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Working for a living is sooo overrated...

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I have the sort of job that has me sitting on my butt all day driving a keyboard. That's as strenuous as I normally need...

I took this week off to finish the basement and more importantly the garage so the new toy has a home (The -6 was getting lonely).

I'm playing GC. This is day 3, all the insulation is up and we're 70% through the drywall. I've come to the conclusion that actually working is completely overrated. I'm falling asleep here and I haven't even had dinner yet.

On the flip side, I've had 3 sets of people come up to me in HD this week and ask if I'm a contractor - one wanted electrical work, one a basement finishing, and one wanted some roofing done so I guess I have a fallback career if the current one fails... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

Alana, i can offer you a full time job right now! or if ya dont like the heavy lifting just sell the jobs for me and ya get a nice commission, ah ya need ta get away from the keyboard anyway. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

Well Stamford isn't *that* far from Westchester.
Reverse commute too...

Actually it's not the heavy lifting that bothers me, it's being on my feet the whole day. For some reason I find that more tiring than the actual work.

There is a bright side to all this however - da Missus has found something other than the car to complain about!
 
Alana,
I did the same thing this summer (take off from keyboard driving to play GC / construction worker) I put up a false ceiling (plaster board with fiberglass insulation) alone (don't ask how I got the plaster board up by myself those neat lifts are not available for renting here)
Put ceramic tiles in the kitchen /living room/ hallways and a bunch of other stuff. I could never have afforded the tiles I choose if I had to pay someone else to do the work. I still have a few small things to finish up on the summer project but at least the heavy stuff is done.
I sure have gained a new level of respect for anyone who does this kind of work for a living!
 
mehheh. Stuff like that 'round th' hovel is all "sweat equity". The tile flooring done a few years ago, LOTS of built-in cabinetry in LR/kitchen/bath... SawzAll work to whack out walls, wiring for relocating the range, fridge. Plumbing to relocate bathroom sink, washer/dryer/water heater.
Hangin' sheetrock, taping and finishin' it is boring but all-in-all the DIY makes the improvements possible. About a third as costly as hiring someone. When I was about to put down the 750 sq/ft of floor tile a friend who has done it as a living said: "I'll lend ya my knee pads, but I can't help put 'em down. I know you, my level of craftsmanship wouldn't be acceptable." I think it was just his way of avoiding a "bussman's holiday" meself. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

I kinda draw the line at roofing. Did the shed, will do a smallish extension and back porch enclosure but hired out the house itself. THAT is brutal work. I'd rather finish concrete (and have).

The design & building of overhead cabinets and countertops was actually fun... but ordinarily I hate woodworking and would MUCH rather be playin' with steel and alloy bits.
 
Doc, are the cabinets finished yet? Last I remember you had some laminate work to do.

Been taping the garage ceiling for most of the day. I have two torn rotator cuffs thanks to snowboarding (more accurately ice-boarding), so you can imagine what a joy today has been...

I did cheat and buy a lift - $100 well spent. 9' ceilings and 5/8" fire resistant was a bit too much for just me when I started this back in the summer. I got 2 day free shipping too thanks to the amazon prime trial which helped.

I figure two more days of misery and the basement will be rough taped right through. The garage is done, so in theory I could stop now. If I did, I suspect this would be the last post I ever made - da missus would have no sense of humor about that...

I'm looking forward to getting back to work is all I can say. The only plus is that my Spanish is improving in leaps and bounds...
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I kinda draw the line at roofing [/QUOTE]Doc..I hear ya...I'll do most anything cept roofing...my brother-in-law burned me out on that one...showed up to help him one year and found (the tightwad) wouldn't even pay to get the shingles loaded on the roof...we had to carry all the bundles up the ladder...never again!!!

BTW: we did get even...on the back of the house we somehow got the line off...now when ya look at it straight on you'll swear ya been drinkin!!!
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

Alana, there's two events in ones life that suddenly renders the brain an astounding ability to absorb and speak foreign languages, one is when you get hungry the other is when ya need help around the house. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

All but the large radiused doors of the overhead, left of the sink. Need the band saw out of the garage for those... that could be a chore. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

Today we run the string for setting the height of the outermost wall of the back porch so's I know where to angle the roof of the "laundry room". Herself is on "vacation" this week and is the only helper I could recruit. S'all good: she can swing a hammer.
Dunno if I trust 'er with power tools tho. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

Around here, we do everything ourselves - well, up until the last few months...

I built the entire house & GarageMahal with hourly helpers who I hired for some of the grunt work - except for the roof. Like Doc, I'm not going there! I've hired a crew to wash everything, stain & repaint the entire place-house & garage...so right now, I'm taking down screen porch screening, shutters, etc. in preparation for them to arrive tomorrow.
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

alana said:
I figure two more days of misery and the basement will be rough taped right through. The garage is done, so in theory I could stop now. If I did, I suspect this would be the last post I ever made - da missus would have no sense of humor about that...
Click to expand...

Luckily SWMBO here is more guilty than I am about "unfinished" projects. No room for the pot to *woof* at the kettle. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

I built houses during some of the Summers of my collge years. It didn't seem too complicated.

So I built my house entirely.
Rented the back hoe and dug the footings, mixed the cement, laid the block, did all the electrical, all the stud walls, sheet rock, roof, siding, windows, etc. I had three neighbors come over for a few hours and help me stand up two really heavy 3rd floor walls, but other than that, it was a one-man job.

I wouldn't want to do it again, but it was nice to say I did this one.
I also designed it. It's passive solar/direct gain. With 2X6 studding, insulated footings and lots of southern oriented glass.
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

aeronca65t said:
I wouldn't want to do it again, but it was nice to say I did this one.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Twenty years ago these "projects" wouldn't be given a second thought before they were begun and burned thru. Now, however even Alan's ~mention~ of 5/8" sheetrock ceilings gives me hives. I'll frame, roof, plumb and wire this "extension" but it'll be a while in-process. It's SMALL compared to past endeavors: 9'x12' "wart" extension to the garage. Woulda been a "weekend project" back-when.
And I've only ONE shoulder blown out. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

DrEntropy said:
alana said:
I figure two more days of misery and the basement will be rough taped right through. The garage is done, so in theory I could stop now. If I did, I suspect this would be the last post I ever made - da missus would have no sense of humor about that...
Click to expand...

Luckily SWMBO here is more guilty than I am about "unfinished" projects. No room for the pot to *woof* at the kettle. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
Click to expand...

Ahh but your SWMBO isn't massively unhappy that you've bought another project car, when the first one isn't running "after spending all that money on it".

Mine is. And it's supposed to be coming this weekend.

They just don't understand sometimes; I'm trying to mollify her by getting the basement back to at least having insulation and drywall rather than stripped to the studs, which is how we bought it.

I spent most of the day doing framing today. The PO must have done most of this stuff with his feet, I swear - there were so many joists to nowhere that it wasn't funny, and some of the 'walls' fell down when I leaned on them (and no I'm not *that* fat) ;).
 
Re: Working for a living is so overrated...

Finished as much as possible today. Over the last 3 days we've put up just over 120 sheets of drywall. The basement is about 80% drywalled now, and the garage is taped.

I spent a couple of hours rearranging the garage so I can fit the new toy, which comes tomorrow. Of course that means that the basement will remain 80% finished for the next 6 months - or until swmbo next goes postal!

I'm looking forward to work next week. Need a rest...
 
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