What a Drip! (Part 3)

It's now Thursday, and today's fun has begun. We both slept a tiny bit better last night, and I don't have a headache today. That's a huge blessing! We have a 3-man crew here working hard to cover up all the "finished" surfaces of our home with plastic sheeting to prevent damaging overspray when they start applying more foam. "Finished" surfaces include all the T & G boards that still remain on the walls & ceilings, the floors, windows, light fixtures, furniture, doors, smoke detectors, electrical switches and outlets. You've heard of the boy in the plastic bubble? We're going to be the couple in the plastic bubble for a while! 

I made a diagram to help you understand and visualize what's happening around here.

Obviously, the purpose of insulation is to prevent warm air escaping from your house, and spray foam is considered the absolute best product to use for this purpose - if applied correctly and to the proper thickness. This crew has discovered some shallow spots and small pockets that were missed by the original installers. To be fair, it's difficult to see the problems with the naked eye. Because of the expanding quality of the foam - the way it grows as it's sprayed on - the side of the foam near the installer may look fine - but that doesn't mean the foam has filled everything to the proper thickness behind the surface. The crew is instructed to constantly check the depth of the foam. So, what they're going to do is remove any insulation that came in contact with water. Then, they'll fill up every area they can between the interior T & G boards and the proper vents - pack it all tightly with foam - without intruding into the cold air space on the other side of the proper vents. That cold area is necessary to allow our roof to breathe. They said there won't be a home in the Keweenaw that's better insulated by the time all is said and done. 

Now, on to the photos I took on Tuesday. When I left my master bedroom sanctuary while the crew was taking their lunch break, I was greeted with the sight of scaffolding in the great room. . .

and another sloped area of the ceiling in the loft had been skinned.

The door to Guest Room 1 is under the wall sconce on the left side of the next shot.

By the time I left my sanctuary at the end of the day, they had also stripped some boards near the peak in the great room.

Next, we have more photos of their actions in the loft.

Lovely, huh?

This is the obstacle course that greeted me as I made my way from my sanctuary to the kitchen. 

Yeah, we've had to move that hanging sheet of plastic out of the way with our hands each time we've passed by since Tuesday evening. As I said, sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.

On the bright side, all the snow we received since Tuesday afternoon (14") has flocked our trees again, so the view from the master bedroom sanctuary is lovely. And, my husband just told me that we both need a short change of scenery tonight, so we're going to The Hut for dinner.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you what the crew has been doing today.

All is still well (with our souls) in the Keweenaw.