Aren't you pleased with yourself? I think it looks perfect!

The room looks so very nice and bright. I wanna come to camp!

(Today we talked wood stoves...something we never wanted to spend money on as ours is perfectly safe and good. BUT the insurance people have their games to play...and so a guy is coming in the next week or two to give us an estimate. What a PAIN!)

What is the problem with your stove? are you going to get a new one? I know you mentioned chimney issues, what's up with that?

Meeting safety codes and insurance requirements can be tricky. Nothing combustible within 36" of the stove and there must be a fire retardant underlayment under the stove itself. I still have to purchase a fire extinguisher, covered ash bucket, and tools for our stove. Maybe Santa will bring them. :)

What a fabulous space that is going to be! It looks like you did a great job on the chimney - and you will no doubt have sore hands, arms and shoulders for the next few days...:- )

Great job! I do not envy you the mess! Or the sore muscles.

DH pointed the stone foundation of our barn so I KNOW what effort the mixing involves and also how tools become favorites for the task. (Also about clean-up)

As to the wood stove, the insurance people are dorks. They say we need a new flue and chimney. That is OK with us, not a good time financially, but OK if true. What is annoying is that the fact is that the stove does not meet code but that they said nothing about that. It was someone else who told us. This other person says that he knows the stove is absolutely safe, that he has no problem with it at all, but that the fact it doesn't meet code means we must get a new one. We cannot delay the purchase either because of insurance reasons. Those guys will not accept our statement that we will not use it, nor will they accept our statement even if we remove the stove entirely. This is because people lie. (Not us in particular, but you know...) So it is offensive to have to junk a good stove. We'll recycle the metal, but still... And to have this imposed on us. And to not trust the idiots in the first place because they didn't even notice it wasn't up to code because of its age (20 years). If we had gone ahead with the new flue and chimney, a new stove later on would not fit the size pipes they are requiring we purchase. Anyway, we'll see what price they come up with. We are looking at a T5 Pacific Energy unit. No money for fancy. I sure hope this doesn't mean no trip out to Edmonton for us...

My diet is limited these days before the "procedure": no red foods like red jello. (that's a food?) No fruit with seeds. (raspberries etc)Come Monday, bouillon it will be. I'm told white wine is a clear fluid...not red though!

Life is strange these days. I'm wondering who these people are that Michelle spoke about who sail through life so easily.

Here is a link that might be useful: T5 Pacific Energy

I think you should keep the doors on the sawhorses for abit, they will make a very suitable buffet table/bar for summer camp !

How gratifying it must be as the Salon continues to unfold.
Will you paint over the skim coat ? And how far in the future is the stove installation ??

Kathy in Napa

Yes, Kathy, I plan to paint over the chimney's surface. The next move is to allow the skimcoat to cure up for a week or so and then I will go over it again with the joint compound they use to finish drywall.

The stuff I applied yesterday has fibreglass in it and there are little fuzzies on the surface, a proprietary sand should minimize them. The drywall compound will fill in any gaps and pores and give me another chance to smooth out any glaring errors. I plan to paint it to match the walls.

After that, the helpmeet will frame out the raised hearth and cut the cement board underlayment. I will tile over that. I don't know when the stove will be officially installed, sometime in early December? depends on when the hearth is framed out and I'm able to get to the tiling.

I like the stove you've selected, 'bug. Very traditional!

(THTTF will provide attractive tables a-plenty for Idyll Camp).

Great job! What a wonderful space it is shaping up to be. I use the fiberglass pieces in stepping stones and a torch will melt them off easily.

Michelle

I was going to say, "torch" too! I use the fiberblass fibers in my mixes sometimes.

Excellent job, Chelone! Everything is coming together nicely.

I think that is a very nice looking woodstove, GB! I don't envy your dealings with insurance companies.....

Saucy

And I thank you for that tip, Michelle! I don'think using a torch would ever have crossed my mind. You're brilliant. :)

After that job, Chelone, the compound will be a no brainer!!! Wonderful work......

Love that you used the east wall for the staircase and kept windows on the west. Hadn't realized that before. It'll make a difference in the winter :-)

Remind me what's going on the floor?

Martie

Wow! Looks fabu Chelone! What a wonderful work space you have there.

Deanne

Chelone, nice work! Echoing Deanne, you have such a great space there. I'm enjoying watching it all come together.

Eden

OK, here's the next installment of the great chimney and hearth caper:
This is the first application of joint compound over the "structural skin". It goes on pink and turns white as it dries,
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Here it is dry:
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I sanded it down and then applied another coat:
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Here is the framing for the hearth area. The face of the base will be covered with either sheetrock or wood for a finished look.
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The trim that covers the open space behind the chimney and the rough area where the chimney meets the ceiling are now in place. Note that I'm still smoothing out the corners of the chimney!:
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The chimney now matches the rest of the walls:
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This is a combination of all the elements I'll be using to complete the job. Stove, tile, mock up of wall with experimental stencils, and a lovely lamp I've been unsuccessful in having repaired that I'd love to hang over the open stairwell. That part may take a lot more time.
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I'm going out to get a sleeping bag. What an amazing space!

Martie

Chelone, how I wish I could do all the things you do. Even when I was your age I couldn't do a lot of what you do. That pink paint that turns white is amazing!
That's a great hearth! Our wood stove just has a heat resistant mat under it. That is what we have always had in the 24 years we have lived here.

Well, third fire in our wood stove is happenin' now. Windows wide open... Wonder how yours gets initiated! Progress is looking grand at casa Chelone!

Great progress, I love your dedication to doing it right. Is the lamp stained glass. It almost appears as if the missing piece is curved and that's why I ask. If it is stained glass it should be a pretty easy fix for someone who works with it. Matching the glass might be an issue.

Michelle

I love pictures showing the sequence of work. The 'after' is bound to look stunning - you are a meticulous craftswoman! Why does Gertrude Jekyjj come to mind....?

Chelone, if Mary is the Bathroom Queen, you are the Godess of the Salon. Perhaps Saucy needs to include you in her GG..
I couldn't help but notice the headboard- must be the first of several to be installed for camp...

Kathy in Napa

Thanks, guys. It's coming along nicely and it's been a pleasant reminder to myself that I AM capable of complicated projects. The helpmeet is now working on the posts that will support the railing for the open stairwell. He has them cut, planed, champhered, and was doing the mortising last night. They will be my next task; some filling, pickling, and clear coating.

Michelle, the lamp has been kicking around the family home since I was a kid. It came from an auction and I think my brother got it as a toss in when he purchased several vintage vacuum cleaners! It is missing 4 curved pcs. of glass and 1 or 2 more on the edge (you can see it in the first shot). I've been told it will require someone with a kiln and the ability to "slump" glass to recreate the arc of piece. One shop tried but failed and she sold me a pc. of glass that is a pretty good match for it. I'm next going to try a very nice, local lamp repair place where they also sell antique and vintage pieces. I'm a little nervous about the cost, but you never know until you ask, right? The shade is supposed to hang from chains with the curved part down. I think it would look smashing with the bulb(s) on a reostat.
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The shade could be such an attractive feature. I would do my best to resurrect it and put it to use! Then again, beauty is important to me and money is just money. I love its simple lines.

The stove men arrived here to complete the ceiling work on the wood stove. Really, they just wanted to play with Phoebe though... In any case, we took the stove up to 900 degrees. There's a thermometer placed in the flue so we know how hot things get, at least approximately. The smell is still strong, so we need to keep using it for a while, which is fine by me! I'm hoping for a relaxing fire one day soon, not a "useful" one, but tonight is Book Club elsewhere, so it won't be this evening.

The mail arrived while the men were working...and Phoebe got another package from her secret admirer, Mysty! YUM YUM and THANKS!