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| After the rough interior wiring was installed (long,
but not very photogenic) we were ready to have the interior walls finished
out with sheet rock. This was the longest and trickiest part of the do-it-yourself
job when we built the main part of the house. Although they do not usually
work as contractors, we were able to hire some of the workers at Monolithic
Domes to do the sheet rock work. They worked fast and efficiently, giving
us a final surface that was taped, bedded, textured, and ready to paint for
our final interior walls. They certainly had the job done faster than we would
have ourselves. |
This picture shows the walls between the new library
and the two studies, plus the hallway to the main part of the house. Notice
that we have not yet taken down the wall separating the addition from the
main house. We plan to leave this in place until the new section is almost
completely livable, to keep noise and dust out of the existing living room.
This picture also gives a good view of the two art niches in the new living
room, backed with plywood. The small opening above each art niche will become
a transom window to improve air circulation in the two studies. |
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| Painting came next. We found a power paint sprayer
was the best way to get a good coat on the rough concrete of the inner shell.
Most of the interior walls, though, were painted with rollers. Note the framing below the study window. This will eventually hold one of three window air conditioners, which turned out to be the most economical way to cool the new addition rather than tying in to existing central air. |
Since the studies are going to be completely personal
spaces, we made them more colorful and individualized. The white wall at left
will eventually be green to contrast with the yellow in the rest of the room. At the upper right, note one of four electric space heaters designed for use in bathrooms. With one in each study and two in the main library, we expect to have no trouble keeping the addition warm in cold weather. |
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| We painted the library/living room a warm tan which
we thought would look good with the many wooden bookcases and audio-visual
racks we planned. Note the installed heater, the indirect lights on the high
ledge, and the ceiling fan. The square opening at upper right leads to a storage
attic. |
The basic frame of our audio-visual racks, on each
side of where the television will go. These racks, as well as the permanent
bookcases, are built on frames of two-by-fours fastened directly to the foundation
with masonry screws. |
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