I hate to admit that I was slightly excited to rip the disgusting insulation out of the attic. Well, that was because I had not been up there in a while. I forgot about all the bird poo everywhere:
On the rafters
and all over the insulation
(mostly just by the windows and the last joists, thank goodness.)
It took me about 5 minutes to lose that excitement and be filled with complete and utter dread. Here I am after nap #1. Yeah. Awesome.<------------
Renovation during nap times worked pretty well actually. First nap was over 2 hours and let us get about 45% done. Second nap didn't go so smoothly, FC didn't want to go to sleep, so Marc spent about an hour and a half up there by himself. Finally, she fell asleep and we got up to about 75% out.
There are tricks to doing dirty renovation during naps. You have to wear two layers, so the lower one stays clean enough to rip the outer layer off and run downstairs. This involves running tights and duct taping your gloves to your outer shirt. Luckily, she slept well enough for long enough that we were always able to be already down and quickly showered when she woke up.
Probably the least satisfying demolition ever.
What also sucked was our discovery that not only did the previous owner leave windows broken so birds could nest and shit everywhere, but she also let the roof get so bad that rain saturated this fiberglass insulation, tamping it down and rendering it not only almost useless as insulation, but also a bitch to remove.
Of course, after filling 62 bags with insulation, we discovered that our attic windows do not open. (And these are 42 gallon contractor bags, not the manby-pamby 30 gallon regular big trash bags.) The windows don't even have hinges; they are simply nailed in place! Crap. We had planned just to chuck the bags out from the attic. Instead, I had to cover anything in the guest bedroom with sheets and old shower curtains and Marc propped open that room's window. I stood up in the attic, lugging bags over to the opening and handing them down to Marc who then chucked them out the window.
After all that, we headed downstairs to drag the bags back to Marc's truck. Upon seeing all 62 bags down there in the side yard, I did feel a little satisfied.
A little.
I'm still going to curse every bird I see for the next 3 years.
Filthy. Disgusting. Animals.
Next Friday the new insulation comes. I'm hoping it will only take 2 naps to put it in. I know better now that to be excited for it.
Filthy. Disgusting. Animals.
Next Friday the new insulation comes. I'm hoping it will only take 2 naps to put it in. I know better now that to be excited for it.
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attic
holy shit, that is NOT a fun task. Good thing Franca was a good sleeper! (at least for 1/2) :) Congrats! I feel satisfied for you :)
ReplyDeleteOMG I am so sorry! Holy shit that really looks like the worst job ever.
ReplyDeleteYikes! That sounds like a nightmare. I'm glad you got it all out, though. Think of how many calories you two burned! ha
ReplyDeleteWow! Just wow. I see why you were putting this project off! I can only imagine what you felt like when you found out you couldn't open the attic window. On the bright side you'll have a newly insulated attic in no time.
ReplyDeleteYour joists are hemlock (I think). Lots of Asheville homes use this wood, which is naturally termite resistant!
ReplyDeleteRestoring - You are my new best friend. That is the best news I've heard in a while!
ReplyDeleteThe floor joists are probably hemlock too. If you need to repair joists and want new hemlock you can get it from Gennett lumber near 12 bones.
ReplyDeleteThese green improvements are awesome and I am loving your progress!