Back in December, we constructed a temporary scaffolding structure to access the pool house ceiling.  It wasn’t pretty, but it did allow us to reach the 15 foot peak to install the tongue and groove ceiling.

For months, the bottom of the scaffolding was the main thing we saw, with snippets of the ceiling progress through the joists.  After priming and painting the ceiling, we were able to tear that all down over the weekend and get the full view.

It.Was.Glorious!  It’s funny because we had gotten so used to the vaulted ceiling height that the eight foot scaffolding height felt so low, even though our house ceilings are 8 feet.  Living with that lower height for months, it became our new normal.  So much so, that when the scaffold was down, the ceilings now feel 30 feet high.

If you can ignore the unfinished walls, the difference between the finished ceiling and the original fiberglass sheet clad one makes all the dust, crawling on hands and knees, and hard work well worth it.

With a few working hours left on the day, we tidied up the rest of the pool deck to prep for tile removal.

Time to take out the old outdoor grade blue and gray carpet.

Beneath the carpet is the original early 80’s tile, covered my a lovely layer of industrial glue.

Yeesh, it looks so disgusting.

In some areas, the tile had cracked badly, so before installing the carpet, the bad areas had been filled.

Bright and early on Sunday, Ben got started using a roto hammer with a chisel bit to pry up the old tiles while I filled bucket after bucket to haul away.

We’re just about half way done and so far, 44 five gallon buckets have been filled and dumped.  My arms are stronger and the sides of my legs covered with bruises, but it feels great to make this progress.

Not knowing what is beneath the tile is always an interesting gamble.  The concrete pad was poured with wooden strips used as spacers.  Over time, the wood pieces have rotted away, leaving large gaps below the tile, which is a very strong possibility for the severe cracking.

Before new tile can be installed, we first have to remove all the remaining mastic for a smooth surface and fill the wide gaps.

With much of the back and far walls buried under ground, there wasn’t much in the form of insulation.  Ben is a nut about energy efficiency and insulating, and we want to heat this space as effectively as possible.  To do so, we’re going to build another interior wall to add extra insulation, just as we did in our basement remodel as well as the exterior of the house.

The plan is to put a huge dent in that insulation filled pool, keep the heating bill to a minimum, and maintain a comfortable swimming temperature.  All in good time, of course, but all progress is exciting right now, even with only ugly photos to show for it at this stage.