Insulation

So I busted my butt all day Wednesday to prep for the insulation starting on Thursday.  But it turns out the storm delayed them a day, so they couldn't start until Friday....  That was okay though because it gave me Thursday night to really get things organized and ready for them.

Friday afternoon I got to the house as they were packing up and got to talk to them about the process.  They'll be working Monday and said I'd get to spray the gun!  Can't wait.

Today I was able to add the three smoke detectors (in each bedroom) that I fortunately learned I needed to have before the ceilings were plastered.  I also continued with the central vac rough-in.  The garage and upstairs are done.  Tomorrow I'll tackle the first floor.

Lots of pictures today-

The building permit with the rough framing inspection signed!

My tidy electrical work for the geothermal unit and back up electric heat.

Checked off the list of tedious jobs that needed to get done before insulation: horizontal blocking for hanging cabinets in the kitchen.

Tedious job #2: foam fire blocking all penetrations between floors.

Tedious job #3: adding ceiling joists the entire length of the attic so there will be something to hang the blueboard on.  Easier to do now than after the roof rafters are insulated.

The fireplace wall finally framed out - recesses for shelving on either side and metal studs in the middle that taper down to meet the chimney.

Since I don't like to waste space I framed two recessed to the left of the wood stove.  The bottom one will be open and lined with stone - good for kindling, newspaper, matches, etc.  The top one will have a cabinet door - good for storing things needed in the dining room like table cloths and candle holders.

The kitchen shaping up.  The blueboarders hung the wall adjacent to the garage and mud room so the back side could be sprayed with insulation.  The insulators sprayed the exterior wall.

Ahhhhh, the warm glow of a 200,000 BTU construction heater.  Thank you insulation people for leaving it there for the weekend.  I've been warm and toasty- 45 to 50 degrees.  I should also thank them for being one of the only thorough subs I've hired so far.  Instead of trying to do everything as fast as possible, they've meticulously gone through the house and helped me out by pointing out hidden cavities in walls that I was unaware off, giving me the opportunity to drill holes so they can spray in insulation.  They also pointed out wires that need extra staples to help them avoid cutting them if they get moved by the expanding foam.

The foam insulation in it's pre-shaved state.  It's a two part mix that gets sprayed in through high pressure heated lines.  When the liquids mix in the spray gun they cure within 6 seconds during which they expand to 600 times their original volume.  I learned this while chatting with the sprayers Friday afternoon in a conversation that ranged from the science of spray foam to the relative merits of vasectomies and tubal ligation.  It made me think how fun it has been to meet and talk with the hundreds of characters I've met during this whole process.

The play room wall sprayed and shaved.

Lots of excess shavings make for one big mess, but...

...if I pile them all up in the family room I can jump off the balcony into a giant foam pit!  I can't wait to try it out.

Ice creep.  Melting snow and seeping ground water have turned the corner from the back yard into the driveway.  The water is now making its way into the garage making a nice skating rink, encasing the door trim, freezing the door shut, and gluing my ladders to the floor.  Ice is a powerful force.  I worry it might pry loose the siding and/or trim boards.  Or worse, rise so high it gets into the framed walls and gets my new insulation all wet when it melts.

One more thing to worry about - It's great that I can now heat the house.  But without insulation the snow on the roof just melts and runs to the eaves where it refreezes and is in the process of making one hefty ice dam.  All day today I could hear icicles breaking off the roof and crashing onto the front porch roof.  I hope there won't be any shingle damage when the ice recedes.

All shoveled by hand!  If I had only known the insulation guys had their own plow truck I wouldn't have spent so much time trying to clear a bigger space at the top of the driveway for them.  It was nice of them to plow what I didn't get to though.  Unfortunately, they hit my extension ladder that was hidden under the snow.  I haven't assessed the damage yet.

A lovely blanket of insulation to keep my bathroom toasty warm.

Heat!... and Snow

Lots happening lately, but no pictures yet.  Too tired right now.

Blueboarder/plasterer is hired.  He came yesterday to do the walls between the garage and house to prep for insulation.  He's ready to go middle/end of next week!
Heating system is all done but the well.
Insulation is slated to start Thursday and be complete by next Tuesday.

And now, how I spent my snow day

Last night: got the phone call - snow day!  Plenty of time to get everything ready at the house for insulation to start Thursday.
Problem: white out conditions expected in the early morning.  I contemplated sleeping at the house, but there's no heat yet.  I decided to get up at 3:30 to beat the snow there. I packed everything I'd need to spend the day and didn't go to bed until 12:30.
3:30 AM - I didn't beat the snow (white out).  I made it to the house more by feel than my sight.
3:45 - got stuck in the driveway with the car halfway in the garage.  Couldn't leave it like that, so had to get out in the snow to push, pull, etc.
4:30 - after a 45 minute battle and with the help of a couple 2x4s and a nylon racheting tie down strap I managed to get myself into the garage and close the door.  Cold and wet and tired, I crawled into the back of the wagon for some more sleep. 
6:00 - after more than an hour of trying to sleep but being too cold I got up and started working.

After that it's a blur.  Things I got done today: 
Wired the geo unit so the downstairs heat would work.  I ran it all day and managed to get the house up to 37F.  Can't wait for insulation. 
Framed out the attic ceiling so we'll be able to sheetrock it after insulation.
Organized all the wires in the basement to get them away from the sills (line voltage and low voltage both)
Side note - I had to pee out the back door since I hadn't shoveled, it was still snowing, and I didn't want to spend the day in a cold house with soaking wet pants and boots.
Layed out and started installation of central vac.  Only had time to complete the branches that were absolutely necessary (inside insulated walls).  The one under the mud room was a PAIN.
Ran a 2" PVC conduit from the basement to the attic for future wiring needs.
Fireblocked the new holes that I drilled today.
Cleaned and organized some.
Framed a box around the downstairs bathroom vent in the play room closet.
Exposed a few wires and switch boxes that the blueboarder covered when he did the wall between the garage and house.  He also covered a section of exterior wall that isn't insulated yet and forgot to blueboard the wall between the bedroom and bathroom for soundproofing.  Need to call him tomorrow.
And last, but not least - shoveled the driveway.  18" of snow plus being on the outside edge of a cul de sac make for one giant snowplow bank.  Started that around 8 or 9 with Paul and Sarah.  Finished up right around 11:30.

Things I didn't get done today that I will have to go do before work tomorrow (it's 12:45AM, so I guess that's today):
Video tape all of the exposed wiring and plumbing before it all gets covered up.
Move the giant pile of scrap lumber from in front of the garage door so the insulators can get in.
Move all the tools and miscellaneous crap in the dining room into the basement to get it out of their way.

p.s.  Thankyous today: to Amy and Sarah for delivering DD once the roads were cleared.  They had to wade through the 4' high plowed snowbank since I hadn't shoveled yet.  Also, to Amy and Sarah for delivering a delicious dinner.  To Paul and Sarah for coming to help me shovel out at 9PM.  Unfortunately, one of the pins on the snowblower broke after one pass so it was a shovel job for the rest of it (pictures of the snow piles tomorrow).  And to dad for going on Tuesday to take pictures of all the inside walls before they get covered in case we need to find any wires/plumbing in the future.

Happy New Year

It was about a year ago today that the girls fell asleep on a car ride and we happened upon Camden Drive while driving randomly to let them sleep.  A lot can happen in a year...

I had a few relaxing days during the school vacation, but got a lot of work done too. 

The weather has cooperated for the most part.  The Christmas "blizzard" only brought a few inches of snow, but big drifts.  Shoveling a driveway for a house you don't live in is not fun.  Bill was nice enough to come over with his snowblower and help me out.  Since then it's been almost warm.

The rough wiring was wrapped up for the most part by Tuesday.  Marc came Wednesday and helped me figure out and run all the data wiring.  The second set of hands made the work go a lot faster, and it was fun to think about actually living there and where I'd want TV, computers, speakers, etc.  Thanks Marc!

Today I ran speaker wire, put in blocking for all the kitchen cabinets.  Have I mentioned the agonizing Amy and I have done over what type of range hood to install?

Also met with plasters and insulation people this week for quotes.  It's hard to believe that is in the near future.

Took a needed break from wiring this week to visit friends in New Hampshire.  Unfortunately, I scheduled the wiring inspection early in the morning the day after we returned.  And the car gave us a scare on the way up (thought we might loose a wheel again), but it turned out to be nothing.

Annika stylin' on a pair of borrowed skis.

Ella tearing up the slopes.

Along with electrician discussion forums and printed diagrams of various circuit combinations, this has been my companion for the last few weeks.  I hid it under a sweatshirt in my car when the wiring inspector came.  I didn't want him to realize just how much of a novice I am.

Larry was nice enough to lend me his torpedo heater to get through the cold weather.  Unfortunately, Kerosene is hard to come by.  Everyone I've asked looks at me like I'm crazy.  There may be one gas station in Webster Square that sells it though.  I'll go check once this "heat wave" passes.

Prepped for the sub-panel under the kitchen.

The mason actually came and filled the gap behind the fireplace veneer!  It took a bunch of phone calls and listening to stories about his car accident to get it done, but it's done.  He still insists the wood stove is okay.  We'll see.  He also managed to come do the work on the one day I wasn't at the house.  Weird.

This is what I've been doing for the last week.  It's scary to think that I won't actually test out any of my work until after the wiring is all enclosed in the walls.

Oh yeah, I passed the electrical inspection!  12/31/2010.  Another personal deadline met, just barely.  Amy and I cleaned up the mess of wire scraps and junk until 11:30 after coming home from NH and I went back at 5:30 the next morning to finish wiring a few boxes and stapling wires.  No complaints from the inspector.

So now onto duct work.  A few days of that and I should be ready for the rough framing inspection!  And now that we've settled on a range hood design I can actually do the duct work.  Still lots of question marks since I have to duct 3 bathrooms, a clothes dryer, and a range hood.  Hopefully I can get it all to work.

Still haven't drilled the well.  And the rig continues to sink and/or get iced over.  But the duct guys installed the ERV in the attic and finished up their stuff yesterday.  Another guy came by the other day and installed the back-up electrical resistance heat.  Once I get the blower unit and heater wired (and a thermostat set up) I can actually have some heat in the house.  And not a moment too soon since it will need to be at least 50 when they spray the foam.

Here's a look at my head-start for Manuary.  Amy says I look like a thief taking my own picture outside a house I'm about to break into....

Cold

It's a bad sign when the temperature reaches 35 degrees outside and you have to open all the doors in the house to warm it up inside...

Continued wiring this week in a very cold house.  Nearing the end of the regular 15 and 20 amp circuits.  Now all the 30 and 50 amp equipment circuits (stove, oven, dryer, water heater, geo units, back up heaters, sewer pump).  Steve came by to help me figure out a lot of the wiring issues I'm having.  He also confirmed that the mason did a shoddy job, so now I get to try to hunt him down this week.  Fun.

A benefit of all the cold weather: cute pictures of the kids playing in the snow.

Nothing to do with the house, but it was too cute not to include it.

Geothermal well drilling rig in place and ready to go.  It was dropped off Friday right in front of the dumpster that was being picked up on Friday.  I had to spend an hour with the dumpster truck driver figuring out how to extract the full dumpster from the back yard.

Question: How do you keep the blue water from freezing?

 

Answer: Drop a chunk of rock salt in the urinal and let people pee on it.

  Great chemistry lesson.

Paintbrushsicle.

In retrospect, maybe I was over-confident when I said,  "No problem.  I'm doing the electrical.  I'll provide power to the geothermal units."

Electricity and Automobiles

Since Thanksgiving I have been focused on electrical work.  It's a slow process since there are so many decisions to be made: where to put fixtures?, how many?, what type?, where to put the switch?, 3-way or single pole?, bathroom fan locations?, with nightlight feature or without?, how many outlets?, which fixtures to put on which circuits?, how to get power to the circuit?, how to power each fixture?, 15A or 20A?, GFIC or Arcfault?.  And I haven't even gotten to doorbells, internet, telephone, cable, speakers.....  Thankfully, I have Steve to answer all my questions and lend me his tools.  Tearing through multiple studs with a 2 foot auger on his right angle drill never gets old.

In the meantime, my car turned into a trash pit.  I finally cleaned it all out- just in time to tear my tire open on a curb and need to access the spare.  So am I unlucky that I got a flat, or lucky that I was able to get to the spare? 

I also set up a thermometer inside the house this week just out of curiosity.  Maintained low 30's for the weekend.

Pictures of wires running through walls aren't very exciting, so I mixed in some others:

Just in case I break down in a blizzard I keep a few extra jackets and sweatshirts, and boots...

3 weeks worth of school clothes.

Multifunctional passenger seats serves as a file cabinet, hamper, gym locker, trash bin, and breakfast table.  Unfortunately, it can't hold actual passengers.  You know it's time to clean out the car when your wife tells you she's seen things like this on "Hoarders."

Mmmmmmmmmm.... donuts.

Photograph taken by Annika!

Photograph taken by Ella!

Action shot taken by Ella.

The LVL beams seamed like an easy solution to structural issues until I had to try to get wires around them and all the switch boxes just happened to be in that wall.

I never thought I'd have to use a 32' extension ladder indoors.

Thanksgiving

The unofficial deadline I set for myself to have the siding done was Thanksgiving.  While I didn't have it done by Thanksgiving day, and there's still a few more pieces of trim to put up, I did get the last piece of cement board secured before Thanksgiving dinner was served.  Victory!  It wouldn't have been possible without my mom and dad coming by this morning when they got back from New York to help with stuff I just couldn't do myself.  I did try to do it myself, but in the process ruined a few pieces of trim trying to cut/handle them alone.  At one point, out of extreme frustration I threw a tape measure at the floor.  The perfect bounce sent it straight back into my face.  No bruises yet, but it did serve to calm me a little.  Thankfully, my dad showed up shortly after that incident.  Which brings me to my Thanksgiving list of gratitude...

I have a lot to be thankful for:

• My children for "going with the flow."  They are taking everything in stride, and I love them for it.
• My wife for putting on her warm clothes and coming out in the wind and cold last night to help make the siding "deadline."  She also took on the task of informing Ella about Loki today when she asked why he hasn't been eating the food she's been putting in his dish every day.
• My in-laws for providing room and board for our family through this whole thing and putting up with the new level of chaos in their home. 
• My sister-in-law for  taking the brunt of the extra child care duties on top of working 2 jobs and fixing up her own house so that Amy can teach and I can work on the house.
• My parents for all they've given up in their own lives so my dad can spend so much time helping work on the house.  There's no way I could have done this without his help.

The side of the dormer was the last significant chunk of siding.  I finished that Tuesday night by headlamp to take advantage of a day with temperatures above 40.

 

 

On the plus side: He finally finished the rough grade enough to have water drain AWAY from the house!  He also reshaped the driveway to make it less steep.  On the negative side: I talked to the sewer commissioner and learned that we can't get an occupancy permit because he never paid the fees to the town for multiple sewer hook-ups he had done, so they revoked his drain layer's license, yet he continued to do hook-ups illegally.  So ours was done by an unlicensed person and without a permit.  Hopefully the pending lawsuit by the town will be settled by the time we are ready to move in.  What a mess.

The porch beam trimmed and the last pieces of siding in place.  This picture was taken 14 minutes before thanksgiving dinner was served.

Notches: the reason the last 1% of the siding took an inordinate amount of time.

Siding complete, high spots painted, window wells in, only one wet area still in the yard.

Building the tub surround was a welcome break from siding last week.  Shockingly, the tub actually fit into the cutout I made in the deck on the first try.

HVAC has been there this week working on ductwork and installing the geothermal units.  Very cool to see it all coming together, but it brings a whole new layer of decisions about locations of wells, trenches, equipment, ducts, supply grates, returns, piping, wiring, etc.

Spent a whole night contorting myself to get behind the ductwork (see pictures above and below) to seal off the soffit vents so when the insulation is sprayed in it doesn't expand and ooze out of the house.  One more day and the return ducts would have made it impossible for me to do this.

The "alien spaceship" of flexible ducts running off the sheet metal main lines.

The Dreaded 40-Footer

Nearing completion of the siding (with the exception of caulking and painting all the trim - that may wait until spring).   Finally got all the high spots done this week thanks to a 40 foot extension ladder borrowed from Dean, picked up and delivered by Amy with her dad's truck and Dean's trailer.  Amy came over early this morning and we sided one wall under the porch.  All that's left: under the porch in front, the front of the family room, and the north side of the garage dormer.

Since it was warm today, and we have the 40-foot ladder set up and the step ladder is still tied on the family room roof still, I did some painting in the high spots as well.  Note to self:  it takes less effort to move a ladder than to try to reach the tricky spots with a brush duct taped to the end of a stick.

"Great Stuff" is not so great when the nozzle gets blown off and your hands get covered in rapidly expanding sticky goo.  The "Always wear gloves" warning makes sense now.  Hopefully the stains will come out of my hands fairly quickly.

Otherwise, did some miscellaneous framing tasks, figured out what to do with the tub deck, some major cleaning/organizing my junk, finally hard wired two outlets for power away from the electrical panel - no more pushing that one extension cord to its limits.

HVAC has also started in earnest.  Now I have to keep up with the electrical so they can hove power to test the equipment once it's installed.  Air supplies and returns are in place.  Met with well driller to locate geo wells. 

The front peak fully sided. 

What do you do when you set up one giant ladder in an unsafe manner?  You add a second ladder, a few bungee cords, some rope to tie it all together, a harness made from two belts, some climbing rope, and your father on belay through the attic window, of course.  Throw in some long planks of siding and some power tools and you've got yourself a party!

Hello down there.

The 20 square feet above the bump-out roof took 80% of our time.  Here we are planning our attack.

The help.

Nearing completion high atop the dreaded 40-footer.  Not too terrifying until I had to walk out on the little plank that's resting between the ladder jack and the steep roof.

R.I.P. Loki Buddy

Today was the first really sad day at the new house.  Amy and I buried Loki beneath the oak tree in the  back yard at sunset today.

If I were the type who believed in such things, I might think the giant, bright shooting star I saw on the way back to 338 Pakachoag tonight was Loki saying goodbye.

We'll miss you Loki.