Every House Has a Secret – 11

 

 

Brady and Rand were dressed in coveralls and at the house early Sunday morning to begin their renovations.

 

"Start with the hard things and work up, or down I guess, from there?" Rand asked.

 

"Sounds good to me."

 

They collected the tools they'd need to turn the two bedroom closets into one, putting them into two large plastic trash bins, and went upstairs. After donning masks, they each took a bin into a closet and set to work on the wall separating them. It only took a few blows from his sledge hammer for Rand to realize they should have bought earplugs because the noise was deafening is such a small space.

 

Brady must have had the same idea. He stopped pounding and a moment later came into Rand's closet to suggest they had large enough holes in the plaster that they could physically pull off pieces until they were down to the two studs.

 

It worked, much to Rand's relief. Once the plaster was gone, they sawed the studs free, setting them in the bedroom to be disposed of later. The next part of the project was making one central doorway, after which they would remove the framework on the old ones and fill the empty spaces with drywall.

 

"I say we use one of the door frames on the new doorway," Brady said.

 

Rand nodded. "A good idea, since we didn't buy what we'd need to make a new one. Besides, that way it'll match the rest of the woodwork in here perfectly."

 

After taking a break for lunch, they hauled up one piece of drywall and set to work. What they didn't need to fill the existing holes, they cut into pieces to fill the gaps inside the closet where the interior wall abutted the front and back ones. It took them most of the afternoon, with a lot of swearing and sweating, but by the end of the day they had the drywall installed, taped, and mudded, and a frame around the new doorway.

 

"I'm about ready to fall on my face," Rand said as he dragged one of the trash bins to the top of the stairs.

 

"You and me both," Brady replied. "But we got it done. Now we have to put in the clothes bars—"

 

"Tomorrow night," Rand stated firmly. "It's not like we have to do it all today."

 

Brand hugged him. "I know, I know. I was just planning ahead."

 

"Uh-huh. I know you. You want it done as fast as possible."

 

"Well…"

 

Rand laughed tiredly. "Right now, we get this crap—" he tapped the trash bins, "—out to the alley, along with the studs, and then go home. Got it?"

 

"Got it."