oh that's easy... when I found myself sobbing with my head under the sink trying to make a connection that was difficult. I just burst out in tears.. I knew then it was time for a little time off.

Maddiemom

We moved into this '52 home last summer and I was determined to remove the wallpaper in one of the bedrooms and the [large] guest bathroom. Of course, I learned that you never actually know how many layers of wallpaper there really are until you get into it.

There were actually only 3 layers in the bathroom, but they were on good,--- I mean years of steam and heat really did their job. I was spraying DIF, using vinegar, hot water. . .everything I could. Then scoring w/ a razor knife and scrapping and scrapping and scrapping . . . until, like, Maddiemom, I just lost it.

I just started weeping. Perhaps it was because I couldn't even lift my arm to score and scrap anymore. . .maybe it was because my progress, despite my efforts, seemed so miniscule at times.

I knew it was time to just walk away, shut the door, take a shower and go back to it a few days later.

Breaks? You get breaks?!

Damn, why didn't anybody tell me?!?

Vivian (who's in year 8,....and counting....)

When leaving this house to go back home.I almost fell asleep numerous times driving home,But now that its done and were in its alllll worth it.

I was totally still stressed for the first part of this weekend.. it was awful.. my life seems SO chaotic.. I know I am blessed in so many ways but I often wonder if other people live like we do and have as much going on as we do..it really seems insane. I do feel better today and we got more of the deck up and I got a good start on the support wall that needed to be built under the house where the renovatores just put the back part of the house on steel piers 25 years ago.. but dang. So much to do and so little time to do it. Of course, 5 homeschooled kids, 2 great danes a quickly agin MIL (89) who lives with us, a father with stage 4 cancer, and the purchase of the house that backs up to ours that needs renovation on top of doing the renovation on this 4K sqr foot monster... yep.. that is why I am stressed :)

Maddiemom

Maddiemom, I read the list of you stressors and couldn't get past five homeschooled kids each time, now I'm feeling stressed for you.

How do I know its time for a break, my mouth constantly tastes like drywall dust and one of my eyes starts twitching like I'm Humphrey Bogart from the Caine Mutiny or Captain Bligh from the Mutinay on the Bounty, I know its a water themed movie with a mutiny in it. The constant muttering to myself is also usually a dead give away.

"Honey, look its the new neighbor, he is twitching covered with dust, muttering to himself and oh...lord is that a sawzall"

Thanks Hobbs67, nice to know I can foist off some of my stres of those willing to share my load!

As for drywall dust... I have more to hang soon... have you looked at the new drywall cutter that I saw to Lowes... looks just like a demel to me.. or maybe a roto zip sort of set up.. I was wondering if anyone knew much about it? O course for the big cuts it's slice and snap.. but the new area I have to do has about a JILLION outlets, openings for cable connections and phone connections.. so lots of cutting. It's my LEAST favoirte thing and no matter how much I measure I only get it perfect 1 out of 4 times!.. hints appreciated!

maddiemom

Floor finish now delayed by DAYS! I will EAT my "need a break" words. I guess the good thing about an old house and yard is that there is always something to do. I repaired an old lock and painted more trim and an old door while waitng for the floor guys to call. Still waiting....

I think we need a regional "support" network! I would love to help others in my boat.

Corgilvr, I hear ya. Last fall, we desperately wanted to replace the carpet in the kitchen. We pulled up the carpet and the sub-florring was a nightmare, so a friend said her brother who is very good at laying tile would bid on it. He was very good, but he took FOREVER. Believe me, we do not have a large or intricate floorplan, but he did the job "between jobs", dates, going out of town--- you name it.

I got sick and tired of having our refridgerator in our dining room, our kitchen table in the middle of the living room and everything displaced. We lived a month like this.

The night that I sat in my car and cried as I drove to get carry-out was it. He had just finished and my fiance and I needed to clean up and move everything back. I had not noticed that the tile guy did not cover anything,--- and I mean anything--- when he grinded down the old linoleum to lay the backer board. He also had a fan going at the time. So, a thick layer of micro-fine dust was everywhere,--- in the dishes inside the kitchen cabinets, the pantry, on pictures, in the dining room chair pads, --- you name it, there was dust everywhere. Oh, yeah, all over the textured stucco walls, too. We cleaned for so long and so hard afterwards. I'm still finding things and thinking, 'yeah, that came from when we had the kitchen flooring replaced almost a year ago.'

You guys make me feel ashamed for feeling stressed with a move out of my long-time home, the basic renovations that we're doing on the "new" place (which was built in 1920, so I guess it's just new to us), getting this place ready to sell, getting my daughter graduated from high school and working outside the home. (Luckily, I give two presentations at a symposium next week, and then I have July and August off! Teaching, even at a college, doesn't pay all that well, but the summers off make it more than worth it.)

I wish you all well!

"As for drywall dust... I have more to hang soon... have you looked at the new drywall cutter that I saw to Lowes... looks just like a demel to me.. or maybe a roto zip sort of set up.. I was wondering if anyone knew much about it? O course for the big cuts it's slice and snap.. but the new area I have to do has about a JILLION outlets, openings for cable connections and phone connections.. so lots of cutting. It's my LEAST favoirte thing and no matter how much I measure I only get it perfect 1 out of 4 times!.. hints appreciated"

Who really needs outlets anyway?

I have used a dremel with a drywall bit and a jigsaw, both make cutting easier but did nothing for my accuracy. By the second wall, I was just accepting that mud was a fact of life -- my personal rule is don't do it very often. Even better, get one of the kids to do it.

As for the dust, I just bought a HEPPA filter and reducer attachment for hooking up my shoppvac to my palm sander -- I'm hoping it works cause i have a couple of ceilings to do. Cough cough..

After my floor finish imposed break, I am happily back at the completion of the room. Waterlox is doing a great job as a finish for the old floor with a coat brushed on each morning. I'm trying to take more breaks to work in the garden and walk the dogs each day. Doing laundry seemed like a treat today!

We are now in our 7th year of a total house remodel. Our vacations from work are working vacations at home. I haven't been anywhere in so long, I wouldn't know how to act! But then I stand back and look at how far we have come and in my mind's eye see how AWESOME this old house will someday look and I just keep plugging along. I joke about how God knew I needed a lesson in patience so he gave me this house and my DH. Oh well, just a few more weeks and I can do my laundry in the house instead of the apatment in the back.

maddiemom,

Commercial drywallers have used cutting tools like you described for a long time. They make it look really easy. I use a jigsaw for the few holes I need to cut.

Measuring correctly is another story. When I can't seem to get it right, I make a paper template first, then use the template to draw out my openings on the drywall. This may be too tedious with a lot of openings, though.