Where were we????

One of the problems with blogging a “project” is that it’s a lot like blogging a vacation.  There is either time to do things to write about or time to write about things done, but not both.  We started with the intent that we’d put up at least a little something every day.

Yeah.  In addition to jobs, Eagle Scout Projects, getting ready for a vacation and life in general, we’re gonna add in X amount of time every day to go to Conover, check out what’s happened, take pictures and then write about it.

My first boss used to say that the problem was that I just don’t sleep fast enough. 

That’s about the only place there is to squeeze out more time, and the dog is doing his best to back that up from the already early 5:30 start time of the day to the 4:00 range so he can go outside to have a little salad.

No, not go potty.  That’s understandable.  He wants to go eat leaves off of plants.

Going back to the topic at hand, though, the project continues.  When last we posted the final shower had come out.

At the same time, other trades were in working, electrical being the first. 

Talk about “scope creep.”  What started out as about a 6 hour job for a couple of guys has turned into several days work, especially since it was pointed out that the electrical service coming into the house only has capacity to serve about 40% of the actual consumption of a modern house.

As they worked, we made another startling discovery.

Specifically, we owned a major fire hazard.  It seems that the 1968 outlets, many of which were still in place in their metal boxes with the aluminum wiring going to them, crumbled when disturbed.

Similarly, the breaker box which was absolutely filled to capacity frequently shot sparks for no reason.

So the wiring project has been greatly expanded both to meet the needs of a family in 2013 and to keep from dying a fiery death due to an electrical short.

The frustration that goes with that is that there were occasional “turf wars” between the various trades.  Electrical put wires in.  Carpenters then took them out to finish their project.  Then the HVAC guys, deciding that they needed another outlet, just cut a wire and nailed one on the wall.

That one ticked me off a bit.

The electricians, being mindful that they didn’t want to get blamed for changes that are inevitable with a project that is designed “on-the-go” and changes made by other trades, asked for written diagrams.

“You mean like blueprints?” I asked.  “Wouldn’t that imply a relatively high level of competence?”

But something got scratched out on the back of an envelope, more or less, and they then got stapled to the wall in the appropriate rooms.

Hot dang, we got a PLAN!