Wednesday, November 24, 2010

More Winter Studio Renovation

Here are a few more photos from the renovation project.

Carrying gypsum board (a.k.a. sheet rock) from the
lower to upper studios. 5/8 firecode gypsum board is
2.2 pounds per square foot, making a full 4x8 foot
sheet weigh 70 pounds. I used 20 sheets for the project.


How does anyone make money manufacturing and
selling sheet rock? These cost me just $8.80 per sheet
at the local hardware store, Owl Lumber, and that's a
better price than what Home Depot quoted. We do have
a gypsum plant just 90 miles north of us, so maybe that
has something to do with the lower price. The price per
pound is 12.5 cents!

Stapling R-19 insulation to 2x6 studs. This amount of
insulation is necessary in Wyoming. I went out to the
new space earlier this morning and discovered that my
900 watt radiant heater I am using has the temperature
at 46 degrees farenheit, and the temp outside is 15 below
zero! Not to worry. We also have a propane gas vented
stove in the corner to my left in this photo. And when I
turn it on, it takes about 30 minutes to heat the room to
mid-70's! Once I get everything sealed tightly and install
the floor insulation, it'll stay warmer in there. WOOHOO!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Winter Studio Renovation

Adding a new circuit to the service panel.


Stripping new 12-2 Romex wire to install new receptacles


Running Romex wire through studs
and ceiling plates.



Barrie in the attic


In the attic installing wall nailers between joists.


We came home three weeks early from our tour and immediately began interior renovations to our main studio building. The 30x60 concrete cinder block building was built without wall insualtion, and when Wyoming weather drops sub-zero, no one really wants to be in there. Barrie does use the lower half of the building for making frames during the winter, but it's awfully cold.

So Barrie has renovated the top-half of the building (the half that AB also uses to create paintings in when the weather is right) so that the couple could also be together doing their work in a warm and cozy room during the winter months. That room is approximately 15x17 feet and has R-19 wall and floor insulation, and R-38 ceiling insulation. Walls are framed with 2x6 studs and finished with 5/8 gypsum wall board. The door to the warm room is an exterior type door even though it is located within the interior of the building (remember, it's cold out there in the rest of the studio). Barrie did the entire job himself, including running a new electrical circuit from the service panel to throughout the room. WOOHOO!