Foam Insulation / Firring Strips

I had four of my Amish friends come over today to put up the 1.5" insulation sheets, and they got that entire job done (in the living area of the house).  We also put a few of the firring strips up just to see how it is going to work...  They snapped chalk lines on the insulation so we can find the trusses easier.

While they were working on the insulation, I was working on getting the strips cut to length for each room, and drilling holes into the ends (so they won't crack).  We were able to put screws through the centers of the strips without them cracking which is great since it saves a lot of time.

Here are some pictures of the insulation and the strips...

Ceiling Insulation

Well, I had two guys (who work for my drywall guy) come and work on the insulation in the ceiling today.  They worked around 4-5 hours, and probably have 90% of it done.  They skipped over the parts that have to be cut and pieced in, so they are almost finished, but not quite...

I have also set up for two of my Amish friends to come and work on Friday and Saturday of this week to put up the 1.5" foam insulation and the firring strips.  It will be interesting to see how long that will take...  I have to get those firring strips cut to length and I would really like to get the holes drilled in those before John and Elmer come on Friday...  That will be a lot of work particularly because I won't get the replacement motor for the table saw until tomorrow (probably late afternoon).

My wife and two of our kids went back to Tennessee today, so Kendrick and I are here alone now.  It was nice to have the family here, but there are things they need to do back in Tennessee, too...

Blocking and Burned out Motor

While working on cutting boards for blocking in the walls, my table saw motor burned up, so I am getting a replacement motor.  My dad happened to have a motor that will work (probably better than the one that was on the saw), so I am looking forward to getting that by UPS on Wednesday this week.  Thank you, Dad...

Meanwhile, I was able to put several of the pieces into the various walls, and I started going around measuring all the various wire locations in the walls, and also the "stud" locations in each wall...  Also taking pictures of each wall so I will have both a catalog of this information as well as photo records.

My wife finished the staining of the window frames and the grilles, but we will have to do the windows themselves later.  They can be taken out to do them in the workshop later on...

Things continue to "crawl" along at snails pace, but we are still moving forward...

Loose Ends Before Drywall...

Trying to get some of the last minute details finished up before the insulation is finished so that I'll be ready for drywall by then...

Worked on the blocking in the walls today -- still have a lot to do, but I have worked out a pretty good solution.  We bought some more 2x4's today for that, and also the plywood -- hope it's enough!

And, I wanted to add some extra strength to the ceiling fan boxes, and I've got two more of those to finish.

We have the bottom front wall to finish putting these straps on the studs / sill plate.

My wife worked on staining the window grilles again today.  She has done the front of all of them now, and has to finish the back (which will show outside)...

We did get the rest of the 1.5" insulation sheets delivered today, so now I should have everything we need to get from here to drywall!

Wall Insulation -- Done

Well, today, I was able to complete the installation of the wall insulation.  There is always a caveat -- I dohave some more Styrofoam insulation that I need to put around o ur storage room that is technically part of the garage.

I also nearly completed attaching those metal straps to the wall headers / studs.  I have to put them on the sill plates / studs, but that can be done while the guys put the insulation in the ceiling.

That process should start tomorrow morning...  My drywall guys are supposed to be here at 8AM, and get the ceiling insulation started...

Lots to do yet before drywall, but the list is definitely getting shorter...  I have the blocking to finish in the walls, and I have to catalog the wall locations of the wires (that I'm leaving inside the walls for now).

Also, I would like to predrill the holes in the firring strips to keep them from splitting...

My wife was very helpful this week -- she worked today on staining the window frames and assembling and staining the grills that go into the windows.  We'll have to take the windows out to stain them each one later, but that doesn't have to be done right now.  We wanted to get the frames stained before the drywall / painting.  We'll see if that turns out to be a mistake or not...

So, now, it's a race to get the drywall started...  Thought we'd never get this far!

Wall Insulation, Etc

Update: Added pictures below -- my descriptions may not have done the job without pictures...

Well, I am still just sort of putzing along, but making progress...  We are now a little more than half done putting in the wall insulation, and that really won't take that much longer.

I have also done some other things -- just sort of whatever I feel like...  I had some wires that I still needed to run...  I changed my mind where to put the future intercom in the master bedroom, so had to run a wire.  The intercom system that I would like to get (someday) requires power to each keypad (because the keypads also have audio amplification capability for whole house Audio/Video), so I ran almost all of those wires.  Several could have been run later, and the three that I didn't get done because I ran out of wire can be accessed from the attic, so I will likely wait to finish those.

We have also continued to make progress nailing those reinforcement straps on the tops of the walls -- still have more to do...  It wouldn't take long if I just ignored everything else, and did that one job...

I also have been planning to put some blocking in walls for hanging pictures, etc, so, I cut a 2x4 down and put a notch in it so that I can use my nailer to put it in the wall, and then a piece of half inch plywood will set right in the notch.  That way, I can use the nailer and an electric stapler, and get those done in a hurry...

Here are two 2 foot sections of the 2x2 that I cut the corners out of (front corner is for the plywood -- back corner is for any wires that happen to be running up the stud)...

Here is a wall that I put some 1' sections into -- just to make sure my nailer wasn't going to split the 2x2 too badly.  Seemed to work great!

I can work on several of these things when my guys come later this week or next week to work on the ceiling insulation -- prior to drywall, but I wanted to figure out what I'm going to do while I have the time...

Also made a neat "jig" to cut the insulation lengthwise...  I set two 2x2's down (attached about 1/2 inch apart), and then I lay the insulation on top of them (positioning where I want the cut over top of the 1/2 crack), then use another 2x4 on top of them to compress the insulation -- actually, I put one on each side, and then use my homemade "knife" or "saw" to just cut it...  I'm sure the pro's have something similar, but I'm not a pro, and I didn't want to spend money on a tool I'll only need for a week or two...

Here are the 2x2's on the ground -- the third one is just to give me something to set the 2x4 on top of... 

Here is the insulation with the 2x4 on top of it -- I added some boards on the ends to hold this 2x4 down for me -- hard to hold it and cut at the same time...

Here is the 2 inch piece cut off -- for some of those places where the stud ended up right beside a door / window...

Anyway, my family is here this week, but yesterday and today, the kids had to go take the standardized achievement tests, so it has been a little lonely -- can't even talk with my wife on the phone as she is a volunteer proctor for the testing!  So, I'm putzing around and drinking a lot of coffee...

Wall Insulation

As I mentioned Saturday, we were able to get started on the wall insulation.  In just a few hours yesterday, I was able to get almost a quarter of the wall insulation done.  I still have the "partial" cavities to do, but I am making good progress.

I went around and put some of that spray insulation in the holes where the wires for the exterior lights go through the sheathing, and also around the back of the exterior outlet boxes.  Just to cut down on the breeze coming through the wall.

And, I decided that the "nailers" (extra studs in the corners of the walls for nailing drywall) on the exterior walls created a "void" that I would be able to insulate behind, and so I decided to turn them sideways in order to eliminate those voids.

So, we can honestly say we are "started" on the wall insulation.  I'm sort of putzing along, but it is starting to go a little faster as I work.

Glad to say that my family has come back to Ohio for the week.  Hopefully, we'll all be able to do some work this week, and we'll get at least all of the walls insulated in just another few days.  Cheap labor...

Insulation Started...

Today, I haven't worked hard all day -- took a little break...

I couldn't help but take a picture of the used cans of spray insulation -- Look like a herd of aliens or something -- "Pick me, Pick me"...

But, I did get some work done...  First, my son did some more of those reinforcing straps on the top of the walls.  And, I started the work on the R13 insulations in the walls.  After fighting with the utility knife, I took a few minutes to make myself a "knife" out of a piece of the aluminum corner cap I hadn't thrown away yet.  It looks sort of like a butcher knife -- I put a board on the ground, and a 2x4 on top of that, and then laid the insulation on top of that, and another 2x4, and then I used the knife like a saw...  It worked great...

And, here is the wall -- I've decided to do the "easy" cavities first, and whatever I don't finish before my guys get here this week, they can finish...

And, yes, I know I'm supposed to fold the paper over the 2x4, but my drywall guy specifically told me not to so he can glue the drywall in place (in addition to the screws).  I'm not concerned about a continuous vapor barrier there because I have 2 continuous vapor barriers on the outside of the sheathing (both a house wrap AND the foam insulation with a mylar coating on both sides).

Speaker Wires, Door / Window Insulation, and Extra Security

We got a lot of little things done today -- still seems like we're not doing a lot, but we did get the speaker wires finished today -- we are now about 99% finished with all the audio/video wiring.  Part of the rest is just getting the wires secured inside the walls.

I have a computer spreadsheet which I'll use to document the locations of these wires in each wall.  I could put boxes in the walls, and let the drywall guys cut them out when they hang them, but I would rather have the option of leaving some of these until someday in the future when I'm ready to finish them out.  I have speaker wires in all bedrooms and living areas -- including the master bath (where the whirlpool is located).  The speakers alone will cost a lot of money, and wiring the connectors will take a lot of time, so I can delay both the expense and the effort until I am ready to do a given room...  We'll get there eventually -- until then, the wires are in the walls, and will patiently wait for me to cut a whole :)

And, we were also able to use that cool expanding foam around all the rest of the windows and doors in the house -- it is difficult to get the right amount.  I would rather get too much and cut it off than not fill the cracks up...  Here is a picture of one window (the light outside caused this to turn out rather dark)...

And, I had some help from my son on attaching these straps of metal to the studs and to the wall header boards just to add a little security in case of extremely high winds.  We will do the same type of thing on the bottom of the studs also to keep the house firmly attached to the foundation (since only the bottom board is actually bolted to the concrete).

Here is my helper...

Insulation, Vacuum System Wire, Speaker Wire

Well, today I was able to complete the vacuum system wiring -- the low-voltage wire that turns the unit on and off when the hose is plugged in / unplugged.  So, another task checked off the list...

We have a couple of rooms that I didn't finish the speaker wire in earlier, but I bought wire today, and will hopefully will be able to get this done in a day or two.  I have more than half of the rooms done, and some of them are accessible from the attic in case I decide to wait and do them later -- though, it is so much easier to just do it now while the walls and ceiling are open...

And, I went back to Home Depot to get the last load of the fiberglass insulation, so I have almost all the materials here now to get through to drywall.  I am waiting on the foam insulation -- a bit frustrated to find that the company was claiming it would be 2-3 more weeks!  Outrageous since I called the guy 2 weeks ago.  I think it just didn't get ordered when I first called him.

Anyway, I am going to be pressuring him to get the company to rush the order, so we'll see what happens...

I also bought some metal strapping to use to reinforce the wall headers to the studs.  I just didn't like the fact that the roof is attached to the wall header boards, and each stud just has two nails into the ends (which is relatively weak because it is with the grain), and then the sheathing and wallboard are the only additional thing attaching the roof to the foundation.  I suppose I should do the same thing at the bottoms of the wall, and I may...  But, I did get the metal strap today, and the roofing nails go through it just great, so I will feel just a little more secure when / if there is tornado weather...

And, last but not least, the drywall clips for the ceiling were supposed to be delivered today, but there was a "delivery exception" -- no attempt was made (according to the website), so those should get here tomorrow.

So, I once again have PLENTY of work to keep me busy this weekend and next week.  I am having my drywall guy come in next week to help with insulation, but whatever I have done will be great to have done...  Just that much less labor to pay...

So, even though I didn't get a whole lot done today, I sure feel like I did...  Now to actually do all these little jobs I have lined up for myself!

Tax Cut to 95% of America? Is He Serious?

So, President Obama claims he has delivered his promised tax cut to 95% of Americans?  Where is it?

And you say you're helping American's by cutting taxes -- raising tax on tobacco affects a lot of Americans.  Cap and trade policies will raise (probably double) most of our energy costs -- may not be actually a "tax", but it will cost most American's a lot of money.

Our hard earned money is not like peanut butter that you "spread around"...

American's are a generous people.  If their neighbor needs something, generally speaking, American's will help -- with food or money or clothes.  Charity is about voluntarily helping people...  Government "spreading the wealth around" is not voluntary and it is not charity.

If Obama thinks he is going to change our opinions by getting on TV or the internet making clever speeches (with a bunch of "uh's"), then he must really think we're stupid!  I think we're just a little smarter than that...

Transparency?  Did you say you will have the most transparent administration in American history?

This is like one big "Presidential Shell Game"...  Where's the money?

Odds and Ends -- Will it Ever End?

There are a few details that I have to finish up before insulation and drywall are done -- a few additional low-voltage wires, spray insulation filler around windows and doors, and of course, I have to get the insulation here so they can put it in...

So, in addition to continuing to rip these firring strips, I have been getting some of these loose ends tied up...  It just seems to never end!

Nothing really new to take pictures of, so it will be a few days before I post any more pictures...

BOLO: Rightwing Extremism

A little time out from my normal blog context...  Some things just deserve a comment...

An official Department of Homeland Security "assessment" document has somehow made it into the public arena, and you may have already heard about it...  In addition, some of the copies of it seemed to be suddenly (and conspicuously) unavailable...  Of course, once in the public arena, it cannot be somehow deleted...

Here is the "scope" statement:

This product is one of a series of intelligence assessments published by the Extremism and Radicalization Branch to facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomenon of violent radicalization in the United States. The information is provided to federal, state, local, and tribal counterterrorism and law enforcement officials so they may effectively deter, prevent, preempt, or respond to terrorist attacks against the United States. Federal efforts to influence domestic public opinion must be conducted in an overt and transparent manner, clearly identifying United States Government sponsorship.

You really need to read all 10 pages of this document, but suffice it to say that this document seems to classify most Americans who believe in things like states rights, right to life, and capitalism as "rightwing extremists".

Read that last sentence above carefully -- "Federal efforts to influence domestic public opinion must be conducted" -- in other words, the Federal government has a responsibility to influence your opinions!  That sounds to me like they think they have to introduce propaganda to influence your thinking!!!

The problem here is that this sounds a lot to me like the sort of propaganda that Hitler put out there in pre-WWII Germany specifically about the Jews...

We are being labeled as rightwing extremists and assessed as a threat.  Now, just one crackpot needs to do one stupid thing, and they'll say, "See, we warned about this."

Tomorrow is the Tax Day Tea Parties all around the country.  Doubtless there will be some "event" that will be exaggerated by the left wing media, and the left wing will define the rest of us Conservatives by that one "event"...  Even if there is no "event" for the left to coalesce around, I expect the radical left (like Acorn) to come out and taunt some lawful protester with a temper, and that will be the one event that will show up on the left wing evening news...

We may have to wait two years until the next election to see the balance of power shift...  But, I think that is exactly why Obama and his "administration" (read cronies) are trying to get so much of their radical agenda pushed through so quickly with no debate whatsoever (they don't even have time to read what they're voting on most of the time)!  They know they have to do this while they have the power.  But, what they are miscalculating is that these extreme policies are waking a sleeping giant -- once called the moral majority.  We have been silent too long!  We have got to show up tomorrow, and we have got to show up at the polls in 2 years and again in 4 years!

Bob & Andy...

Stopped by John and Lilly Miller's this afternoon to let John know the status of the house (since I had talked with him about the possibility of having him help me with the insulation and the firring strips)...

While I was outside talking with John (and his two little girls were running around and falling in the mud a time or two), out of the house comes Lilly carrying a pie...  They weren't expecting me, so she had made a few pies, and she gave me one of them.  She told me it was "Bob & Andy Pie".

Not being Amish myself (at least not yet -- I may be next year if I can't find a job), I was telling my wife (back in Tennessee) about it, and asked her to look it up on the internet (amazing how much information about the Amish has made it to the "information super highway")...

Sure enough, she found it first thing...  Here is one of the recipe pages that has a brief description of the origin...

So, I just had a piece, and I think I'll need three more before I can tell you how it tastes :)  Actually, I would have to describe it as a custard pie -- it is good, and I probably will have three more pieces...

On the home front, I was able to get a bunch more of the 1/2" strips ripped today, and I have decided to get some drywall clips to attach the drywall to the side walls to help avoid cracking of the corners due to truss uplift (since trusses bow due to changes in temperature and humidity).

And, I went to Home Depot, and bought all the fiberglass insulation 12 months same as cash, and because I went to the contractors desk, they were able to save me $80!  They were very helpful and friendly, and it all worked out great!  I couldn't get it all back here in one trip, but I have enough to get started...

Unfortunately, there are a couple of other things I need to finish in the walls before we can insulate, and certainly before they can do the drywall...

In addition, I talked with Shad Guy -- my drywall guy (appropriate) -- and they are needing some work, so he agreed to come and put up the insulation and these firring strips for very low labor cost.  It really helps to be able to get some help getting through this phase...  Once they get started, I expect the insulation to take them just a few days and then the firring strips shouldn't take too long.  Then, the drywall plus the painting, and we'll be ready for doors, trim, and cabinets...

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little brighter, and it doesn't sound like a train...

Firring Strips and Warm Floors!

Well, we got started ripping the firring strips yesterday...  Actually, I am ripping 2x6's down into half inch strips, so each piece will be 1.5" x 0.5".  I will also need some that are 1.5" x 2", so I have several of those also.

Because of the varying sizes of the rooms, I have calculated how many of each I need at various lengths, and so I can get them done ahead of time, and then we can cut them to length as we put them in each room. The following table shows how many of each size I need:

Length	0.5" wide strips	2" wide strips
10'	75	17
14'	98	19
16'	17	9

So far, I have the following cut:

Length	0.5" wide strips	2" wide strips
10'	34	0
14'	23	0
16'	17	9

So, I have a bunch more to do, but it is coming along -- in just over a day!

Here is a picture of the pile of strips I've cut -- the 2" 16' boards are in the middle. The camera appears to have something on the lens -- probably sawdust from ripping all these boards...

And, the heat is set for 40 degrees, so it does come on at night quite a bit, and so I took my shoes off to walk around on the floor tonight, and it feels pretty nice!  We are going to enjoy that in the mornings!  Without the insulation on the ceiling, the heat does seem to be sapped out of the slab pretty quickly, but I was happy to be able to feel the warmth...

Passed Rough-In Inspection!

Praise the Lord!  He is Good!  And greatly to be Praised!

I finally called the building authority to have the rough in inspection -- fully expecting to fail because I have been told to expect him to find something wrong in a house this big...

I don't know if it was my utter honesty or the fact that I have been consulting with Todd Mobley or what, but he told me he was going to pass me right now...  After he left, I was brought to tears at God's answer to prayer!

Not that I have anything I'm trying to hide, but I have heard too many horror stories about building inspections, and I knew there had already been some problems...  But, I did go ahead and replace the headers over the 6' openings (2 windows and a door) -- and he saw that, and I think that may have helped him know I wasn't trying to hide anything...

So, we are now on to the next big phase -- insulation...  I have to go out and buy that...  I have already started ripping the 2x6's for firring strips after we get the insulation up...

So, we are ecstatic right now, and just rejoicing at how good God is!  Now, if only He will help me find the right job to pay for all this!

Whirlpool in Place -- FINALLY!

Well, we were able to put the trim around the whirlpool today, and lower it into place -- as straight as we can get it.  It is primarily setting on this decking, but I have lowered the feet underneath it to be snug against the concrete to prevent the water weight from shifting it or any chance of moving the decking.  You can see the extra little decoration of the trim piece around the front of the tub -- this actually goes underneat the edge, and is holding the tub up.

And, here are some pictures of the boxes where the outside lights will mount -- they are nice large flat areas since siding doesn't provide much of a surface...  This first one is outside our French doors from our bedroom onto the deck, and then the second one is outside the laundry room door on the deck.  Only the boxes (without the covers) are shown by the laundry room door...  Note you can also see the doorbell wire beside the laundry room door.  That will probably be our "normal" entry door for company.

Less Productive Friday...

We didn't get much work done on the house today.  We swept and mopped nearly half of the floors today, and we're getting ready to put down heavy brown paper to (hopefully) protect the floors a little bit during the next phases (insulation and drywall).

The trim for the decking around the whirlpool is almost dry enough to put in place, but we'll probably have to do it over the weekend.

We did work on cleaning up the garage / workshop area, but there is still a lot more cleaning to do...

So, not really a productive day on the house, but a little progress is better than none at all!

Sorry -- no pictures of the outdoor light boxes yet :(  We'll get to it soon...

Preparation for Inspection

I'm sure you're about as tired of reading about us getting ready for rough in inspection as I am of writing it...  We're really getting close, but we still have more things do finish even after the inspection before we can have the drywall started (such as insulation)...  We can't start insulation until the rough in inspection is done, though...

So, the last couple of days, we have finally finished getting all the outdoor outlets and light boxes installed in the siding!  And, we also bought and installed the light fixtures in the shower enclosures.  We also had our electricians back to finish a couple of minor things like wiring the shower lights and the outdoor lights.  Tomorrow, I'll try to get a picture of the outdoor light boxes as they are unique, and they provide a nice flat surface to mount the lights on...

And, we are just about finished with the extra "trim" we had to put around the whirlpool to fix the problem where I had miscalculated the decking height...  I think that will turn out too look good, and I know it will fix the problem, and allow us to have the plumbing (finally) connected on the whirlpool!

So, things have dragged along, but we are finally starting to get things moving forward toward insulation and drywall...

The Wenig's

For our HVAC system, we had the Wenig's put in a geothermal system along with radiant heat pipes running through the concrete, and forced air for A/C.

The Wenig's are a family of five brothers who are as professional and efficient as anyone I've ever met.  They know what they're doing, and they get the job done always neatly and orderly...

They have always been friendly and courteous.  They upgraded the furnace unit holding the price to the original quote, and they have billed me to the penny what they quoted.

As I list our contractors out, it should become apparent that we have really had an awesome group of people to work with.  The people we have met here really have been as friendly as anywhere either of us has ever lived.

Slowly, but Surely -- Finished Bracing...

We were able to finish the bracing today, and we also worked on fixing the latest little problem with the whirlpool.  The problem is that I made a miscalculation, and the decking is about a quarter or half inch too low.  And, the way I attached the  backsplash to the studs, I could not just raise the decking up.

So, I'm having to improvise -- I'm adding what will turn out to look like a 3/4 x 3/4 inch shaped molding around the whirlpool.  It will be poplar with the same stain and the same glaze coat, and then clear caulking around the tub at the top of this molding...

So, we bought the pieces of poplar, I cut the angles for it to fit around the odd shape, and made a little gadget to mark the contour 3/4 of an inch out from the edge of the whirlpool.  Then we took the boards to the Bontrager's, and they cut the pieces on their bandsaw and sand the edges for me.

Now, we have started gluing them together using biscuits.  Next, we'll route the same shape around the edge, and then stain and glaze it...

We should be gluing this to the decking under the whirlpool edge within a few days, and then we'll have the whirlpool in place!

Seems like I've been spending a lot of my time fixing mistakes or at least problems...  I don't always broadcast my errors, so I haven't mentioned some of the problems I've had to fix...

Bracing...

Not a lot to report on today, but we were able to get 85% of the remaining bracing finished today.  Difficult to show in pictures, but it is mostly done...  I'll just say that I am very thankful for the framing nailer that my wife got for me for Christmas...  The intention was for me to build a small barn, but this works great for the bracing!

We have some loose ends to tie up with the outdoor light fixtures -- we need to get and install the outside surface -- I don't know exactly what it looks like, but it is basically a flat surface which will mount on the outside, with the wire going back through into the inside.  It doesn't sound like it will be quite the same as we went through for the outdoor outlets, but until I see the part, I won't know.  My electrician should be bringing that over tomorrow...

We are finally nearing the rough in inspection!  Can't wait until that is over!  We will finish the bracing tomorrow, and then I've got some other problems with the whirlpool and deck footing to fix before inspection...

What Do You Think of the Cross?

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and the sermon at our church posed the question What Do You Think of the Cross?

There are three basic views that people have of the cross:

1. It could be a "stumblingblock" -- to those who expect God to show Himself as the Almighty that He is, they see the lowliness of the Savior being born in a stable and then being crucified on a cross as weak and contradictory with Him being the All Powerful.  And so, some reject the cross itself because it doesn't fit with what they want to see in God.
2. It is outright ridiculous to many -- really, it is not just the cross that is ridiculous, but the whole idea of God and of Him sending His Son to die.  The sign over the cross embodies this view, "This is The King of the Jews".
3. For some, the cross is the symbol of Jesus sacrificial death to fully atone for our sins.

On the front of the latest Newsweek magazine, there is a cross formed by the words, "The Decline and Fall of Christian America".  What a statement at the beginning of this week during which we (as Christians) celebrate the Via Delarosa -- The Way of Suffering, and the victorious Resurrection of our Saviour.  I think we know which view the editors at Newsweek take...

One day, Jesus will return as King.  I wonder what the front page of Newsweek will be on that day?

Some Saturday Progress...

While I am definitely making progress as I look back each week, it is no where near enough!  But, I can only get so much done each day, so I plod on...

Yesterday, I finished putting in the outdoor outlets that have to be in on the living end of the house.  I have two I want to put in the garage end of the house, and that will be easy (now that I've had the practice I've had), plus they can be done any time.  I should note that on both the front porch and on the deck, I've had them wire a switched outlet for us to plug Christmas lights into.  They are up high on the wall by the porch / deck headers.  So, those outlet boxes are in also.

Got back to working on getting the whirlpool set in place, and ran into a slight problem -- where I didn't make the decking quite tall enough, so I end up with about a quarter inch below the rim of the tub.  For reasons that are difficult to explain, I really can't just raise the decking up, so I'm going to have to have the tub set on the feet, and have shims to support the tub itself, and then just caulk around it to fill the gap.  I really don't like this solution, but I made a pretty significant miscalculation...  It will be good to have the weight of the tub setting primarily on the concrete directly, and I can fill the gap to prevent water from leaking under the rim...

Anyway, I have so many things to finish, it makes my head spin...  So, who knows which I'll work today!

But first, I am ready to go to church this morning and focus my mind on the Creator and Sustainer of life and all that is and the Provider of all our needs and so much more!

Second Coat of Sealant

Well, today I accomplished one thing -- the second coat of the sealant.  I sure hope this one dries a little faster than the first coat did!  I have a bank inspection tomorrow so I can get some bills paid, but she just might have to look in the windows this time...  Or, maybe look from upstairs.

So, that is one huge item I can check off my to-do list!  Cleaning and sealing the floor!  Now if I can only get through drywall without it getting scratched and marred...

No pictures today, and if I did include them, it would be very similar to the last set of pictures...