Yes, if you were paying attention yesterday, I did say that today I was supposed to stay home and do paperwork while the men worked. Well, I knew they couldn't survive without me so I convinced my hubby to stay home and do the paperwork while I went and worked. OK, not really. What actually happened was that Jay shot himself in the wrist with the airnailer while attaching joists on Tuesday. If you know anything about construction, those nails he was shooting are quite large - no little finishing nails. It actually just bounced off his wrist and went . . . somewhere. The mark on his wrist is tiny, it did bleed but it is super sore. So sore that he has to watch what he does with it and heavy lifting is hard. So, he decided it would be best for him to stay home and do paperwork if I was okay with working on the house. Is the sky blue? Does the sun shine? Do I absolutely love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate? Umm, yes, I am okay with working on the house in the 30C+ weather sweating up a storm while you sit in the air conditioned house and do paperwork! We are a modern family - we define our roles rather loosely! :)
So, I dropped off the kids at my in-laws again (it is too hot for them outside in the heat - at least without shade - and being efficient at paperwork is nearly impossible with them around) and met the guys at the site - guys meaning Jay and Mr.B - Mr.W was away for a bit but returning soon. Jay explained what we needed to do and then he went home. The main job for today was to start sheeting the floor. There were a few instructions to remember - mostly stagger the joints, glue and screw, tongue to one side and the groove to the other. Mr.W showed up just as we were screwing down the first sheet only to tell us that we had it upside down. Apparently there is a right-side up and a wrong-side down but we didn't know that - an important piece of the instructions we missed. Good thing we had only put in 2 screws. So, once we got that figured out, we sheeted most of the mudroom floor. It was a little painful trying to find my role and how to do it and what exactly to do. But Mr.W kept saying, "It is all okay, Chantelle!" Then he had to leave. Again! :) So, Mr.B and I figured out a system that worked for us and got to work sheeting. My jobs were to carry the 4x8 sheets of plywood over to where we needed them, apply the construction adhesive to each joist (the "glue" part of "glue and screw") and cut the plywood when necessary.
Mr.B put the plywood in the correct position and screwed them down. There is a technique to put the sheeting in easily and effectively and Mr.B was better at it then me. Screwing it down was fun since we got to use a long screw gun - no bending over!
While he was screwing them down I was gluing the next section and carrying more plywood. Worked like a charm. Then Mr.W showed up again and said that we were making good progress. Actually said I was carrying that plywood like a pro! While Mr.B and I were sheeting the floor, Mr.W was framing out the supports for our stairs. Eventually he left again (he did that a lot today!) and Mr.B did, too, so for the last hour of the day I was working alone. I attached a few more joists here and there but stopped before working on anything precarious - after all, I was by myself and had no desire to find myself lying flat on my back unable to move and unable to call for help. Certain things are best left for when more people are around. And by 5pm my head was beginning to hurt - probably a sign the heat was getting to me and it was time to stop! However, I am thrilled to be able to walk from one end of the house to the other on the sheeting - makes the house seem huge!
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