Day Thirty-One: The Day of Six Workmen
I stayed home again today, as I try to used up my extra vacation days before I lose them on April first. And the house was filled with workers today, up to six guys at the high point of the day: two carpenters, two plumbers, and two electricians. Quite a bit happened, and big changes showed up.
Before I talk about today, let me return to yesterday and discuss a few things that I failed to discuss then.
Nancy's Bathtub Sitting in the Garage Last Night
First, yesterday, I took a picture of the bathtub let loose on the floor of the garage (though it was let loose the day before). Nancy and I went out to the garage to see the bathtub, and she hungered after this giant piece of furniture. She wanted me to use this picture of the bathtub because it made it look large (which it is: six feet long).
The Heat Pipe Sidling alongside the Drain Pipe
I also missed the point that a new heat pipe was added to the pipe chase beside the fireplace in the dining room. Also, Tim's radiator was hooked up to this pipe, but not yet connected back to the boiler.
Yesterday's Rehung Drain Pipe with the Old Drain, Discarded, Resting above It
I also didn't notice yesterday that the plumbers (maybe Chris the plumber alone) set up new drain pipes for the upstairs bathroom tub and sink. Strangely--and I suppose for convenience's sake, they left the old pipe stuck up in the ceiling above the new one.
The Electric Meter Resting upon a Little Platform
Finally, I discovered today why the siding around the electric meter was removed. It was to allow space to put a platform behind the meter. I just don't know the reason for the platform itself.
A Blurry View of the Day's Work in Progress
Since I was here during the actual work today, I decided to take a picture of the work in progres--a picture of the mess of doing work. Unfortunately, I didn't check my picture before the mess was cleaned up, and it's a bit blurry.
A Few Can Lights in the Kitchen
In the kitchen today, Chris the electrician and EJ (the apprentice) added six can lights. They don't look like much now, but these are flood lights, not spot lights, so they should fill the room with light. They also snaked wire into the many blue outlet and switch boxes in the kitchen. A long hard bunch of work.
The Hole (Soon to be Under the Bathtub) Providing a View of a Can Light in the Kitchen
Up in the Bathroom, I could look down through this hole in the floor to give you a view of the can lights we'll never see again.
The Box for a Light Switch for a Can Light by the Side Door
Originally, there were going to be seven can lights in the kitchen, though I don't know how. There just doesn't seem to be enough space. But we found a space for an additional can light: over the space in front of the side door. The can light isn't in place yet, but we've got the box for the light switch in place.
Some of the Trucks Parked outside our House Today
When I went to pick up Tim after school, I noticed the huge line of trucks outside our house (with my car squeezed in the middle of all of them), so I decided to take a picture of them when I returned home. Unfortunately, in the interim, one of them disappeared, but that's okay. At one point, there were six trucks and my car parked somehow outside the house.
The Framing Tying together the Ceilings of the Dining Room and the Kitchen
Dave and John's main job today was to lower the ceiling in the dining room so that it would be the same height as the kitchen ceiling. As you can tell from the picture, there will be a soffit as you enter the kitchen and dining room area. This isn't a perfect solution, but we'll refer to this as the foyer.
Nancy's Bathtub in Place in the Bathroom
The big news of the day was the bathtub. Somehow, John and Tom carried it upstairs without my knowing it, and when I found it upstairs Tom told me he'd be putting it in today. I asked him if Nancy could use it tonight, and he said yes, since Chris would put the drain in later today. And here it is.
The Fancy Faucet for the Bathtub
Of course, the plumbers couldn't put in the real faucet right now because it needs to be set up flush against the tile. So instead we have this house-fitting faucet in the tub itself. They need some kind of faucet (even putting aside Nancy for the moment), because they need to prove to the plumbing inspector that the tub is working properly and that nothing is leaking.
A New Heat Pipe Coming out of a Pipe Covered with Asbestos (and Duct Tape)
One of the least pleasant pieces of work today was the fact that Chris removed a bare pipe from an asbestos-covered pipe and replaced it with a new copper heat pipe. The copper pipe is great. But the asbestos isn't. And asbestos was covering the floor right under the pipe as well. I wiped up the asbestos with wet paper towels (to keep it from getting airborne). And, luckily, I was able to borrow some duct tape from Dave and cover this friable and clearly flaking asbestos (along with the rest of the exposed asbestos).
Preparing the Back Door for a Roof
Dave and John's second biggest project was figuring out a roof over the door. What they decided on was to add a single-slope roof above the door, one that merely continued the slope of the back porch roof. They'll put a diverter at the end of the roof to direct the water away from the foundation of the house, so this will certainly be a better situation than the one we now face.
A Bit of the Old Clapboard on the Back of the House
While preparing the area for the roof, John and Dave exposed some more of the old clapboard. It is amazing how bad this now looks. Nancy asked me what color it was. I couldn't tell, so I tried to clean it off with a bit of spit on my finger. All I did was create mud on the surface of the board.
Nancy's Feet Floating in Her Bathtub
Best of all, Nancy took a bath in her soaking tub tonight. It fills so high with water that her feet float free. She has said before that I am not allowed to take her picture and put it on this blog. But at least she's allowing me to show your her feet.
Tonight's video tour is of the bathroom, since that's the room with the most noticeable change today.
Lots more will happen tomorrow. A lot more electrical work. The electrical inspection is now set for Monday, and Chris has much work left to do. Probably some plumbing still (though I'm not sure of this). John will be putting up the roof over the back door tomorrow. And I don't know what else. I'll be home for part of the morning tomorrow so that I can talk to the floor guy about pre-finished hardwood in the kitchen and the hallway and about tile in the bathroom.
honi soit qui mal y pense
Before I talk about today, let me return to yesterday and discuss a few things that I failed to discuss then.
Nancy's Bathtub Sitting in the Garage Last Night
First, yesterday, I took a picture of the bathtub let loose on the floor of the garage (though it was let loose the day before). Nancy and I went out to the garage to see the bathtub, and she hungered after this giant piece of furniture. She wanted me to use this picture of the bathtub because it made it look large (which it is: six feet long).
The Heat Pipe Sidling alongside the Drain Pipe
I also missed the point that a new heat pipe was added to the pipe chase beside the fireplace in the dining room. Also, Tim's radiator was hooked up to this pipe, but not yet connected back to the boiler.
Yesterday's Rehung Drain Pipe with the Old Drain, Discarded, Resting above It
I also didn't notice yesterday that the plumbers (maybe Chris the plumber alone) set up new drain pipes for the upstairs bathroom tub and sink. Strangely--and I suppose for convenience's sake, they left the old pipe stuck up in the ceiling above the new one.
The Electric Meter Resting upon a Little Platform
Finally, I discovered today why the siding around the electric meter was removed. It was to allow space to put a platform behind the meter. I just don't know the reason for the platform itself.
A Blurry View of the Day's Work in Progress
Since I was here during the actual work today, I decided to take a picture of the work in progres--a picture of the mess of doing work. Unfortunately, I didn't check my picture before the mess was cleaned up, and it's a bit blurry.
A Few Can Lights in the Kitchen
In the kitchen today, Chris the electrician and EJ (the apprentice) added six can lights. They don't look like much now, but these are flood lights, not spot lights, so they should fill the room with light. They also snaked wire into the many blue outlet and switch boxes in the kitchen. A long hard bunch of work.
The Hole (Soon to be Under the Bathtub) Providing a View of a Can Light in the Kitchen
Up in the Bathroom, I could look down through this hole in the floor to give you a view of the can lights we'll never see again.
The Box for a Light Switch for a Can Light by the Side Door
Originally, there were going to be seven can lights in the kitchen, though I don't know how. There just doesn't seem to be enough space. But we found a space for an additional can light: over the space in front of the side door. The can light isn't in place yet, but we've got the box for the light switch in place.
Some of the Trucks Parked outside our House Today
When I went to pick up Tim after school, I noticed the huge line of trucks outside our house (with my car squeezed in the middle of all of them), so I decided to take a picture of them when I returned home. Unfortunately, in the interim, one of them disappeared, but that's okay. At one point, there were six trucks and my car parked somehow outside the house.
The Framing Tying together the Ceilings of the Dining Room and the Kitchen
Dave and John's main job today was to lower the ceiling in the dining room so that it would be the same height as the kitchen ceiling. As you can tell from the picture, there will be a soffit as you enter the kitchen and dining room area. This isn't a perfect solution, but we'll refer to this as the foyer.
Nancy's Bathtub in Place in the Bathroom
The big news of the day was the bathtub. Somehow, John and Tom carried it upstairs without my knowing it, and when I found it upstairs Tom told me he'd be putting it in today. I asked him if Nancy could use it tonight, and he said yes, since Chris would put the drain in later today. And here it is.
The Fancy Faucet for the Bathtub
Of course, the plumbers couldn't put in the real faucet right now because it needs to be set up flush against the tile. So instead we have this house-fitting faucet in the tub itself. They need some kind of faucet (even putting aside Nancy for the moment), because they need to prove to the plumbing inspector that the tub is working properly and that nothing is leaking.
A New Heat Pipe Coming out of a Pipe Covered with Asbestos (and Duct Tape)
One of the least pleasant pieces of work today was the fact that Chris removed a bare pipe from an asbestos-covered pipe and replaced it with a new copper heat pipe. The copper pipe is great. But the asbestos isn't. And asbestos was covering the floor right under the pipe as well. I wiped up the asbestos with wet paper towels (to keep it from getting airborne). And, luckily, I was able to borrow some duct tape from Dave and cover this friable and clearly flaking asbestos (along with the rest of the exposed asbestos).
Preparing the Back Door for a Roof
Dave and John's second biggest project was figuring out a roof over the door. What they decided on was to add a single-slope roof above the door, one that merely continued the slope of the back porch roof. They'll put a diverter at the end of the roof to direct the water away from the foundation of the house, so this will certainly be a better situation than the one we now face.
A Bit of the Old Clapboard on the Back of the House
While preparing the area for the roof, John and Dave exposed some more of the old clapboard. It is amazing how bad this now looks. Nancy asked me what color it was. I couldn't tell, so I tried to clean it off with a bit of spit on my finger. All I did was create mud on the surface of the board.
Nancy's Feet Floating in Her Bathtub
Best of all, Nancy took a bath in her soaking tub tonight. It fills so high with water that her feet float free. She has said before that I am not allowed to take her picture and put it on this blog. But at least she's allowing me to show your her feet.
Tonight's video tour is of the bathroom, since that's the room with the most noticeable change today.
Lots more will happen tomorrow. A lot more electrical work. The electrical inspection is now set for Monday, and Chris has much work left to do. Probably some plumbing still (though I'm not sure of this). John will be putting up the roof over the back door tomorrow. And I don't know what else. I'll be home for part of the morning tomorrow so that I can talk to the floor guy about pre-finished hardwood in the kitchen and the hallway and about tile in the bathroom.
honi soit qui mal y pense
posted by Geofhuth at 10:18 PM
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