Geesh, ltns
Last posted entry was 20 weeks ago! GAH!
Sorry folks, I didn't mean to abandon this for that long.
So, a status update.
1) Basement, still leaking, still has not been fixed yet. This piece is a kind of a major deal since it requires so much work to just prep the basement for the $10,000 fix required to pump the water out of the basement (let's face it, that is what a drain tile/sump pump system IS).
2) Kitchen, Getting closer. Finally got the wall electrified, but like most steps, this took way longer than anticipated. For example, after I slapped together a rough in, I had an AlienZen help me with the wiring. I had not worked much with the actual fuse box. Now that I have seen what is involved, I am pretty confident I can get back into it safely without doing too much damage. (Compared to a network run, and the complications of wiring 8 little copper wires together, dealing with 3 large gauge copper wires is easy.) Now that that is done, we can call up Laclede and tell them to put in the pipe for the stove. Once that is in we can start prepping our own food, and save some money. What still needs to be done: Cabinets around the room, removing the existing counter top (possibly for basement? Hmmmm.) Redoing the plumbing for a butterfly sink, and installing necessary plumbing for the dishwasher. OK, there is alot of other work that needs to be done, but at least we are edging closer now.
3) Windows. Nothing like having a nice early snowy winter to point out the follies of no storm windows. I see lots of plastic in our future.
4) Other Electric. Tube and Knob. Yes our house is covered in it. I think every fan is running on T&K, including the light switches. This means it all has to go. Electrifying the mud room. That will need to happen after we clean out the crawl space. It has a dirt floor, that would probably appreciate a vapor barrier. It will make the rest of the work for the electric much easier.
5) Backup emergency generator. OK, now I am seeing if you are paying attention.
6) Insulation. Maybe once the T&K is gone we can get properly insulated and then the bills will go down to reasonable.
At any rate, there is still lots to be done. Having someone over yesterday got rid of the fear I was feeling about doing certain things. For example, putting a hole in my floor for an electric cable (Drill bit I had was not large enough,had to resort to chisel and hammer). Putting a hole in the masonry to tie the wall down to it. You know, the irrational fear of "what if I really screw it up?" For the most part there are certain things I am not going to fear. I have no fear of wiring the outlets, but I did not want to open the fuse box because I haven't before, and I was not sure what I would find. With AlienZen there, I was able to get over that. When he said, you are going to need to chisel that, it was not a solution I would have come up with. That is going to ruin the tile was my first reaction, then I realized it would ruin the tile UNDER THE WALL so the only person who would know would be the people installing it and, uh, everyone reading this. When we were done though, no one would have to look at it.
At any rate, I mostly wrote this to give a progress report on it, and to acknowledge that I am getting over my misgivings about doing work to the house, especially since I have a better grasp of what it can withstand.
Sorry folks, I didn't mean to abandon this for that long.
So, a status update.
1) Basement, still leaking, still has not been fixed yet. This piece is a kind of a major deal since it requires so much work to just prep the basement for the $10,000 fix required to pump the water out of the basement (let's face it, that is what a drain tile/sump pump system IS).
2) Kitchen, Getting closer. Finally got the wall electrified, but like most steps, this took way longer than anticipated. For example, after I slapped together a rough in, I had an AlienZen help me with the wiring. I had not worked much with the actual fuse box. Now that I have seen what is involved, I am pretty confident I can get back into it safely without doing too much damage. (Compared to a network run, and the complications of wiring 8 little copper wires together, dealing with 3 large gauge copper wires is easy.) Now that that is done, we can call up Laclede and tell them to put in the pipe for the stove. Once that is in we can start prepping our own food, and save some money. What still needs to be done: Cabinets around the room, removing the existing counter top (possibly for basement? Hmmmm.) Redoing the plumbing for a butterfly sink, and installing necessary plumbing for the dishwasher. OK, there is alot of other work that needs to be done, but at least we are edging closer now.
3) Windows. Nothing like having a nice early snowy winter to point out the follies of no storm windows. I see lots of plastic in our future.
4) Other Electric. Tube and Knob. Yes our house is covered in it. I think every fan is running on T&K, including the light switches. This means it all has to go. Electrifying the mud room. That will need to happen after we clean out the crawl space. It has a dirt floor, that would probably appreciate a vapor barrier. It will make the rest of the work for the electric much easier.
5) Backup emergency generator. OK, now I am seeing if you are paying attention.
6) Insulation. Maybe once the T&K is gone we can get properly insulated and then the bills will go down to reasonable.
At any rate, there is still lots to be done. Having someone over yesterday got rid of the fear I was feeling about doing certain things. For example, putting a hole in my floor for an electric cable (Drill bit I had was not large enough,had to resort to chisel and hammer). Putting a hole in the masonry to tie the wall down to it. You know, the irrational fear of "what if I really screw it up?" For the most part there are certain things I am not going to fear. I have no fear of wiring the outlets, but I did not want to open the fuse box because I haven't before, and I was not sure what I would find. With AlienZen there, I was able to get over that. When he said, you are going to need to chisel that, it was not a solution I would have come up with. That is going to ruin the tile was my first reaction, then I realized it would ruin the tile UNDER THE WALL so the only person who would know would be the people installing it and, uh, everyone reading this. When we were done though, no one would have to look at it.
At any rate, I mostly wrote this to give a progress report on it, and to acknowledge that I am getting over my misgivings about doing work to the house, especially since I have a better grasp of what it can withstand.