done.

And the north wall...

The south wall underway...

...and done.

I cannot access my wood stores at the moment; the deep snow and ice are blocking the door. I found a few scraps in the JayBee--out of which I crafted some trim pieces. After adding the backing trim to the ironing-board cupboard, I joined the north and east walls.

Then I added the south wall.

The framing for the east side of the closet is pretty much done! I think I might paint it all now (before adding the hinge to attach it to the north wall of the JayBee), while I can flip it around and get to all its parts, but that can wait for a warmer day.

More snow is supposed to move in tomorrow night into Thursday. That's just the way we roll up here (along with the rest of the northeast, apparently)--endless winter.

Clothes Closet

The Kennebec was brilliant today. A gorgeous lull before the next blizzard.

The bright light blue in the sky looked more painted than real, and it was reflected in the water.

I realized a few days before last week's blizzard that the snow had receded enough that I could get into the back storage room and dig out some framing lumber. The day before that storm hit, I scrambled to pull out a bunch of 2x4s, I cleaned up the table and miter saws that hadn't been used all winter, and I cut all the framing lumber I would need to build the east side of the clothes closet for the JayBee (colored green in the drawing three images down). It is good that I made the effort that day because last week's blizzard has made the back storage room inaccessible again.

To refresh your memory, I built the west side of the closet awhile ago. It includes a ladder to the storage loft...

...and it includes some built-in shoe storage shelves. Note the blue tape on the floor to the right of this section in the photo below; that is the outline of the east closet section.

This east section of the closet will consist of three connected wall pieces that will sit on ball-bearing casters. The whole section will pivot open on a piano hinge that will be attached to a wall stud at the red X. Constructing this closet section is complicated (cuz that's just how I do things!) because the eastern wall (the longest wall of the three) will have a folding ironing board as well as a little alcove for a small speaker embedded between the studs on the living-room side.

Here are the studs for the east wall of the section. It's hard to see due to the poor lighting in the photo below but there are cut-out sections in some of the studs. You may also notice that one of the studs (the second from the right) is very warped. I initially had a very nice, straight stud--but I totally messed up the cut-away bit, so this is what I had to use as a replacement. Hopefully I don't lose my mind trying to wrestle this warped stud into place.

I decided to hustle today to get some of this east closet section assembled before tomorrow's blizzard begins. As I laid out these pieces, I became puzzled by the bottom plate of the wall. It turns out that instead of this...

...it really needed to be cut like this...

...so it can be installed at the bottom of the wall like so.

Assembly underway.

It took awhile, but this part is done so far.

I've been watching this snow hanging off the JayBee for a week. It finally let go today--just in time for the next storm.

Ahem! While George may not be the cause of the plastic pulling away from the house (I think it was the wind during last week's blizzard that did that), he is an incredible opportunist.

George visited the JayBee today once I put out the step ladder for him.

George supervising.

Ready for tomorrow's blizzard.

Radiant Barrier Totally Done!

All of the vapor barrier and radiant barrier is completely done! Every joint/break/seam is taped.

I miscalculated how much radiant barrier I needed for this project--by a lot. I never even opened this last roll.

I continued to install boards in the corner of the closet...

...until I was done.

The view from the inside of the closet...

This next shot is looking straight down the outside wall of the closet. I placed a board on the outside there to show that there is a purposeful gap between the lower edge of each of those boards and the kitchen wall on the outside of the closet. The gaps should keep these boards from trapping a bunch of dirt at their bottom edges. Because...

...all of these boards are shelves for shoes!

After finishing the shoe shelves, I cleaned out the JayBee and vacuumed. From the bed alcove, looking toward the bathroom/west end...

From the bathroom looking toward the bed/east end...

The JayBee is now ready for ceiling and wall boards.