First Week in Bourne

I just completed my first week at the Bourne House. I brought my laptop along with me, but ran into a few problems. First, there was no Internet service at the house I was staying, and no Internet service at the job site. Second, my battery in my laptop is not long for this world, and only lasts about an hour, then I need to use an adapter and plug the computer in. To check my email, I would drive to the nearby library in Centerville, park in the lot, and log in. By the time I got home after work, showered and dressed, the library would be closed, so could not get in. After my 2nd day, I discovered my adapter was no longer working and my battery was now in the Red Zone, so that put an end to all computer use. I bought a new adapter when I returned home on Friday and will attempt to take the laptop with me again this week when I return to complete Phase 1 of this job. As a back up, I’ve decided to write 4 entries today, and set those to post…1 each day while I am away. It does kill me not to be able to follow all of my favorite blogs each day!

This past week I was able to finish the Foyer/Hallway area in this house, so thought I’d show you the before and after pics of that. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos, but there is no lighting installed in this house and no window treatments, and of course, I am not a professional photographer!

"Before" Picture

This view shows about 1/2 of the long hallway’s length.

"Before" Picture

Here you can see that no trim work has been added yet and there is just a sub-floor down.

This is one of the neatest, cleanest job sites I have ever worked on. There is no dust, no left over coffee cups, etc. from subcontractors, and even the floor grates have been covered with screening, so you don’t fall in one and twist your ankle or the leg of the ladder does not fall in. No one ever does this… and I don’t why, it’s such a great safety precaution.

"After" Pic

This is one wall in the foyer area. The finish is a Limestone Finish. I have used 2 glazes, a tan and a grey tone. I apply them together on the wall in about a 3′ square, using a chip brush. Next I blend the 2 colors together with a rag. Later, I go back and do some "fly specking" with the gray, which leaves tiny dots of grey, randomly spattered on the wall. I then add the veining.

This is a view from the Foyer/Entry to the Hallway.The first door opening on the right leads to the Living Room, and the 2nd door opening on the right leads to the Dining Room.