Week 18 - Plumbing

Finally, the new pipe, which went in very early in the process from the water main to the house was connected to the actual fixtures inside the house. In the interest of time and money, and innovation, I authorized the use of plastic pipes for the water lines. This time I went through proper channels, the contractor, to do it. Among other things, it is supposed to be quieter than metal. Mainly, though the material itself is more expensive, but it goes up in about a third the time because it is flexible, so it's a time/cost saving change.

Almost all of my old cast iron plumbing has now been removed and was recycled as it was removed. Judging by the pipes I saw, I just lost a major source of iron in my diet.

So, I now have a combination of plastic and copper almost everywhere and a lot of the old plumbing that I've been expecting to go any time now is actually ... well, ... gone.

The water heater was also moved over next to the chimney. Down the road, I am planning on replacing it with gas. This move will make that eventual transfer much easier and cheaper.

Upstairs, I was working madly to stay ahead of the plumber.

The bathroom floor was done and grouted, but still needed a few days before it could be sealed. Luckily for me, everything downstairs took a day and when I asked the plumber about doing the bathroom, he said he could do it the next day, or wait, so I told him Friday.

I am also very grateful to my inspector Mark Buitron, who has been willing to take the time and explain things to me throughout the process and give me advice. By chance, he noticed the wooden sink I wanted to use (see cabinet) and told me that he did not think it would meet code. He checked for me and it doesn't. No matter what I do to it, wood won't qualify. So I had two days to come up with another option.

After considering several possibilities, I decided to put in a temporary sink that will pass inspection. I still want an above counter sink, but I don't want to make any choices about it under pressure. I removed the entire counter top and set it aside, made a new one, got an official sink at the The Rebuilding Center and had the plumber install it. The result isn't as pretty as I want, but it is functional and having it there should encourage me to get back to the sink issue as soon as everything else is done.

The toilet was also installed, and I realized that I need to get a seat for it before the inspection, although, until there is a door on the bathroom, I'm guessing that it probably won't get much use. But it's the little things.

Based on a suggestion from my carpenter, I decided to divide the large front hall closet into two separate closets, one for coats and shoes and the other for storage. So, after I talked to Robert about the best way to do it, I framed a wall ...

... and drywalled it. Not perfect, but adequate for the inside of a closet, especially since I hope to line it with cedar.

At the end of the week, my garage door arrived and was installed. (Yeah!) The storm door also arrived, but turned out to be backwards, so it couldn't be installed (Drat)

Since the weather was about to turn bad, I decided to take a break from inside work and level out at least part of the front yard. I can't really lay out any design until the steps are in and I see what I have to work with. Even then I will be planning for a space defined by a wall that isn't built yet. Difficult.

Finally, in anticipation of the hot weather we haven't even had yet, I installed blinds at the edge of the eaves to shade the west side windows. They each hang more than a foot away from the window itself and (hopefully) will reflect some of the afternoon heat without cutting off the natural light. They are meant to offset the lose of the hedge which used to block direct light from this whole side of the house.

The house is starting to look finished, even without paint.

Week 19 - Trim