Back on the chain gang ...

After several months of (well-deserved) hiatus, we're starting to get ready to focus once again on Humphrey House. We had a gathering over Labor Day weekend, and it turns out some of our friends are itching to get back in the rehabbing action as well. After some lobbying by Mark, he and Jason are set to tackle the failed gutter system this weekend (I'm lobbying for bungee cords attached to their waists) as well as properly installing the rain barrel. My friend Michelle, who recently relocated to Chicago from downstate, volunteered to do some trim painting so we can cross it off our punch list, and her new boyfriend Kevin is a CARPENTER ... he offered up his skills for future projects as well. And since the next main project we're tackling is the kitchen, we're going to be scheduling another Wallbangers Ball probably close to the end of the month or the start of October to remove the wall separating the kitchen and bedroom and join the two spaces into one. We'll have to do some investigating as to how that should happen since it's a supporting wall and will have to be replaced by a header, but at least we know we've got volunteers! As Sara said, "Who the eff doesn't like to smash things once in a while?" :)

Humphrey House Punch Out

Yup, we're in training, just like the little guy in pink. Our goal? Tackle the ever-expanding punch list on the projects we consider thisclose to being done on Humphrey House. It's a larger task than one might think. Since we always get impatient towards the end of a project, we seem to consistently decide that we can live with the "little things." However, looking around the place the other day, I noticed just how many little things there are. So we decided a punch list was in order.

From wikipedia (not always reliable, but in the case, it'll do ...) Punch list is generally a list of tasks, or a "to-do" items. In U.S. construction industry, a "punchlist" is the name of a contract document used in architecture and the building trades in the United States to organize the completion of a construction project. The phrase takes its name from the historical process of punching a hole in the margin of the document, next to one of the items on the list. This indicated that the work was completed for that particular construction task. Two copies of the list were punched at the same time to provide an identical record for the architect and contractor.

Here's what we've got on our punch list so far:

Basement
Frame and hang door to laundry/work area (with access for kitties to litter box)
Doorknob on studio
repaint studio door
finish trim around concrete bases
Cut & frame trim around LVL beams in ceiling
Consider dropped wall w/door in hall towards laundry area?
Paint ceiling in "jay's office" including exposed ductwork

2nd Floor
Finish trim painting around doors
Second coat of paint in bathroom
Seal tiles in bathroom shower and tub surround (!)
Seal floor tiles in bath
Add caulking in corners in bath
Attach green accent tiles to counter in bath
Replace white cabinet in bath (WAY down the line, but we'll add it anyway)
Second coat of paint on shelving in bath
Add toe kick to vanity
Seal vanity
Install sconces in bath
Cut and paint wood for 3 ledges in bath
Replace windows and new frames in guest bedroom
Stain oak cab doors in guest bedroom
Strip and refinish bathdoor, guest bedroom doors
Secret passage bookcase (Rob, where you at?) in guest bedroom
Refinish dresser in guest bedroom (not really punch list, but oh well)
Curtains/drapes in windows throughout level
Add shelving/door to nook in hallway
Finish laundry room
- Flooring
- Add washer/dryer
- Shelving
- ventilation????
Frame closet door in master bedroom
Stain shelves in new built-ins in master bedroom
Stain and hang doors for built-ins in master bedroom
Stain/Paint bannister in hallway stair
Cut and stain wood tops for hallway ledges/shelves

I'm not creating a punch list for the back porch (although, wow, we made a mess!) until the kitchen is completed. And the 1st floor doesn't get one yet as NOTHING is done there thus far.

So there we have it. And it's probably missing a lot of stuff Jason can come back and add. But see why we're in training? These are tough guys to beat!!!