How I Spent My Vacation

Painting closet doors ~


~ and more closet doors, and salvaged window and door trim

OK, in truth, I painted only some of these doors. Mike painted the others and the trim pieces. But I painted salvaged bedroom, bathroom, and pantry doors at home, too! Three down - one in progress - three to go.

Apartment 2 Panorama View

This patchwork photo of Apartment 2 was taken from the northwest corner. Try to ignore the piles of door and window trim in the middle of the floor and just notice how the light has improved the view. Compare the top photo with the one taken a few days ago, before the plywood was removed.


Gloomy, huh?

So on Wednesday Morning …

… these two guys were already busy when I arrived at the building.



When I went inside, WOW!



It wasn't long before there was light in every room. All the windows were uncovered except three in the front, and they'll appear soon.

Busy Monday

The paint remover is working so much better this spring than it did last fall. The work has barely started, but you can see lots of brick in the area that has been washed.

Disposal of the rinse water requires a little extra care. If you've driven by, you've noticed the orange safety fence. Inside the fence is a big lagoon made from sheet plastic and sand bags. It contains the rinse water until it can be be collected in this huge vacuum tank. The tank is drained into the sanitary sewer so the chemicals can be treated before the water is discharged. If we let it go directly into the storm drain on the corner, the water wouldn't be treated and the chemicals would just flow right through.

Saturday Night 7:00

What a difference a day makes!


~ for reference, this is Apartment 1


Apartment 1 view 1; the entry hall with closet and powder room on the left


Apatrment 1 view 2; the kitchen as seen from the southeast corner


Apartment 1 view 3; the kitchen as seen from the northeast corner


~ and this is Apartment 2


Apartment 2 view 2; looking into the main living area from the entry hall


Apartment 2 view 5; looking toward the entry hall

Friday Afternoon

Drywall Coming Up!

First thing on Thursday morning, there is was. Stacks and stacks of the stuff.


When I left at 9:00, this was the scene.

Keep your eyes open

People in Washington have noticed that there are more openings on the second floor.



"Why?" they ask.



The simple answer is that we'll need a light source in each room when the drywall is installed, and we think/hope it's starting this week.

"Why don't you just take down all the plywood?" We need to wait until we can coordinate the removal of the plywood and the installation of the repaired window sashes. It's just a matter of (a brief) time before all the plywood will be gone!

Just a sample of the view

Taken on Tuesday from Apartment 1.

Friday Update

The picture tells the story. I won't say they actually got in each other's way, but there were FOUR crews at work on the building today.



Up in the apartments, Zager Plumbing was finishing the last bits of plumbing, and the plumbing inspector stopped by to see how it looked. Bob and Bill got an A +!

Higher up, in the apartment attics, Johnson Controls was working hard to finish the apartments' ductwork and return air vents.

The crew from Apex Construction returned today and wrapped up several small jobs - leveled one entry floor, added framing for the doorway arches in Apartment 2, and framed the kitchen walls and half walls.

Everyone working in the apartments is hurrying to finish their particular piece of the job before the drywall guys come in next week.

Meanwhile, down in the back basement, the concrete cutters from Iowa Bridge and Culvert were making a terrible racket with a concrete saw and a jack hammer. They're removing the existing concrete floor to permit construction of an exit hallway and restrooms with adequate headroom. More photos later when they're finished.

Back to Front

Back in Apartment 2, the furnace and ductwork are being installed. We chose a Hi-Velocity unit which provides continuous air circulation instead of the usual On/Off system. We understand this will be a benefit to both the amount of energy needed to heat or cool the apartment, and to the problems caused by having high ceilings.



The ducts are just about 3 inches in diameter, and come already insulated. To compensate for the small diameter, the furnace fan moves the air faster when it's adding heat or cooling, hence the name Hi-Velocity.




Up front, in Apartment 1, the rough electrical wiring is being installed. At this point, you have to imagine furniture and TVs and computer desks - people actually living in this space!

Bryson Week In Review

Rough plumbing in both apartments is almost completed! Seen above is part of the bathroom in Apartment 2; drains and feed lines.



HVAC equipment has been lugged upstairs and most of it has been moved into the apartment attics. I'll save you the trouble of asking 'Where are the attics?"
Here ~

This shows just Apartment 2's attic. The ceiling in the hallway and bathroom/laundry room is only 8 feet high. A similar treatment is being used in the same areas of Apartment 1.


In Apartment 1, the new ceiling framing is being installed.

Stage 1

Stage 2


Back at home, we're cleaning up the doors which will be used for the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen pantries. These doors have been here since 1876, and we don't see any reason to get rid of them now. They just need a little TLC and a fresh coat of paint. Under the blue and the green and the peach and the cream layers, we've discovered the original painted grain surface. Unfortunately, we don't have the skill or time to preserve it.




Down in the basement, the last piece a huge, HEAVY furnace is sitting quietly, waiting for Hercules to come back and finish ripping its guts out and hauling it away. This was a really awful job, but necessary to allow construction of a new exit from the basement. We think Hercules is quite a guy! Thanks, Ryan!!