Four Out of Five Ain’t Bad

I nailed in the ceiling joist braces last week, and let me tell you, it wasn’t that easy. You don’t realize it, but nailing upwards into the ceiling is a bit of a chore, especially when you’re not a tall person (I just play one on TV). It is definitely one of those tasks that are such a drag that I tend to put them off and ignore them in the hopes that they will magically go away.

However, this time around, I feel like we really want to get this barn finished by the end of summer, if not sooner, so I stopped being such a sissy and just did it. Believe it or not, it’s done. I found the best approach was to not even try to finish it in one day, but rather break it up over several days. It sure felt good nailing in that last brace.

That means that I’ve done the braces, installed the door knobs, cleared the clutter for the electrician, and ripped those wall extensions. Man do I feel like a real man, or rather, a real man in training. The last thing to do to cement my manly status is to insulate the rafter-gaps, or whatever they’re called. I ripped a bunch of blue board and cut it to size, so I’m ready to go. The initial plan was to nail them in, but after consulting with KB, I instead opted for glue. Much easier, and more effective, if you ask me. I know, you’re not asking me.

Once those blocks are in, we are ready to start thinking about insulating the whole structure. From what I’ve been told, we need to go with spray foam or cellulose, both of which are pricey. Fiberglass will not do because the heating system is going to require pipes that go through the walls, and unless you have the right insulation, they’ll freeze. Bummer.

We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, thanks for reading.