week 3

alright, here's week three. i did manage to get the hardwoods laid down which was an experiment. the pics show the process. also, the kitchen sheetrock is getting very close to being finished. i learned from my previous sheetrock experiences that i have to be very patient. my lumpy bathroom and studio walls are a testimony to that. so, i have at least one more layer of mud to put on those walls but it seems to be coming together.

my friend stokes came over today and helped me paint the ceilings and closets. next (this week) will be the walls (i bought all the paint today). hopefully the kitchen and guest bath will be ready for tile. the guest bath needs a LOT of work.... first by a professional. as it turns out though, its pretty hard to get a subcontractor to do anything they say they're going to do. i'm sure most people knew that already. i was supposed to have a couple estimates from plumbers for the guest bath but never heard from either.... and my ac/furnace has not been worked on since last monday... i don't know if they're still in business. anyway, on the helena side of things, we have been having to keep the house clean to show to folks who don't show up which is real nice. i am hoping that that adventure is about to come to a close.

most of my attention this past week was on the floors and kitchen walls, so here are those pics.

after one coat of mud

as they were being laid

the finished product

kensington road studio

i believe i've hit a wall. my body is aching from the work i've been doing on the house, so i gave myself the day off today.... from renovations anyway. this has given me the chance to post a shoot i did few weeks ago.

i got this shoot through a fraternity brother (but i can't really call him brother because i depledged). i was running at the park with a friend a couple months ago and he was there walking his dog. pretty random but we caught up and he's been really supportive of my photography. he referred me to a friend of his who is starting up this studio. really nice by the way with some great equipment. if you are interested in some very high quality recording for some startup rates, this is the place.

here are some shots for their promotion.

week 2

its hard to believe that we're in the 3rd week. we are hoping to rent the house in helena by nov 1 now at the latest giving us about 6 more weeks. the guy installing our ac/furnace asked if we thought this would take about 6 months or so..... i think we can do it in 4 weeks but we'll see.

since the last post, a lot has been done. the pee drenched floors have come up. the wall in the kitchen has come down. the new kitchen sheetrock has been hung. all the walls except the ones in the basement have been kilzed making the smell a thousand times better. the new furnace has been installed. the kitchen cabinets have been ordered. the master bath toilet has finally become usable.

all the while i've managed to slice my finger nearly to the bone, smash my finger with a hammer, step on a nail and have to get a tetanus shot, and drill into a live wire that nearly caught the house on fire and apparently almost fried me. that's what fuses are for.

this week i lay new hardwoods, finish the sheetrock in the kitchen, ac is installed, and paint picked out. hopefully a few more things in addition. here's some updated pictures.

middle last week

this past weekend

erin's family came down from tenessee to help

what exactly do i do again?

i'm not very sure how to answer this question. last week we bought a house. not just any house but one that needs a LOT of work. under most circumstances this would be an insane venture. i'll spare you the details, but these circumstance were not typical. anyway, i've basically put my entire work life on hold to fix this house up. it's not for everyone, but i can honestly say that i enjoy it. i already have lost hours of sleep due to the anxiousness of getting back in the house and doing more work. it's like a puzzle... a big, scary, expensive puzzle that you just hope you don't lose a piece to in the process of putting it together.

so my plan, as suggested by my sister, is to document the progress of the house. we hope to have everything done by the end of october. these pics are from late last week after i had already done some work. i hope to catch each of the stages meaning my blog will be boring for a couple months. i'll try to post some photos shoots in between.

this is on the way to the house. i don't know if you can see, but this dog had on goggles. funniest thing i've seen in a long time. attie kept barking at this dog as if to say "take those stupid glasses off, your making us look bad."