Sheetrocked a Bathroom for Workers and Closet for Us

I see I need to do some updating, so here is a catch-up post.

When we started building our barndominium, rather, when the builder started, we rented a Porta-Potty for the workers. I always thought that was something the contractor provided for their workers, but apparently not, so we rented one. We're too far from town for them to leave when nature calls. The men didn't abuse it intentionally, but they usually left the door open, banging in the wind. The last time I saw it, the door was hanging on one hinge. To the neighbor downwind, I apologize. After the metal building was complete, we had the Porta-Potty picked up and the subs who came after that just stayed a couple of hours at a time so it wasn't a problem.

After we finished the framing and the electrician and plumber needed to come back for longer periods, we decided to rough finish one bath instead of renting another Porta-Potty. Since we were living here by then, I didn't think I could stand the smell of another portable, and since men aren't as picky as women, this worked fine as long as they were the only ones in the house. The walls were sheetrocked, but not the ceiling. The permanent toilet was installed, but we used a shop basin as a temporary sink. The framework for the pocket doors were done with the rest of the framing, but for temporary privacy, Hubby put the doors in too and then they came back out to keep them safe.

We were also bringing more and more boxes from storage in search of our tools, and began to have quite a collection of clothes and other things we didn't want to pack up and store in the attic. So we finished a small closet and put a plastic zipper wall over it for the time being. It is nice to be able to find clothes without digging through boxes, and finishing the closet gave us a chance to experiment with stains, wall texture, and paint colors.

Sometime between the last post about the storm room and the end of December, Hubby finished the walls in it and installed a clothes rod and shelf. I don't know if that will be permanent or not. I'd like to have a file cabinet in there, but space is limited if we want to have room for two people, a couple of folding camp chairs, a cat, and a few supplies to ride out a tornado and its aftermath.  Shelves, rather than a clothes bar may be a better option.

Storm Room is Installed

The same week the electrians changed out the meter box, Hubby got a call that the storm room door was finished.  Over the next few days, he finished the door wall and installed the door.  Not an easy feat as the wall is steel sandwiched between plywood and the door weighs 600 pounds by itself.   The recommended locks (there are three deadbolts) cost over a thousand dollars, so he is going to check with the company who built the door and see if they have a cheaper source.

The inside of the storm room is sheetrocked, and has an overhead light, electric outlet, an internet connection, and a ham radio connection.  Of course, most tornadoes go through quickly and most of the time the all clear is sounded fifteen to twenty minutes after a tornado is spotted.  So we really don't need internet or ham radio unless the building falls in on top of us and we need to call for help, and in that case, the antenna tower will probably be down too.  But it will be something to do, kind of like pressing the help button over and over in a stuck elevator.

When finished, the storm room will have closet space and store soft things like sleeping bags and blankets so it isn't a big waste of space 364 days a year.

After getting that room finished, Hubby was able to finish framing the closet walls and setting the pocket doors.  Except for a couple of trim pieces, the framing is finally finished!