Wrapping Up the Ceilings

On our next trip, the focus was finishing the last of the ceilings.

We started on the guest room ceiling, which seemed like it was going to be relatively easy because it didn't involve a lot of cut outs. But we were using 16-foot long boards, which came with some challenges.

By the end of the first day, we had just finished a little over half.

We didn't have enough wood to finish all the ceilings in wood, so we decided to use drywall in the master bedroom as a couple of the walls were drywall.

We used J.D. Killer's crew again. To our chagrin, they showed up at 6:30 a.m.

Having perfected our system and gotten such an early start, we were finishing the guest bedroom ceiling at lunchtime.

Gerald started installing ceiling molding after lunch.

Little Things

J.C. came up one day to help us with odds and ends.

Now that the ceilings were in place, there were light fixtures to mount.

J.C. had built gusset plates to cover the seams of our two distressed beams, and he got those installed.

We also had him change out the dishwasher.

At the right of the stove is the original dishwasher we bought at Habitat for Humanity's Restore. We loved the old-fashioned look of the painted panels, but when we hooked it up it didn't run.

The new dishwasher didn't have the same look. But at least it worked.

The Dwindling Woodpile

At the end of our visit, Gerald threw up all the boards that had been on the ground to stack on the porch.

Here's all that was left.

Which looked a lot different than what we started with.

On the way out, Gerald spotted this Cooper's hawk.

More of the Same

On our next visit, Gerald and I continued the work we had started on the ceilings.

Gerald had finished another faux beam, which he installed above the interior barn doors.

Then we tackled the kitchen ceiling. The gap will be covered by another faux beam.

The kitchen provided certain, um, challenges. Like a number of light fixtures and speakers that required cutouts.

Also, the counters and appliances that we had put in place made things interesting as we had to work around all of that.

We saved the last little bit for the next day, and it was a good thing we did. This little section was the most difficult because the countertops and sink meant we had to use all manner of props to reach the last few feet. But by lunchtime it was all done.

That allowed Gerald to install light fixtures and such. Since his thumb was still a bit disabled, the work was accompanied by quite a flurry of colorful language.

Where the Wild Things Are

As usual, we saw wildlife. These two javelinas were just up the road from our place. We often see them in this area, but they don't usually stick around long enough to pose for pictures.

This rattlesnake was lying right in the middle of the road and wouldn't move. We couldn't get around it, so we finally drove over it, trying to center it between the tires.

To Top Things Off

After we finished the "tack room" ceiling, we tackled the dining area. The remaining 1x8's were pretty badly stained, so we spent a few hours running them through the planer to clean them all up.

The hardest part was cutting around the logs.

Gerald was beginning to wonder whose bright idea it was to use the logs in the first place.

But then he got the idea to use a piece of cardboard as a template, which worked very well.

The rest of the ceiling went fairly smoothly. The biggest problem was drawing in bowed boards, but it didn't seem to take long to get it all done.

A Few Finishing Touches

During our last visit, we were able to add a few finishing touches.

Here J.C. is installing a double fan on our newly completed dining room ceiling.

Gerald had also finished countertops for our master bedroom closet.

And the faux beam for the tall wall. He installed it in two sections. The first was tough. To get it to fit correctly, Gerald had to keep shaving off little bits.

He was a little worried about the second piece, which would be harder to install because of its location. Fortunately, it fit right in place on the first try.

We also finished the ceiling we had started in the "tack" room on our last trip.

Up Against the Walls (and Ceiling)

Our next trip was more of the same, only with the long Memorial Day weekend, we had more time.

Gerald worked on the walls, and after the first day had finished the walls in both the master and guest bedrooms.

The two of us tackled the remaining wall in the living room together. It was a challenge getting the boards behind all the stairs.

We had paid the same crew that did the ceiling to do the high part of the wall, which they had completed before we arrived. Here's how it all looked when we were done.

Gerald measured the strip separated by a beam in the middle to create a faux distressed beam that would complete the look.

Initially, I had worried it might break up the vertical height, but as you can see, the room still looks quite tall.

While Gerald worked on the bedrooms, I finished what I could of the utility room a.k.a. the "tack room." Then Gerald and I got to work on the ceiling. We got the utility room ceiling about three-quarters done before we had to leave.

Over the time we were there, we saw lots of wildlife. The workers who installed the high wall reported seeing a mountain lion maybe a mile from our house the morning before we arrived.

We also saw two javelinas, a couple of roadrunners and the usual jackrabbits and bunnies. These three mule deer were part of a group of five we startled one day.