In with the new, a piece of the old

We have to wait until Monday to give the Inspector a call, so today we spent some time plodding along with our list of tasks needed to move in. First up, a new mailbox. 

The other projects we filled the day with were centered around drywall. 

Whenever my Dad would work on a house or a kitchen, he would always leave something in a hidden location. It was usually his name and the date he did the work, but sometimes he would leave a note. When we starting working on the house I grew up in, he allowed me and my sisters to write notes on the drywall behind the brick hearth. And when I built kitchens with Dad, he allowed me to sign my own name on the cabinets I built and installed. It was a simple way to leave our mark on the world.

I've avoided talking about my Dad because this project has been emotional on more than one occasion. I carry a tape measure that bears the name of his Cabinet Factory etched into the face. His speed square is now mine and bears his initials, DES. I've used the finish hammer he had from before I have memories, and the red framing hammer he bought for me that matches the one he used for all my teenager years. His chisels, screwdrivers, nail guns, circular saw, table saw, utility knife, chalk line, and so many other tools have all done work on this house; not in his hands but in mine. 

Today my emotions bubbled to the surface. I was about to sign my name and the date on the back of a piece of drywall before I hung it, but then thoughts about my Dad starting flowing from my heart through the pen and ended up on the sheetrock. His old habit of leaving memories in the houses he worked on, had found it's way to a house I purchased five years after his death. Tears and more tears, and then more tears after that. It was long overdue. I miss you Dad. 

Time for some Bathroom work

Why exactly did I put insulation in that interior wall you may ask? Furthermore, why is it thicker than normal wall insulation? Both good questions. The answer is a simple one... I like to use the facilities in peace and quiet, so I added some soundproofing to the bathroom. Yep, I went there. 

Our tile guy finished up the bathroom today as well. The Missus is beyond happy. The vaulted ceiling and wood ceiling is my favorite part of the house; the Bathroom is hers. 

Too funny not to remember

Second item on the Director's list

The other thing the Director said we were required to do was add expanding-foam insulation to the exposed rafters. I had been hoping to use fiberglass batt insulation, I had even purchased it, but he said that wasn't enough to ensure the proper R-Factor rating of the house. So I was forced to go back to the original quote I collected when getting the mortgage. That also meant another almost one thousand dollar expense. Ugh.

First step was closing off the opening from the previous attic into the front porch rafters. Enter some old boards we had acquired years before with our friend's Andrew & Megan. A few funny notes scribbled on the boards for future owners, and up they went. 

This morning the insulation company finally showed up. I had gone to the house early in the morning and finished the wall insulation and added boards where the old attic vent had been. So when they showed up, I left.

We had a couple Food Tours in the afternoon. When they were done we jumped in the car and drove to the new house, eager to see the finished product. Checkmark the second and last item off the Director's list. I'll call him Monday morning and when he gives me the thumbs up, the real rebuild shall begin. One month to go until we move in.

First item on the Director's list

Some random pictures from the last few weeks...

Our friend Steve and the Missus working on some drywall:

My attempt at pushing the output of a small gauge extension cord and cheapo surge protector:

The first of two items on the Inspection Director's list of required repairs were upper jacks (support boards) on the new windows we put in the laundry room. In my inexperienced mind, I thought my cross timber was good enough, but it turns out I was missing the point of the board altogether which is to keep the top of the wall from sagging. I took out the old boards, cut off the 2x4 uprights, adding a new 2x6, and then adding a full 2x4 along the outside. Last step was a few mini supports above the 2x6, and the replacing the insulation. 

After getting pictures of the new jacks to send the Director, I set to work on that pesky termite wall from the very first day of demo. I built up the supports on both sides of the door from the kitchen into the laundry room, added jacks on both side of the door utilizing the old doorway 2x4's, and then put in the new header. One new doorway complete.

A pizza dinner on the porch in between jobs is how we roll. Every job complete is one step closer to being done and moving into our new house.

Staining like a boss

During the couple weeks of mental anguish trying to figure out how to deal with the notes left by the angry Inspector, one evening the Missus and I finished the hardwood floor in the kitchen with some donated pieces of oak flooring. When done we drove over to our friends Chris & Sarah's house to drop off the flooring nail gun, and they took us upstairs to show us a door they made in their future baby's bedroom. The color of the stain caught our eye.

A couple days before, the Missus and I had purchased seven different colors of stain trying to figure out what we wanted to do with the ceiling boards. We tried all seven colors on the same board, not completely happy with any of them. So when we saw the stain on the door in our friend's house, it immediately caught our eye. They sent us home with a sample, along with a rough recipe.

After some tweaking of the original recipe, we settled on our color. It was a great feeling. Our friend Steve made a road trip to stay with us for a few days, and the three of us stained one hundred boards and set them all to dry, all within an hour or so of work. An awesome day.

When good news pisses you off

The last time we left you (apologies for the blog-silence), we were expecting a plumbing inspection the next week. Well it happened, and it passed. Good news, right? It was. Until we found out the plumber, for who knows what reason, ran his mouth to the County Inspector about all the stuff he thought we were doing wrong, none of it related to plumbing. Why? I really truly wish I could tell you. But whatever the reason, it made the Inspector start making notes about this and about that, tear this down, rip that out, pay this fine, get this other permit, and on and on and on... all of it listed on an actual inspection certificate. I was furious.

I'll skip all the annoying stuff about trying to track down the Inspector, searching for hours for true "code" listings for our state, and all the advice I searched for from my builder friends. I finally got so fed up with the whole thing and knew I just needed answers from the source, so I went all the way to the top of the County Inspections office and called the Director. He agreed to come out himself, on his time, and look at my house to give me a clear direction. Risky move seeing how I'm just a rookie contractor, but it had to be done.

First thing out of his mouth as walked through the door was an apology for the actions of his Inspector. What a refreshing dose of humanity from an otherwise annoyingly paperwork-driven office. He walked through the house, picked out two large things that I had either done wrong or was about to do wrong, advised me how to do them right, and then left with an instruction to call him again directly when the tasks were completed. Make no mistake, he picked over my work with a fine tooth comb; he still has a job to do, right? But in the end he told me to ignore the Inspectors warnings and congratulated me on fixing up an almost-dead house.

So what to do with the Plumber? I want to fire him. Very much so. But trade work is backed up so far in this area we may never find someone to replace him. I do have a back up and if he can squeeze me into his schedule in the next couple weeks, he's got the job. Stay tuned for news on that front.