The Hole in the Ceiling
So, when Erin moved into our apartment a bit over a year ago we discovered that there was a water leak from the upstairs and, in order to prevent mold and other things, I tried (at first) opening the panel in the ceiling and then ended up putting my fist through it and breaking it out. The outcome is that there has been a hole in the ceiling for some time now with Erin tacking up a pillow case (that is now in the garbage) to hide the hole.
Realizing that I had a day in between the end of one semester and the beginning of the Spring Term, Erin (strongly) suggested that I fix the two things (in the bathroom) that needed fixing. First, the hole in the ceiling that had (though not recognized) celebrated its first birthday. And second, the exhaust fan that died on us several months ago (in part due to Erin running it non-stop twenty-four seven).
So, first thing this morning, I woke up and moved cars around so Erin could go to work and then, after she left, took down the old and rotting pieces of the hole in the ceiling. This included taking out some of the drywall around the hole and then cleaning up that mess (in case Erin or her brother decided to come home while I was out).
At that point, I drove to Herriman to borrow some tools from Jared. Mostly power tools to expedite the cutting and reconstruction of the hole. On the way home I stopped at The Home Depot and purchased some of the things I needed to fix the hole and replace the fan. Fortunately, before leaving this morning I took measurements so I'd know what sizes of what I needed, wood, lengths, and the dimensions of the exhaust fan.
When I got home (with a knife I could cut more of the drywall with) I finished cutting out the excess drywall and measured up the hole with one of the two 21 inch wide pieces of wood to make sure it would fit inside. Once that was established I cut out the middle layer of wood and then trimmed and cut the center out of it so that (all said and done) there would be an access to the pipes (the reason for hole to begin with) and then stuck it up into the hole to build out the framing of the hole.
The next step was to put the pieces of the middle section into place. Three pieces with a total of four forty-five degree angle cuts. They were glued and nailed into place. This was followed by the top panel (on hinges and with a latch)... all of which was painted (primed really) white.
After I painted my hands and the wood white I started the process of installing the new exhaust fan-slash-light. This proved to be ... interesting as the wiring was odd. I kept installing and uninstalling and installing and uninstalling the exhaust fan trying to get it to work when it was in place. This was frustrating and time consuming and allowed the paint to dry sufficiently so that I could put the panel to finished the ceiling portion of the labor.
Once that was in I returned my attention to the exhaust fan, got it working, and in. That was a relief. As soon as I had electric light that did not consist of my biting the end of a flashlight, I started spackling the wall around the new portal to the pipes... this was the point Erin got home.
All in all, not exactly what I wanted to be doing. Truth told, construction is not my thing. Don't enjoy it. And yet, much cheaper than paying someone to do it for us. Granted, this all comes out of rent, we don't own the house, and I do things around the place, in part, because we feel this is a really great deal on rent and utilities and such. The outcome, I do the work, Erin feels better, the landlords don't have to pay someone a ton-o-money, and I don't have to deal with people I don't know coming into my pad (our pad).
Anyway, I got to spend my day fixing things I haven't gotten around to for some time. Tomorrow I get to go back to classes. This will be interesting. Good times.
John Hattaway | smokingpen | Alicia Grey | Clockwork Princess | Cassandra West
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