12.19.2014

We've been keeping busy even though we aren't actually building. 

On the one window of perfect timing, it was warm enough for Jim to get the truck started and still have the snow firm enough to drive on.  So we used it to pick up some scaffolding that was in storage and then took the plates off and turned them in so that we could suspend the insurance for the winter.

Now that the truck is parked, Jim started investigating the power steering that he knows needs replacing.  He anticipates this being a big job because of where it is located.  But yesterday, he worked on it and made quite a bit of progress.  Unfortunately, working on it at this point means laying on cardboard on the snow and working underneath the truck and without a full compliment of tools.  Only Jim.  Today, he got the power steering pump off - yay!  He has to send it off to be rebuilt - obviously time is not a factor at this point since won't be using it until spring.

Jim has spent a lot of time working on exact specs for a commercial steel people door for the carriage house.  After finding one online, he took the specs into his Lowe's rep to see if they could get it for him.  That ended up being quite the project - their price initially was more than double of the online price!  But because of their matching policy for most things, the rep went to work.  Lowe's is not making a penny on us but they finally got corporate to approve the price match.  So our door is on order.  Jim hopes to get it installed temporarily as soon as it comes in.

The sewer pipe that we ordered almost a month ago was another project.  Somehow it got processed incorrectly at Home Depot and they returned it.  So I worked with a rep there who canceled that order, refunded our money, and reordered it at no cost to us.  Unfortunately, these are 10' pieces and don't easily fit in the back of the car.  Since we no longer have the truck option, once the pieces came in it required two trips to Home Depot.

Jim also ordered a new gas tank for the vibrator.  After he took it apart and cleaned the carburetor, he investigated the gas tank and found it all corroded.  It must have taken water in at some point in its life.  We tried power spraying it at the car wash but he eventually broke down and bought a new one on eBay.  So that's another project he'll be working on.