Patching today

Today the contractors were here doing the first pass of patching the stucco (outside) and drywall (inside). They did a good job as far as I can tell. Everything looks good. The inside will probably need 2 coats and the outside 3. I was impressed with how good the drywall looked after just one coat. Our prior contractor did some drywall patching and it took him a minimum of 4-6 coats on each area. Drywalling looks easy, but to do it well is a real skill.

Somebody asked me recently why we're not patching it ourselves. First, we are under time constraints. This permit has to be closed by July 20 or we have to pay to renew it and they may deny our renewal. Second, we are so crunched for time as it is that the last thing I can do is take on a large, new project representing a skill we have minimal experience at. Third, our time is valuable. By the time we went to Home Depot, bought all the supplies and tools, went back to Home Depot for what we forgot on the first trip and got started, it would be a lot of hours invested before the work even starts. Fourth, I want it done well. We could do it, but having seen inexperienced drywallers with our last contractor (and having to pay to have someone fix their inadequate job) I know the difference between having it done well and not. Perhaps when we do the garage we'll do it ourselves, but I don't want to cut corners here where it is so visible. Finally, when a contractor does the work there is a guarantee. If the patches crack, I call him and it is fixed. If we mess it up, it is our problem. If his work doesn't pass inspection, he fixes it.

I also worked on organizing the broom closet a little more. It's a project I have to tackle in phases. Like Sherlock Holmes, I work from the known to the unknown. I have to figure out where to put the first thing, then go from there.

The wet stucco around the window. What a concept - they masked the windows and tarped the ground. Our prior contractor didn't quite grasp the concept of tarping.



Here is the first pass at patching the drywall inside. Again, I was quite impressed they used tarps.

The thing that made me most happy today was this hole and two others like it were finally filled. I've been living in constant fear that some small creature would find it's way in and make a nice home in our walls.