Drywalling:

I like drywalling—can’t say I want to do it for a living, but it is one of the more pleasant steps in the process of building a house.

This is the stage where squareness pays off!

If the ceilings and the walls aren’t square, more cutting and fitting will be required. Think plaid wallpaper—not that I’d ever use it, but nothing looks more horrible than squares and stripes that don’t match in the corners. Paint covers a multiple of sins! :)

It does take some planning to estimate the number and size of the sheets that will be used. We used 3/8" on the ceiling and 1/2” sheets on the walls. 5/8 and 3/8 is probably a better choice, but it’s more expensive and it’s harder to lift. Often tradeoffs do have to be considered. Besides, we don't have another 30 years ahead of us. That doesn't mean we relax our standards, just that at our age, reality has more of an impact.

Here’s a very good article about Drywall techniques.

We figured to put the sheets horizontally on the wall. The height from subfloor to ceiling is approximately 8’2”. Planning does save time. Horizontal placement of sheets reduces reaching and the need to use ladders. It also diminishes the number of joints that have to be taped, and mudded. There are other advantage to putting the drywall on horizontally; the studs can be located much easier. With vertical placement all the studs are covered—that leads to more mistakes figuring out where they are.

Oops, I should have given this tip at the beginning of this topic: When you’re installing electrical receptacles and switches be consistent about the heights of their placement. When drywall is being put on, that will pay off because all you have to do is mark on the floor where they are. Knowing their height makes cutouts for them precise and will help to prevent craziness hunting for them! Or worse; great gaping holes for a tiny box! You probably have to have done that a couple of times before you’ll realize how frustrated you’ll get. :)

Make sure when you’re having your drywall delivered that the truck is equipped with a crane. Having it delivered to the rooms where they'll be used takes just minutes when the truck is equipped to handle heavy loads. We didn’t order any sheets bigger than 12’x4’ because one sheet is quite heavy to lift, especially when it’s overhead. Three sheets would require two large men. We used screws because nails pop out. Screws penetrate drywall easily, especially if you have a battery-operated screwdriver—we had two of them.

First we did the ceilings. They aren’t that hard to do if you have two t-shaped 2’x 4’s to use as props. Make sure they’re long enough to support the drywall when it’s in place on the ceilings without having to brace them. One heft up is all that it is required. Overhead octagon boxes I mark their location with stickies (Post-Its) that you can get from a stationery store. It’s tempting to not be bothered to make the cutouts as you go along, but it’s a mistake. Do them when they’re fresh in your mind and there’s a stud overhead for guidance. I suppose if you marked the sheet before you put up the next one you’d be able to find it. We just didn’t try that—Alzheimer’s can attack at any time with us! There are quite a few overhead octagon boxes in the ceilings of our kitchen and we just cut them out as came upon them.

We normally take a break when all the ceiling drywall is in place.

Next we begin the horizontal placement of the walls. There are lots of cutouts with switches and receptacles in the walls; most of them lower down. I tend to do the cuts of the receptacles because I’m much closer to the ground than Haydn. :) He has arthritis in his knees, has had one kneecap replaced. There are times when he gets down that he has great difficulty getting back up again. I’ve been blessed not to be equally affected—the only part of me that’s been likewise afflicted is my wrist, which I broke when were building the house in London.

I had gone there very early in the morning to get some instructions for something we were going to install. The previous day I had been there and noticed there was a ladder leading up to the top floor. What I didn’t check to see was if the ladder was against studs. I got all the way up to the top before the ladder collapsed. Luckily, I didn’t fall two stories into the basement. Fell backwards and the ladder came down and hit me on top of my head. The ladder had been placed between the studs—there was nothing to stop it from falling and me with it.

I really don’t have a lot of recollection about the amount of time that passed before I noticed that my hand was at a really weird angle and it hurt. All that went through my mind was, “No one is going to come here and find me because I didn’t tell anyone I was coming to the house to get the instructions.” I cannot recall any part of the drive from the house to the hospital—the first thing I remembered was the nurse saying, “Is it a simple or a compound fracture?” I replied, “Oh, I think it’s just a simple break.” She replied, “Well, what’s that bone doing sticking out?” That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in my hospital bed with an external fixator on my wrist. I have no idea who moved my car because I do recall just leaving it in front of the emergency doors. Afterwards, I took six months of physiotherapy for it, then I asked the surgeon to rebreak and set it again, because it was stiff. He told me arthritis would set in and he had done the very best he could with it. Osteoporosis found it instead. Funny how you adapt to having a weak part? .... I know I hold that hand close to me whenever there is any possibility that it could be damaged again. I also picked up an abnormal fear of heights because of the experience.

And wouldn’t you know that it would be my ‘right’ wrist that was fractured! My employer at the time was extremely generous and patient. He did one day say, “Sylvia, I think perhaps you shouldn’t try to write cheques for the company until you’re more accomplished at filling them out left-handed! What a kind man he was. The external fixator wasn’t on that long—only six weeks, but it took a great deal longer before I was able to type, write or have fine motor skill control again. There will never be a time again that I don’t look to see if a ladder is secure at the bottom before I begin an ascent passed the third step.

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Drywalling defines rooms and you get an idea of how they will look when they’re painted. They expand rooms because there is no furniture in them. Doesn’t stop your imagination from picturing how they will look finished with all the chesterfields, tables, chairs and in some cases, curtains in place with the walls painted.

Unlike the previous stage, putting up drywall brings a real sense of what the house will look like when it’s done. Sure it’s premature, but it does give incentive to work harder to bring it to fruition.

After we finished the drywalling of the living, dining and kitchen area, we just sat and enjoyed our day. It really was going to happen—all the planning and hardship to bring it to reality was for us to relish. We can put our efforts into the book of memories. Every time we look at it, we’ll know that the reason it’s here is because of our efforts. That’s something you never get when some else does the work for you or you pay them to do it. There is great joy in extending yourself beyond what you believe you’re capable of doing – it’s how we measure ourselves in life. If we don’t strive to do our very best in getting this our retirement home as close to perfection as we’re capable of, we’ll have to look at our failings for the rest of the lives … so we better just do the best job we can. Isn’t that the essence of life?

We’ll have to do a lot more planning now … start thinking about moving into it, buying appliances, bathtubs, fixtures, thinking about the design of the kitchen cupboards, colours, and a myriad of things. Style of faucets and electrical fixtures that go with the outside of the house?

Spring, 2002, is fast approaching, the next chapter will be, “Installing the Outside Clad.”