The Final Push Before Drywall

This past week has been filled with very long days (and nights!) as we’ve finished the final preparations for drywall.  Thanks so much to everyone who came by to help – Rich, Pat, Steph, Marilyn and Marty.  We couldn’t have got it all done without you!

Here’s a rundown of what we did:

We pulled communication wire (phone, internet and cable) throughout the house.

 

We had spray foam insulation installed on all the exposed exterior walls.  This will allow us to claim the highest value of rebate through the government home energy programs. We used Frank’s Spray Foam Insulation.

 

We installed sound insulation between our house and the attached neighbours, as well as between the bedrooms.

 

  The drywall is being delivered tomorrow and installation will start on Tuesday.  It is expected to take about ten days for drywall and taping.  Luckily, we’ve chosen to contract this work out, so we’ll be taking a break and getting ready for the next stage.

Nothing to Hear Here!

Today we installed our sound barrier solution in the master bedroom. Since we don't want to lose too much space from the already tiny room, we decided to add some 2" sheets of polystyrene insulation to the wall that separates us from our neighbours. This product is meant for insulating basements, but we figured it would help provide some sound insulation.

The existing wall was plaster directly on cinder block, allowing no room for electrical boxes. By using the rigid insulation, we can now add electrical boxes to this wall. The drywall can be placed directly on top of it, which means we'll only lose about 2 1/2" of space from our room.

We plan to put this in the second bedroom as well, since it also shares a long wall with the neighbours. It's hard to judge how well it will work because the house is empty and echo-y, but hopefully it will provide a bit of a sound barrier when it's all done.