Seventy

That is the number of degrees it is in my house, without the assistance of the kerosene heater. Seriously, if I close my eyes, it’s kind of like laying on a beach (that smells oddly like drywall).

For the last week we’ve been slowly crumbling under the stress of knowing that our really expensive geothermal system would heat the house to approximately 40 degrees and then call it quits. Turns out the temporary thermostat (that looked like it took a spin in a garbage disposal) wasn’t working properly. Go figure.

So, on the good news front, a new (and basically free) thermostat solved our heat problem.

On the “things I would have preferred to have worked out differently” list was finding out that $4000 we paid for drywall did not include sanding or finishing any of the seams. (Note: Apparently “taping” is not the same as “finishing”.) I was so going to enjoy a six month stretch without sanding walls within an inch of my life, but we aren’t going to pay more for something I can do myself so hey, anyone want to grab some sandpaper and a bottle of wine?

Luckily our drywall dude was cool enough to give me a free finishing lesson, so I have a few techniques from the professionals to share.

9 Responses

  1. Congrats on the geothermal. Been there – had similar things happen.

    on a more serious note… really suggest you get a quote on finishing the drywall. Anybody that does it regularly makes it look easy but it’s not. If you are planning on doing a room at a time, it is impossible to keep the dust contained.

    1. It’s a good point about the drywall. I’m pretty good with texturing walls, but I lose patience with sanding. We got a quote to have them finish JUST the ceilings ($2000) which I’d be most likely to do. I suspect walls would be at least that much as well, and the truth is we just don’t have the budget for it!

      Luckily they did all the corners so it’s just the seams and screw holes.

  2. You have heat! Woohoo! I remember how excited I was when our heating problems were solved. Working in a house in 40 degree temperatures was getting old really quickly! Congrats! Oh and good luck with the sanding/finishing (your mother will get a good workout with the cleaning required after that!).

  3. If I wasn’t leaving town tomorrow i would be there! If there is still some left to do in a week, count me in. Bottle of wine will be a must though! 🙂

  4. Yay heat!! Man our heat pump has been getting quite the workout here I can only imagine how it cold it was a few days ago.

  5. I’m so glad you finally have the heat working. Sanding all that drywall sounds like my worst nightmare. Can’t you just find some dudes on Craigslist to do it all for a grand? I shudder to think about that job….

  6. Usually I just lurk, but on the subject of drywall, I feel your pain so intensely, I had to comment. I have taped, mudded, sanded many a seam in my day and it never ceases to suck. Definitely have wine on hand, wear a mask for the sanding and…just hang in there. Good luck!

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