At this point it was almost time for us to leave on Christmas vacation. I absolutely had to get the place ready and listed before December 31st if I wanted to be able to deduct everything I’d spent on it this year, and I knew I’d never get it all done in time. So I had […]
Once the floors were in I could start building the crowning jewel of the basement – the fireplace! We bought this fireplace insert from Amazon because it was the most highly rated. I had wanted to direct-plumb a real (but ventless) gas fireplace, but ventless fireplaces are super expensive. Plus, gas makes me nervous – […]
With framing and drywall up and the sticky insulation filling the walls all taken care of, it was safe to lay down my pretty vinyl floors. But because the concrete was still so uneven, and because the contractors had done such a bad job adhering it to the original concrete that it was already cracking in places, I […]
I had my first adventures with foam insulation! The walls downstairs were built of regular old drywall right against the original stone walls. No vapor barrier, no insulation, not even using all metal studs. Can anybody guess what damp, clammy stone walls and untreated wood and cardboard leads to? Mold. Yum. Luckily, it was done […]