Drywall & Dates: Our DIY Valentine’s Day Disaster (The Reality of Living in a Renovation & a Bathroom Update!)

The “Live-In” Renovation Reality Check

If you read a construction manual, they’ll tell you to hang drywall first, then install the lights. We did the exact opposite. Because we are actually living in this cabin while we renovate (and we like being able to see in the dark), the lights had to go up early. Add in our absolute desperation to seal this room with mold-resistant drywall after a past mold nightmare (if you missed that story, you can read about it here), and we were left with a completely backward, highly frustrating task: wrestling heavy ceiling drywall around existing light fixtures.

How We Actually Wrestled the Drywall Onto the Ceiling

• The “Mirror Image” Math: Because the lights were already up, we couldn’t just hang the board and cut around them later. We had to pre-cut the holes while the drywall was on the floor. But here is the catch: Mike had to mark and cut the drywall, but since the drywall is actually hung where the front is the bottom, every single measurement had to be completely backward so it would line up exactly right when we flipped it onto the ceiling!
• Lugging the Heavy Stuff: We went with mold and mildew-resistant drywall because of our past nightmare. It is 100% essential for our peace of mind, but it is heavier than regular drywall.
• The “Safety” Plan: I’m recovering from a nerve impingement injury, so Mike was trying to be a good guy and keep me from straining my arms overhead. His brilliant plan? I was supposed to use two 2x4s to prop the heavy drywall up against the ceiling while he fastened it.
• The “Mike Maneuver”: Since using the 2×4 wasn’t helping lift the load, Mike resorted to using his actual head to hold the drywall against the ceiling so his arms were free to work. He ended up with a sore neck and a literal scraped sore spot on the top of his head for his troubles. (Don’t try this at home, folks!)

The Execution (Brute Force & Bleeps): The plan immediately fell apart. Mike used one of my prop 2x4s to build something else, leaving me confused, holding a single piece of wood, and just wanting to climb a ladder to use brute force. Meanwhile, he was desperately trying to protect my injury. It was a recipe for disaster.

The Breaking Point

• Attempt #1: We heaved the heavy board up, only to immediately hit the existing light fixture. We had to completely drop it and try coming at it from a totally different angle.
• Attempt #2: We finally got it back up there, but the board wasn’t cut quite small enough to sit flush against the ceiling joists. We didn’t realize this until Mike started trying to drive screws in… and they were just spinning in empty air, catching absolutely nothing. Cue the cussing 🤬. (Please note that Mike rarely cusses and I probably heard more cussing from his mouth during those few minutes than I have heard during our 30+ years together.)
• The Negotiations: Right around the time the screws were spinning in the void, I gently suggested what any rational person would: “Maybe we should just hire someone to do the ceilings for us?” My suggestion was completely ignored. Later, when we realized we had to take the heavy drywall back down to fix it, I tried again: “Let’s just pause and work on this a different day.” Mike’s response? A firm, stubborn, “No. We’re doing it.”
• The “Mike Maneuver”: In a moment of pure, stubborn desperation, Mike resorted to using his actual head to hold the drywall against the ceiling so his arms were free to work. He ended up with a sore neck and a literal scraped sore spot on the top of his head for his troubles.

At that point, I completely stopped filming. It was just too horrible, and morale was too low to have a camera in our faces! (But you can hear the start of the frustration—and the bleeps—in the video below).

Here’s the 30-second video

The Pink Light at the End of the Tunnel

Somehow, we survived. We finally got the drywall secured, taped, and mudded. Below is the photo of the completely sealed, mold-resistant bathroom. It isn’t pretty yet, but knowing we never have to worry about that past mold issue again makes it the most beautiful drywall I’ve ever seen.

And now? Now we get to the fun part.

After 12 months of dust, brute force, and backward math, we are officially ready for paint. We are Shifting Geers from construction zone to a vintage vision, and we are going pink! We chose Sherwin Williams Lotus Flower, and you can check out our exact design plans and inspiration on our new Pinterest board below. (click the image to go there)