Carport - One thing begets another.... New work

It's always something!
I'm nearing the time when the place will be ready for drywall installation so I'm in the process of reviewing and nailing down odds and ends before any of that can be done because once the drywall goes up, that's it, your done!  That is...unless you have missed something major and have to undo it all again!  Not something I want to have happen.

For example, the master bath shower stall has to be completed at least to the degree that the drywall can be added around it.  The same holds true for the guest bath.  The tub has been installed but not the tub surround.  Since it's a guest bath I've been looking at prefab enclosures but I'll need to build out the wall studs about 1/2" on each end before the surround can go in.

I also need to do some minor drywall support work along the ceiling joists in a couple of places so that the drywall has sufficient backing to screw into.  If the rooms were square, it wouldn't be an issue, but nearly all of the rooms are pie shaped in one way or another.  Add to that that the roof joist radiate out from the center, narrow at the top, wider at the bottom, and you'll quickly find in some places the logical support backing is not there.  Nothing major, just some minor additions to handle that!

So where am I going with all this....?

The same holds true for the carport.  
To make room for the eventual delivery of 170+- panels of 1/2" drywall I have to clear out some things stored under the carport, namely a 4'x8' stack of insulation I had pulled from inside the house pending another expensive run to the county transfer (aka dump) station. 

At some point mid last year, long after all of the previous carport work had been completed, I stepped out the front door for a moment and could feel heat radiating downward from the carport roof.  Since carports are useful work areas all year round, I decided right then I would need to mitigate that at some point in the future.

The prior carport work included pulling down all of plywood covering the ceiling, primarily so I could check the structural integrity. 

Up until feeling the heat from above, I debated whether to leave the carport framework uncovered and just paint it white thus lending to a taller feeling, or just recover it again.  Feeling the heat clinched the notion to recover it all again.

Well...., if I'm going to cover it all over again, why not kill one bird with two stones (every pun intended, read on).  Rather than haul the insulation to the dump, why not install it all up in the ceiling between the joists thus serving two purposes; 1) remove the radiant heat, 2) eliminate the need to take the old insulation to the dump.  It will be hidden away with the new paneling.....Green, eh?

So!  To make room for the drywall, I started paneling the carport ceiling.  Make sense....right??

Light wells.
With the decision to panel, now I had another prerequisite that had to be resolved; the need to improve the exterior lighting before the ceiling is sealed up.

Since it's just a carport and the lights would not be on all the time, I decided it wasn't necessary to go the opulent route with flashy can lights or the like.  Rather, I framed in six 18"x20(ish) recessed light wells up between the joists and installed simple bulb holders.  I painted the inside of each white to enhance the reflectivity.  They're up and out of harms way.

Once framed and covered it will look better

Later I'll frame around them and install some diffuser panels so you can't see the utilitarian nature of the light setup.

So far with just four lights wired and functioning, it's really bright out there.

For the Birds.....
I would have had the last two light wells done last night but I discovered a tiny bird (or two) had taken to nesting up on top of an old and temporary light fixture I put up earlier in the summer.  It had a lovely and comfortable layer of insulation that made for a perfect bed, and when the light was on, occasionally a heat source.  I kept hearing this fluttering noise somewhere but with the light on I couldn't see past the bright bulb so I didn't think much of it until I got close enough to actually see him flit away.

Out of curiosity, I very carefully felt around up there looking to see if there were any eggs up there.  No eggs but all of the sudden a second bird peered down at me over the edge.  Oops CAUGHT!!  He took off!   Later after he returned I turned off the light and crept up on him with my cell phone camera.

He (or she) is in there!

I couldn't make him out so I got closer yet and bingo!

Wonder if he's the same little guy that's been
pecking at my window for three days wanting in.

Well NUTZ!  Ain't that just grand!  I wonder how long they've been there???  It's his lucky day cuz I didn't have the heart last night to toss them out in the cold so I wrapped up what I was doing figuring I'd wait till this next weekend and see if they take flight on their own. 

JEESH!!