1.31.2017

It was a really cold day today - 6 degrees when I woke up.  Jim said the apartment was really bitter as was all the steel.  Since the apartment has the ridge vent at the top it pretty much gets to outside temperatures overnight.

Jim did the rest of the closet wall today.  He had to finish putting the rest of the upper wall track on at the very bottom and then fill in the studs.

Then...look at that!  We have door frames now in the guest room and the closet!  To me, it really makes the rooms start to look more like rooms!  There's a lot of work that goes into these door frames but Jim is really happy with doing them this way - should make finishing them much easier.

The next challenge that Jim faced today was the start of the knee wall in the second bedroom.  He wasn't sure how he was going to do this and he still has to figure out some insulation issues.  We want this knee wall far back - eventually we may build in drawers in this space.  The bottom wall plate isn't glued down yet - Jim was just figuring everything out and will work on attaching it tomorrow.  He's using 6" track and studs in this area for insulation purposes (plus, he got this track in the free pile!).

 

Things are looking fabulous in the apartment - I can't wait to see it in person!

 

High 24/Low 20

 

1.30.2017

Well...it's been an interesting day or so around here.  Last night, as we were just about ready to walk out the door for church, the guys who do some maintenance work around the apartment knocked on the door and said we had a leak because it was leaking into the apartment below us. I knew nothing was leaking underneath the sink - nothing was wet.  So they explored some more with Jim's help and found that a joint was leaking underneath the cabinet base.  They said they'd be back in the morning to fix it.

Meanwhile, we had lost internet/cable/phone service on Friday for an hour or so.  Everything came back except for our phone.  I know in this day of cellphone everything that's not a big deal, but with my fire school, I use it a lot - everything from loading postage on my meter, to faxes, to lots of voice mail and phone calls.  Our cellphones don't work great in the apartment so it's just easier on the landline.

We knew the modem probably needed rebooted but we wanted them to do it.  So this morning while we were waiting for the maintenance guys, we tackled Time Warner Cable.  We didn't think we were going to get it back - didn't work right away - and they proceeded to tell us that the modem we rent from them isn't good enough for the internet speed we are paying for - gotta love that!  But anyway, thankfully Jim was able to talk to them about all that and we have phone service again. 

When the maintenance guys finally showed up, it was after 10:30.  Jim wanted to see how they were going to fix it because they didn't seem to have a clue.  And he was right.  Their plan was to cut a hole in the bottom of the cabinet.  Jim told them absolutely not - we already have a huge mouse problem in this building and we wanted no more holes.  (Jim spent time putting foam in all the holes in the cabinets a couple of months ago and we haven't seen any since - yay!).

So Jim walked them through the right way to fix the job but by the time they went to get some parts and came back, it was lunchtime so Jim just ate his lunch at home.  But the guys were in and out of here all day long - as I'm writing this at 7:00, they are done up here but are still working in the apartment below so I still can't use water.  I'm hoping by the time I need to do dishes, things are fixed - otherwise, I'll be washing dishes in the bathtub tonight!

I told Jim that he could have had this job done hours and hours ago and it would have been done right! 

He did get out to the property this afternoon for awhile and...ta da...got the rest of the wiring done in the auto shop and stairwell and we have lights!

The light outside the apartment...

Such a huge block to have checked - especially since Jim had no clue how he was going to solve that problem. 

Speaking of lights, when I went to Lowe's the other day for more wire, I stopped in at Home Depot and picked up our lights that we ordered.  While we were waiting this morning, we opened them up and like them so I'm excited about that.  We'll have to order more but I'll wait and see if I can catch some kind of deal!

In the midst of texting me to see how things were going and even running home one more time in the afternoon, Jim still managed to find time to work in the apartment after getting the wiring done!  He put up the upper track for the closet wall in the second bedroom and then added studs!  Looks amazing!

 

High  28/Low 6

 

1.29.2017

Jim spent the day working - and reworking - the wiring for the stairwell/metal shop. 

Because it was hard to get another cable through the conduit into the metal shop, Jim had to rethink the 4-way light switch circuit.  He decided to pull power out of the receptacle box on the upper landing, which required taking out the old wiring and running another cable to that box.  This picture shows the cable hanging and going into the box.  Then he wired the cable into the box where the GFI breaker was, anchored it along the path up to the upper switch box.  In order to do that, he had to pull out the wiring in that switch box and redo it.

Then he finished wiring from the switch box in the metal shop to the light fixture.  So at this point, Jim has to just put switches in 2 of the boxes and then it will be done! 

 

 

High 33/Low 13

1.28.2017

Jim spent most of the day working on the wiring in the metal shop - more on that to come.  But in between, he did some work in the apartment.

He originally wasn't going to build the inside wall of the closet in the second bedroom and wait until he put drywall on the outside wall.  However, he decided that he really needs a way to vent air to the outside and the best way to do that is to section off the closet wall.  So the first step was to make and install blocking between the rafters - he'll use this for attaching the top track of the wall.

Then he cut the wood plate for the bottom of the wall and got ready to glue it down...

All attached!

But the wiring really gave Jim fits today.  First, he ran the 3 wire cable down from the stairwell - he was worried it wasn't long enough but it was hard to tell until you ran it.  It was a bit short.  Thankfully, I had just gotten to the property for lunch.  So I changed plans and ran to Lowe's to pick up more wire.

The 3 wire cable he had before was older but it was round and easier to work with.  The new cable I bought is flat (and was very expensive!) so it didn't bend as easily.  Jim really struggled to get it around all the curves of the conduit.  He got it in but doesn't think there's any way he can get the one more wire that he needs through the conduit.  So he'll have to rewire the light outside the apartment and do things a little differently. 

 

All of this work would be so easy with wood - kind of a no brainer to get the wire where you need it to go - you just drill holes and put the wire through.  It's a whole different beast with steel - the end product is so much nicer but there are challenges at every turn.

 

Typically, Jim comes home pleased with the progress.  Today he said that he felt like he was trying to dig a basement with a shovel - just so much to be done.  When days like today happen and he's faced with going out tomorrow and redoing things, it kind of takes the wind out of your sails a bit.  But I reminded him of that picture he found from September 2015 to show just how far we've come!

 

High 34/Low 25

 

1.27.2017

This picture is actually from yesterday - someone backed into our driveway and once again knocked our post down.  While Jim was plowing the driveway, he got it back up into position and packed snow around it for good measure (which is now frozen solid because the temps dropped).  You can see the top is pretty much destroyed, because it's wet and rotten.  One of those things that just needs to last through the winter...

Jim worked in the auto shop today on our new wall and the process of getting electric through the stairwell into this area.  He had to build some planking to work off...

Then he had to put up the channel piece in the decking and attach the track on the other side of the beam closest to the stairs.  This took some work obviously - he had to take stair treads off to be able to get at everything, then there was really no way to attach screws - he had to use all his tricks to get things fastened.

 

But then he was able to finish the studs in the wall!  Plus, if you look closely, he installed both the light box close to the stairs as well as the receptacle for the light switch.

 

Next, he had to tackle a problem he's been pondering for quite awhile - how he was ever going to get the wires from the stairwell over to the light and the switch.  He first attached a piece of channel to the decking...

Then used a 2x4 piece to bring it down to the right location.

Except it still wasn't quite the right location, so he had to make and attach another piece to that.

Then he had to figure out where the conduit would end up on the studs and drill the hole...

 

Then he had to use one of his box adapters that he used in attaching the conduit to the fluorescent light fixtures to be able to attach the conduit in the stud.

You can see he attached a pull elbow conduit piece to the wood, then the conduit over to the stud as well as over to another pull elbow piece that connects to an elbow that goes into the stairwell...whew!  I'm tired just typing it!  The end of that run into the stairwell isn't totally completed but everything fits and Jim was able to figure out a way to do this.  Of course, now he still has to get wire through all this but that's a challenge for another day!

 

High 36/Low 28

 

1.26.2017

Since I've been posting some scenery pictures lately, thought I would add one more.  I had to go to my printer today to pick up some envelopes...this falls area of the Hudson River is just a couple doors down.  They do all kinds of water activities in this area - white water rafting, tubing, kayaking.  I just like looking at the water!  Just a bit down from this spot, there were a bunch of people ice fishing.  Jim and I have seen everything from just people sitting out there to people staying overnight in special tents. 

Jim had lots of business to take care of that ate into his day today.  He first went to the property to drop off the wood he picked up at Lowe's last night and then had to make two trips to the drywall center to pick up his steel and also to meet with his rep about getting us a quote for the drywall and insulation (so exciting!). 

Once he got back to the property, he had to plow the driveway again.  So it was probably about 3:00 before he got any building work done.

He first worked in the living room - he changed boxes to put a double switch box when you first come into the living room.  One switch will activate the top of an outlet where we will plug in a lamp and the other one will be for the fan.  Then he had to get wire from this box up over the top and down into the far corner where the switchable outlet will be.  That took a lot of work and time.

Then he headed down into the auto shop to start working on the wall, now that he has the track pieces that he needs.  Like I said, he decided that the placement worked better to move the wall out about a foot from his original lines.  Fastening the track to the concrete requires using his hammer drill.

Then he attached the top track to the channel he put in the decking pieces.  He had to make a special cut in the track to go account for the Pex tubing.

Then he got a few studs in place!  This placement works out much better - by moving out the wall, now the door doesn't have to be on this wall section he's building now - there will be room for it on the other side.  It all looks so good - I'm excited to see it in person!

 

High 41/Low 29

 

1.25.2017

We had a little more freezing rain/snow overnight and Jim took these pictures on the way to work...this is the street in front of the house...

And this is the view going up the driveway...so gorgeous!

And one more...in the afternoon the sun was bright and Jim said everything just sparkled...this is the view from the second bedroom...and check out the mountain view now that the trees are empty!

So after taking all the pretty snow scenes, Jim got quite a bit done in the apartment today too!  He got all the electric done in the master bedroom - we had decided where we wanted the switch for the light in the little nook, which required Jim to do a little redo.  But now everything is pigtailed together and live in the master bedroom!

Then he made and installed the door frame in the master bedroom too!

 

Plus, Jim came home for lunch and spent quite awhile on the phone with Hitachi.  He had sent his driver in to be repaired at the end of December (free lifetime repairs!) and we hadn't heard anything.  I called this morning and they said that they couldn't find anything wrong with it so it was going to be shipped out today.  It's a torque issue and Jim definitely knows there is something wrong with it - he has used these drivers for the entire building project!  So it was a long conversation - ended up on speaker phone with the technicians.  The way they were testing it didn't simulate the same conditions Jim is doing driving screws into cold-formed steel.  At the end of the conversation, they are basically going to rebuild the entire thing!  So that's good news - and good that we have a spare!

 

At the end of the work day, Jim headed into Lowe's to pick up more supplies and wood.  He got a call that his steel order is in too so that will be on the agenda for tomorrow!

 

High 36/Low 30

 

1.24.2017

In his "spare" time, Jim has taken the crazy little drawings I made of all the room measurements in the apartment, fixed them up, added all the other areas and turned it into this 4 page spreadsheet!  This lists each area - auto shop/woodworking shop/apartment - and then breaks it down to individual rooms in the case of the apartment.  Every plane - wall and ceiling - had to be taken into account and measured.  Jim figured out the total area of each of those spaces and then figured out how much 1/2" or 5/8" drywall he would need for each.  Then he figured out insulation - either 6", 8", 10" or 12".  He could then make up a master list (at the very top of this picture) to know exactly how much drywall and insulation he needs to order!  Only Jim. 

On the insulation discussion, we had thought we would go with the new Roxul insulation.  However, in talking with Jim's rep at the drywall center, it only comes in certain depths and it's not readily available.  They have to wait until they have a full truck order which may only be every 2-3 months.  So that won't work.  Jim has pretty much decided to go with high density fiberglass, but putting that in with steel studs is going to be another challenge.  Jim may get a little just to try out techniques.

But how exciting is it that we are talking drywall and insulation??

 

This morning, Jim worked on finishing up the electric work in the stairwell - he got the last two ceiling recessed lights in the main stairwell entry pigtailed to the other lights.  So now the circuit is done except for connecting to a switch in the basement.  Which means getting wiring down there - not an easy task.

 

Our winter storm never really materialized - it pretty much turned into freezing rain that we could hear all night.  However, it made a sort of snow cone effect all over the driveway which made it difficult to get up this morning.  So Jim had to spend quite a bit of time plowing this afternoon to get rid of that and prevent problems from that freezing.

 

After being out in the cold plowing, Jim turned his attention to working in the cold lower level, doing some preliminary planning on both the new wall he is planning for the utility room as well as getting wiring to a switch that will eventually be on that wall.

 

However, just getting ready for that took some work.  Jim had parked the lawn mower in the area where the wall goes.  The tires were flat so he had to bring down his air compressor, heat it up to get it to work, put air in the tires, move all the steel and the saw horses, take up the plastic that was on the floor...and that's just the prep work!  He also had mounted one of his light fixtures in this area - that had to be taken down.

 

He drew out where he wanted the walls to go and getting his laser plumb/square tool out and drawing all the lines.  However, once everything was drawn out, he decided that it would be a better fit to move the wall out a foot.  So all that had to be repeated. 

 

Then he started planning on how to attach the top track to the steel/concrete deck.  Using the channel he has used for attaching the lights, he was able to use his hammer drill and attach the channel to the deck.  Then the track will attach to that.

Before he can proceed, he needs to pick up track - he's using studs he already has but they are 3-5/8" and we have been using 4" in the apartment.  Instead of making a special trip, he's going to wait until his steel order comes hopefully this week and get everything at once.  But now he has a plan and the preliminary steps have been worked out and started - great news!

 

High 35/Low 28

 

 

 

1.23.2017

A Winter Weather Advisory starts this evening with the possibility of 4-8" of snow - so Jim decided to head to the cold-formed steel company so he didn't have to dig in the boneyard buried under lots of snow!  Plus, his rep just got back from his vacation, so Jim's steel order from last week won't go in until today.  But Jim found a few things in the boneyard and in the recycling area (free!), so it was a good trip.

I went out for just a short bit this afternoon - I get antsy not being able to see what's going on in the apartment!  So I got to see how Jim redid the switch in the hallway and got it all wired up.

And all our hallway lights are working, operational from both the front door and the switch above outside the bedrooms!

You can tell Jim has been very busy with electric work and his helper hasn't been there to clean up!  I rectified that situation and did a good sweeping of the apartment and workshop.

Jim was working on the complicated stairwell circuit this afternoon.  (In the cold - you can see all the light from the openings in this picture.)  Here he was running the cable from the receptacle inside the apartment down to the receptacle by the stairwell door.

Wiring the box...

By the end of the day, he had gotten these switches all wired up...

As well as getting the lights all pigtailed.  He still has to do some work in the downstairs shop to finish this circuit but it's getting close!

 

Speaking of the downstairs shop, while I was there Jim talked to me about a change he was thinking about making in the utility room - expanding the existing wall a couple feet and putting a wall on the other side near the stairs.  This will totally enclose the utility room and will make running wiring and putting lights and switches a bit more elegant. 

 

High 36/Low 27

 

1.22.2017

I'm never sure how Jim gets so much done on our short Sundays, but he sure does!

Today he worked in the stairwell - so unfortunately, no heater for him.  Plus, the stairwell is the one section of the building that doesn't have the soffits done so there are openings all the way around for cold air to come in.  But colder weather and snow are on their way, so Jim decided to get a start on this circuit.  This is going to be the one of the most difficult ones - Jim has to figure out how to get wire from the stairwell into the downstairs shop.  The plan is to have a 4 way switch here - to be able to turn on the switch at the bottom of the stairwell and have it turn on all the stairwell lights.  Then there is a switch when you first come in the stairwell as well as at the top of the stairs by the apartment.  Whew.  I'm tired just typing it!

Jim put the light box outside the door of the apartment...

A little better view...

The wiring has to go from the light outside the door, to the special angle light in the stairwell and then from there down to the lights in the stairwell by the entry door. 

 

To get there, Jim had to drill through all these layers of steel (he even bent his bit doing it!) and then put conduit before he could run the wire.



A great start to the stairwell wiring!

high 40/low 31