Northwest Room, the study/office
started December 2007


Started tearing down the plaster and lathe. Not fun.
A few square feet of plaster would fill a 10-gallon bucket.


Filled in the huge, drafty, north-facing 3ft x 7ft window.
Then put an entire wall over that.


I put new insulation in the ceiling because I don't know
how many years it will be before I work on the 2nd floor.
You can see a hundred-year-old pipe for gas-light fixtures.


Jan 2008, put in a new 2 x 5 window in the west wall.


Added new outlets and lights.


I moved the wall back so there was a spot with no flooring.


So I took up flooring from another spot.


And patched it in.


Pops standing in the built-in oak shelves.


Spray-painted the 2'x2' ceiling tin tiles and nailed them up.


There are some bad seams. If you look hard enough.


Now to tape and mud the walls. I'm not very good at this.


A door I bought from Restoration Warehouse in Dubuque.



Post 2008 Flood


Had to re-insulate the walls and tear up the hardwood floors.


I put up new drywall and plaster 18 months ago
now to do it all over again.


Bought an old light/chandelier from Restore.
The decorative porcelain base above it is
one of only two original items left in this room.


The second original item is the trim around the window.


Put in a desk from a law office that was demolished.


And matching shelves.


Finally, a comfy chair in which to read comic books.


Back to Cal's house