5.31.20177

Jim worked on plumbing again this morning - figuring out how he wanted to attach the cold water lines to the manifold.  I think it looks great!  (But stay tuned - it didn't stay like this!)

While Jim was working, I ran to Lowe's to pick up paint for our man doors.  They came primed but they definitely need painted to keep them protected.  We had already picked a color (high-speed steel - how perfect is that?).  There was a rebate through today so I wanted to make sure we took advantage of that since paint is so pricey. 

In the afternoon, Jim got things ready to work on the trim for the stairwell area we're siding.  He already had pieces made but he needed to cut them to size and do the painting underneath.

Before he headed back up on the scaffolding, Jim took apart our old ramp.  We used this for a very long time so it's nice to see that it's no longer needed.  Jim used one of the planks for an extra work area up on the scaffolding.

First job is to put up the soffit.

Jim had to make another little piece of flashing to take it all the way up to the top.

After the soffit, time for the trim board.

Fastening it in place.

Putting up the last bit of soffit.

Late in the afternoon, a thunderstorm blew in.  We gathered all the tools and headed inside.  We don't get too many thunderstorms and this one dropped a lot of rain and hail in a short period of time.  But before long, it was gone and the bright blue skies were back!

Since he couldn't do anymore outside work, Jim headed back down to the utility room.  He wasn't real happy with his first configuration of the cold water lines so he redid them.  He will have to put the fasteners to hold things in place, but he's happier now.  You can also see that he added more of the cold lines to the manifold.

On my errands yesterday, I picked up trim rings for our recessed lights that we ordered online.  We were a little concerned about these.  We bought 4 lights and 2 of them had a different socket configuration inside.  Add to that issue that apparently the 5" lights that we liked the best must be being discontinued.  Jim ordered them from one Lowe's and they called and said they had to cancel the order because they no longer had them.  Thankfully, another Lowe's did.  Once Jim had the trim rings, he was able to see that he could make both of the different light configurations work so that problem is solved. 

 

High 71/Low 50

 

5.30.2017

A couple plans didn't go quite as planned this morning - Jim headed out first thing to the license bureau to get plates for the newer 4Runner.  We've always remarked at the difference between the DMVs here and in Ohio - the people here are so friendly and you rarely have a wait.  Until today.  Maybe because it was after the holiday or maybe just because - there was an unusually long wait today which Jim didn't feel like being a part of.  He had planned to stop at the Drywall Center on his way home to pick up more rigid foam board - but then it started raining.  Since it has to hang out the back, Jim didn't want to do that either.  So it was on to the property!

He worked on plumbing first...this is the blocking he made for the toilet in the utility room as well as the Pex line in place and capped.

He had to put up the back wall stud for this area in  the utility room and then made blocking and placed the Pex lines to feed the utility tub that will go here.

Then Jim put the left half of the manifold system back together and took apart the right side so that he could get that part painted.

It took quite awhile for Jim to figure out placement for the lines - he has to account for all the lines that will be coming into the plumbing manifold so that everything ends up neatly arranged.  Our first two lines are attached to the manifold!

The Pex tubing for the heating system was totally in the way of Jim working, so he had to figure out a way to get it tied up out of the way for now.  Then he mounted one of the manifolds.  After deciding to change the way the stairwell lines will connect to the manifold, he's probably going to switch out this 4 line manifold for a 3 line.

Late in the afternoon, Jim headed up to do some of the ugly detail insulation work - here he was working in the rafter tail area of the laundry room.  He got brackets made and installed...

and foam board cut and placed.  This will be ready for baffles and insulation now!

He started on the other valley rafter in the kitchen and got some foam board placed here too.

 

High 59/Low 54

 

5.29.2017

Jim worked on more plumbing today - I love how all of the Pex looks going up the wall!

Jim ran the cold water line over to the bathroom sink.  If you look closely, you can see an elbow connector on the wall for the line that will go to the toilet.

In the apartment, Jim figured out where he wanted the line to go for the toilet and drilled the hole.



Jim figured out the placement for the lines to go to the sink and got both lines connected and capped.

 

This is the back view of the bathroom sink and all the work involved getting the lines connected.

Switching over to insulation, Jim made the foam board base pieces for the utility wall area in the bathroom.  Then he put up the ceiling baffles.

He also finished putting ceiling baffles in the kitchen valley rafters...

 

Then Jim put more insulation in the living room walls...

 

Living room wall progress...

 

 

Meanwhile, I stuffed pieces of insulation in the various studs and brace pieces in this bathroom wall.

 

Jim switched over to the bathroom/stairwell wall - this wall needs to be finished before we can put the last ceiling insulation in this area.

 

End-of-the-day progress on insulation in the bathroom...

 

After I left, Jim continued working - he made some mounting brackets for the toilet water valves in the utility room bathroom (picture to come!)

 

High 56/Low 50

 

5.28.2017

Jim put his painting cap on this morning and painted our block wall with our new Gravity paint.  It turned out really nice.

He also took part of the pump manifold down and painted a good portion of the back wall.  Once it's dry, he'll reverse all that and paint the remainder.

Since Sundays are short days, we decided to do some outside work this afternoon.  Jim got to use his new chain saw for the first time in cutting down this tree that he dragged out of the woods to do the water line trench.

These are huge tree sections but the Bobcat has no issues with them.

Not even with 2 of the tree sections!

Then we went down below to cut the trunk of the big pine tree that fell over the winter.

Loading up the forks on the Bobcat...

This area looks so much nicer now and Jim will be able to cut the grass here.



The next job was to bury the cable line over to the cable box.  Jim got the excavator out and started digging.

He had to do hand digging by the cable box.

Laying out the line...

 

Then he went and got some sand and made a nice bed for the cable line.

 

All in place and the excess left by the cable box for when they come to connect everything.

 

 

A little backfilling and this area looks great!

 

 

High 74/Low 54

 

5.27.2017

Jim figured out more plumbing this morning - this time the bathroom sink.  He made a mounting bracket and attached the Pex...

He had to make a mounting bracket that attached to the truss to hold the tubing in place.

The Pex had to come up perfectly in between the two wall tracks...

After lunch, it was back to siding work.  Still continuing to make the complicated curved pieces around the porthole window...

Caulking the side before putting on flashing...

Attaching the flashing.  It's just a bit shy of fitting all the way to the top - this was the last piece that Jim had already made.

Yay - Jim's putting on the last curved piece!

Now progress can go a little faster...

End-of-the-day picture...

 

Jim knocked off to cut some grass before he came home.



High 68/Low 50