That outer wall of the kitchen

The outer wall of our kitchen still needed to be finished. There was this big support for the beam holding up the roof, placed after that beam got a piece welded on. Sadly there was nothing we could do about it until window guy returned to finish the window casings before we could dive into the action again. So when he did reappear, that was his first priority, and then we could start!

First thing I did was to screw small wooden slats against the casing, so I could screw the drywall against them. Left of the sliding window door

Drywall frame left

To make sure everything was nicely square between the sliding window door and the window, I had to push in a little support piece, keeping the casing nicely square to the window.

Drywall frame right

I also made the framing for the windowsill above the counter. Hardest part here was to get the supports to be level all the way while they were more or less free standing so I could mark them on the wall. Then I used some small scrap pieces of wood to make sure they were attached in place to the wall: first one against the wall as you can see in the photo, then a second smaller one perpendicular to it, so I could screw it to both the support stud and the one against the wall.

Windowsill support WIP

With the supports in place, all that was left was to put a 1×2 on top of it to create a nice support for the windowsill.

Windowsill support

Why yes, that’s the same level I used for the outlets and Makita drill I’ve been using everywhere. They’ve seen a lot of good use so far, and lots more to come!

All framing work done I could now screw the drywall against it. Left of the sliding window door…

Drywall left

… between it and the window and above the counter…

Drywall counter

I made the holes for the outlets and switches once the drywall was in place, which allowed me to space them more accurately.

Then I could mud all the screw holes…

Drywall with mud left

Drywall with mud right

… and add some paint…

Green paint bucket

I said I want my paint stirred, not shaken!

Paint right

Window guy put the windowsill in place and finished it up with caulk. I still have to tile the little piece of drywall above the counter though, but that has to wait until we have a dishwasher, which has to wait until the storage is finished…

All that’s left now (besides tiling) is to paint the window casings, which we’ll do in one go with all the other windows.

On a side note, we’ll be taking a break next week, to see you all again in the new year. Happy holidays everyone, and be sure to have a blast!