So, I’m officially working from home, following some vacations and much needed time in the wilderness. Work on the office continues and for now I’m happily set up at my desk in our dining room, but am excited for the day when I don’t have to worry about the cats knocking all my papers on the floor or the dog starting to bark just as I’ve dialed into a call (I swear she has ESP and does this to spite me because she knows I prefer cats).
As with every project we’ve done in this house, there were special challenges that had to be dealt with. One of these was the installation of a mini split heating and cooling unit we purchased. Online, the reviews for the unit were great. People loved the efficiency and “easy installation” along with the fact that the price of the unit was about $500 less than the ones being sold at Home Depot. However, these things are TRICKY as hell to install, plus most HVAC places will not install a unit that you didn’t purchase from them. So that was fun. Rob did his best until finally we were able to find a guy who had worked on a home just down the street from us. $400 later, our unit is in working order and I will hopefully not die from a gas leak in the copper lines. Lesson learned.
Mini split installed, plus a new door too…with a window in it!!!
Another big piece of this room (literally) was the new window. We ordered the window way in advance of when it would have to be installed and instead of three weeks, it took five and a half to come in. Once it arrived and we stopped pulling our hair out, we got right to work. Basically, we took two tiny 22 inch windows and combined them to make one nine foot by 24 inch window that looks out on the back yard.
Rob cut the beams in preparation for a header and then used a sawzall demo blade to cut through old asbestos shingles and aluminum siding (he wore a mask).
Both of us hefted the window outside after the raw edges of the house had been sealed with a tar tape to prevent any moisture getting in. The result is this awesome new visage to the green outdoors that adds some natural light to this tiny, dark space.
Drywall is now up and Rob is working on a shelving unit that will house and hide the new, smaller water heater plus provide additional storage space for office supplies.
To be honest, I’m pretty freaking thrilled about where things are right now. There is a lot of painting to do and we still have to put the tile floor in once that’s finished, but there is light at the end of the tunnel! This room is totally unrecognizable from what it was before and even though this most likely is not a project that will add significant monetary value to our house, it is the perfect space for what I need at this point with my job and I’m so very grateful that we are not having to convert our guest room to an office. Now fingers crossed that all the furniture will fit!
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