We're just gonna blow out this wall and put in a beam Part 8

Yippee!

See Part 7 HERE 

 We are now back in our old digs but with a sturdy floor and a wood stove.  It has been a looooong year of reno's; actually 1 year and 2 months.  We could have sailed around the world ten times,  joined the circus, had a new Baby Turtle  all in the time this reno took....and we did! 

 Mr. FT is now head clown and our sailboat is drydocked getting an overhaul!

A SHORT video of a hungry baby turtle.

The finishing work is nearly done.  Getting there was another story.

Part one starts here.

The stairwell and a few finishing details need to be completed but really, can't people just use ladders?  If it's good enough for our fire department then it should be good enough for Turtles.

I was thinking we could install a POLE too. 

 It could be used for other things, like hanging lights and garland on at Christmas. 

 (get your mind out of the gutter)

We hung drywall and prepped for primer.

We painted.

We laid tiles in the back porch and under the stove area on a cement board base.

We installed a plywood subfloor with an amazingly easy to install vinyl plank flooring.  It comes with a lifetime warranty. 

 I am praying the company outlives us... 🙏

I don't think I will ever have to clean this floor. 

 You can't see anything on it 🙌
Seeing how we no longer have teenagers in the house, we were able to fix all the creaky floors.  You want squeaks when you have teenagers...just saying.

Before the molding work was completed, we had to test out the main attraction.

Happy to say the house is still standing, no eyebrows were singed, and toes were kept warm.

We used some old fencing from our corrals which were planed, sanded and sealed for the end caps of the stone wall

Any voids were sealed up with epoxy.

We hung polystyrene crown molding with pre-built corners.  This is the easiest way to install crown moulding....ever!!

Baseboards were installed in a few easy steps.

A shim on the bottom at every 12" supports a flat piece of 1/2 inch by a 4 inch board.

Another molding is installed over the shims.

A narrow piece is installed on the top.

The top and bottom pieces were pre-painted, the joints were caulked, nail holes filled, and another coat of paint was applied 

VOILA, an eight inch baseboard is born,

A wonky pan shot of our new abode.
 I really need to paint those doors!!



THE BEFORE SHOT

THE  almost AFTER SHOT

A soft area rug for baby turtles to crawl around on was added. 

Once all the curtains, cushions, pictures and of course the TV are added, it will be home again,

 but with warm feet!

I leave you with a few shots of our newest family addition:

ROBOROB!

He still needs a rain cap.

The new stainless steel steampunk incinerator

fabricated from scrap-yard finds....except for the chimney. 

 We paid dearly for that.

Word to the wise....always be cautious when buying from an over eager salesman.  They like to oversell the uninformed. 

(we should have done our homework)

The culprit company would be http://www.hearthfireplacedepot.com/

We ended up with two extra chimney lengths totalling over $400 and a fresh air adapter meant for a mobile home for another cash grab.

We will have to re purpose that and one longer chimney length....any ideas?

Thanks http://www.hearthfireplacedepot.com/ 

for your great greedy business practices!

 Cheers!