Basement update [Bryan]

Ellie and I have described a certain neurosis that has developed in me while I've been working on my basement. It is "irrational, unattainable, perfectionism." My perfectionism is "irrational" because I've stressed about perfecting even aspects of the job that no one will ever see. For example, I really tried to make sure my wiring was tidy and straight, even though this will forever be hidden from human eyes. My perfectionism is "unattainable" because, with my skill set and experience, doing things perfectly was not really an option. One can never reach perfection, after all, the first time one has ever done something, like drywalling. I have often reached the end of a job wishing I could start over, knowing much better what to do at that point than I did when I started. Of course, trying to save money on tools and materials doesn't help the perfectionist cause much, either.

Anyway, I have finished drywalling! It was a long, hard slog. I hung 5/8" drywall on the ceiling because the joints are 24" apart, and 1/2" drywall on the walls. The one exception was the soundproof wall around Nora's room, which was also 5/8" for sound control. The drywall is fire and mold resistant. I managed to hang most of the drywall on the ceiling myself, with the help of a rented drywall lift from Home Depot (best $37 I ever spent). This will go down, in my own mind, as one of the most amazing things I feel I have ever done, since drywall is very heavy and awkward. I worked from 7:00 AM one morning to 2:00 AM the next morning (I had to get the lift back in 24 hours). One of the hardest days of work I have ever done. Please feel free to congratulate me profusely.

The last couple weeks have been consumed by taping, mudding, and sanding. I even "skim coated" the entire project, because I heard on Home Time that this is the way to give your mud job that extra bit of quality. Still, there are little imperfections throughout, since, as I said, this is the first time I have drywalled anything.

This was messy, tiring, tedious work. The dust from the sanding alone seems to have destroyed several things, including our furnace. Despite my efforts to seal off the basement, dust managed to enter our furnace room and clog the filter, thus leading the furnace to overheat and destroy the gas flow switch ($300 repair bill). Cleaning up all the slopped, hardened mud was a two-day task in itself. I had to scrape much of it off on my hands and knees with a wire brush. I'm glad I did the drywall, but I'm not sure I want to do this part of the job again.

(Thanks to Ellie, Anna, and Spencer for helping me sand. Thanks to the Mannings for loaning out some sanding implements.)

The half wall leading to the stairs, drywalled, and primed to paint.

The hall nook to Nora's room, drywalled, primed, and ready to paint.

On to floorboards, painting, and door installation.