Drywall Begins..,and We Dodge the Rain

Installation of the drywall, which I've always called "sheetrock." began yesterday.  The photo at the left shows a drywall installer standing on a scaffold in the living area.

The builder told us some time ago that he would not start installation of the drywall until the roof is complete because water severely damages drywall board.  If it gets wet, it has to be removed and replaced.  

Unfortunately the roofing was only about one-half complete when the drywall crew showed up yesterday.  The weather forecast stated that rain would start as early as noon today.  

A rain shower several days ago illustrated the potential leakage problem.  The interior of the house had been pretty dry since the roof decking was installed in late January.  However,  the roofers installed horizontal strips to support the sheet metal, and they created little dams that prevented the water from running quickly off the decking.  The result was several leaks into the living and dining area on the back side of the house.  The front side was dry because the roofing was complete there.

So the roofers began a race with the rain to get the vulnerable areas covered.  They worked until dark yesterday and began very early today.  Fortunately, the rain did not arrive until late afternoon today, and the roofers covered all the areas that matter.  Only areas over porches that do not contain drywall remain to be covered.

As this is being written, it has been raining for about three hours.  We made it just in time!