What a Difference

Sheet rock installation proceeds in the parish hall. It is hard work to lift the panels of sheet rock into position and fasten them. Three workers are required to lift and attach the panels to the ceiling. The installation on the walls and ceiling is complete except for areas awaiting final electrical rough in. Taping has begun upstairs and downstairs.

In the parish hall, electrical connections await the installation of handmade pendant light fixtures. These will give the room a formal, historic look. That look will be complemented by the original ornaments at the top of the pillars supporting the second floor offices. New can lights are being placed in the ceiling in the basement. They will provide functional and attractive illumination downstairs.

The existing plaster wall on the north side of the parish hall is being prepared for painting. Holes in the plaster have been repaired and will be skim coated. Paint and stain samples await final consideration by the building work group.

The difference in the appearance of the room is dramatic even it its present unfinished state. It looks almost twice as large. Replacement of the old acoustic tiles and metal frame with a sheet rock ceiling has raised the height of the room a few inches but the effect is much more dramatic than we expected. The room is open, airy and filled with light.

Bye bye, biffy; hello new loo

The old parish hall restroom is a thing of the past. Nearly all evidence of its existence has been erased. The new one is up and running. It's not entirely complete, but it will be in the next day or so.

We were worried about the condition of the floor under the old rest room. It turns out to be in remarkably good shape, probably thanks to the 1930s era linoleum floor covering made of hemp and linseed oil. It was between the newest and oldest layers of flooring and seems to have acted as a protective seal against water leaks. A few small repairs and the floor is good to go. Plywood will be laid over it as it has been throughout the parish hall as a base for the new oak flooring.

Now that the old restroom has been demolished and the old stairway relocated, the room is dramatically more spacious and open in its appearance.

The building work group met last night and made a final selection of flooring and paint colors for the restrooms and a stain color for the parish hall floor. They have narrowed their selections of stain color for wainscoting and wall color for the parish hall and have selected additional samples to review.

We will, we will rock you

OK, this will be the last post with "rock" in the title.

The good news is that sheet rock is going in on the walls of the parish hall. The south wall and vestibule are nearly complete. The crew will head downstairs to do those walls next.

Insulation will be placed in the ceiling on the ground floor and sheet rock will be installed in the ceiling material on both levels. The construction pros refer to this as a "hard lid."

As the walls go up, the miraculous transformation of the parish hall restroom from pitiful to posh is about to be completed. The old restroom will pass away as the new one comes online sometime in the next 24 hours. The tile setter who did the work in the new restroom was a real artist.

Rock On

Installation of sheet rock continues and is nearly complete in the parish hall rest room. The light fixture has been installed and plumbing will go in early next week. Demolition of the old rest room in the southwest corner of the parish hall is scheduled for this Monday, June 14. It has been in decrepit condition for some time now and its replacement with a new and attractive powder room at the other end of the parish hall is cause for celebration.

Sheet rock has been installed in one of the basement rest rooms also. It will begin going up on the walls of the parish hall early next week.

Electrical work continues including the relocation of the alarm system box to a less visible but readily accessible location.

Week Nine - Got Rock?

The project took another major step forward at the beginning of week nine with installation of the first sheet rock. The framing and studs have been in place for a few weeks now, awaiting completion of plumbing and electrical wiring. Insulation and interior walls are now in place in the ground floor restroom. Once it is completed and in working order, the demolition of the old restroom can take place.

Downstairs wiring, plumbing, sprinkler pipes and hvac components are rapidly disappearing behind sections of sheet rock. Their configuration and installation represent several weeks worth of coordinated effort, not to mention ingenuity in finding safe code-compliant space for all of these critical elements. Now the crew begins to make it look good on the outside.

Week Eight

After Memorial Day weekend the crew were back at work.

The bottom section of the soffit that conceals air conditioner duct work on the main floor of the parish hall is being completed. The plan is for crown molding to be installed at its top edge after the sheetrock is sanded and painted. It will be a huge improvement from the exposed ductwork.

Ductwork is being installed in restrooms on the lower level this week. It took some ingenuity to figure out where to put it, but our hvac crew did it. We will have heat and air for the first time in renovated areas of the basement.

Electrical installation continues. It must be completed before walls can be enclosed in sheet rock.

The old mechanical chase on the north wall of the basement has been removed and will be replaced with a new one.

Week Seven Catch-up

Oops! Missed a week. It's good to be back. Here's a quick review of what happened during week seven, although now it's midway through week eight.

Installation of studs for drywall installation is just about complete. Once the electrical work is done, the sheetrock can be installed. It's here and ready to go.

Downstairs we're setting a record for neatly and efficiently concealing the most electrical and mechanical apparatus inside one wall. It's almost like a sculpture or a collage - sometimes it seems a shame that we won't be able to see it after the work is complete.

The south wall of the basement has been repaired prior to installation of the sheet rock. Some of the mortar between the stones had deteriorated.

On the main floor, the frames around the windows are being reconfigured. Removal of the newer wood trim reveals what appear to be original materials.