red hot strapping mama

Oh yeah. We're done with the metal. Today we started the strapping, and it was good. I learned how to use a powerful drill, and spent much of the day screwing. Strapping to the ceiling, of course. Please note there are 2 screws for every meeting of strap to joists.



Here's the nasty corner, with 2 levels of ductwork, all framing by moi meme. Isn't it shiny?


And here's the incentive to finish:


Yes, that's a full drum kit in our living room. The boys had band practice yesterday, and I don't know what songs they played, but I can tell you it was loud. We bought a mess of sound insulation today, we'll probably start insulating on Monday, once the wiring and cable is done. I asked Hugh 3 times if he'd do the cable tomorrow. Here's what I now know.

1. It only takes 10 minutes.
2. It's easy to do.
3. You just go to the box and finish it (huh?).

What I don't know is whether or not Hugh will actually run the cable tomorrow. Maybe if I ask him to show me, he'll just do it.

Tomorrow is also Easter, when we commemorate a resurrection by finding chocolate eggs hypothetically laid by a placental mammal. I'm voting we switch it to the Easter platypus. Far more interesting and plausible.

Happy oestrus, all! May your garden prove fertile, and anything else you wish to multiply.

Once more, with power

I have given up on wood framing, in favour of the wonder that is metal framing. It is straight. It uses much shorter screws. It is straight. Did I mention straight?

The wood framing ressembled DNA. Lovely, I think the double helix of our genome is beautiful, and I'm sure the shape is quite useful. But it's really hard to attach drywall to. Especially with lousy tools.


So I returned to Home Depot, spouse in tow, where we purchased a smallish amount of metal framing and a largish amount of screws.

I am happy with the result so far, which took about 2 hours. This compares to a lesser result with over 6 hours of work with lumber. Now, I'm not dissing wood - wood is great. Especially when it's still growing as part of a tree. But 2x2 lumber is a few things.

1. It's 1.5x1.5
2. It's curvy, unlike me
3. It's a pain in the ass to screw without stripping the screws

You see my work? Isn't it lovely? Or at least acceptable? I am not done. Here's a picture of my favourite corner, to give you a sense of the challenge I have created for myself.


Note the bit that dips down near the letter R. Why my son has screwed a large letter R to the wall is a mystery, but if that's his chosen form of self expression, far be it from me to suggest something more personal, like a tattoo. He can continue screwing things to the wall. Especially if it keeps him from facial piercings.

I am done for the day. I finished enough to realize it will likely work, but not without much use of tin snips. The tin snips do work, I'm just not exactly muscular, and it's a bit awkward snipping a C shaped piece of metal without slicing your fingers. So far I only have a couple of scrapes, and I got them before we made it out of the store. Good thing my tetanus shot is up to date! If I start feeling stiff, I'm getting another one just in case.

Oh - I am no longer envious of the Amish. I have acquired a loaner cordless drill. It is my friend. I have already learned that no matter how hard you push, if you have the bit rotating counter-clockwise the screw will not bite. I am not going to disclose how often I did this.