Yearly Archives: 2016

More Work on the Soffit

The last couple of weeks I’ve been working on the metal soffit. This is the last task finished in 2016. I built another 10 foot piece and installed it. Then I put in the top of the corner piece since … Continue reading

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IKEA/Whirlpool Oven

We decided that it was impossible for us to fix the Advantium oven. I am sad about this because it was a great experience having this combo microwave and infrared oven for about a year. But it overheated and burned … Continue reading

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LED Garage Light Bulb Replacements

When my brother was helping with the construction he worked in the garage under our old florescent light bulbs. We had to supplement with extra lighting to see well enough to do the work. He told me that older florescent … Continue reading

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Annual Garage Clean Out

We use the garage as a work space during the warmer months and it gets filled with materials and tools. So I took today very late in the fall to clear it out so the car can fit in it … Continue reading

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Birthday Boy

We took a week off to celebrate our grands0n’s first birthday. We had a great time helping to plan and set up the party. Our daughter-in-law is Korean and we had so much fun learning about and implementing the Korean … Continue reading

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Fixing Plumbing Inspection Issues

The bar sink drain was improved by moving the drain pipe to the middle of the 2 x 6 wall. I raised the drain to the level of the trap and reinstalled the air vent. The master bath drain just … Continue reading

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One Afternoon, One Siding Piece

My brother couldn’t finish the siding on the lower house because we ran out of siding. So we tried to order more, just the unpainted stucco version, but it ended up being backordered so it didn’t arrive until this week. … Continue reading

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The Great Unwind

For a couple of years we have been using my family’s 60’s silver Christmas tree. It is definitely a classic and with a new rotating light, fascinated the grandkids. But this year I thought I would like to try one of … Continue reading

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Family Affair Soffit

Both my brother and my sister helped install the soffit for the ventilation ductwork. We finished two ten foot sections. John recommended building it with the metal studs and he showed me how to use them. Jean was very helpful … Continue reading

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Back to the Siding

My brother generously offered to visit and help with the house construction. It is sort of a vacation for him and he likes house building projects almost as much as I do. He is much more of a perfectionist though, … Continue reading

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Rough Plumbing Inspection #2

Failed again! I was disappointed to find that there were several errors in the plumbing that I have been working so hard to get to the inspection stage. I broke a couple of rules, one that I knew about and … Continue reading

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Don’t Think Twice

The plumbing for the garage sink originally went through the garage wall and ran to the sink on the garage side. I was advised to bring that plumbing into the house to protect it from freezing and to install freeze … Continue reading

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Drains

The master bath shower drain is just a regular clamp drain. But my brother was really happy with the Schluter shower system when he installed it so I bought the sloped foam underlayment for the showers. In the master I … Continue reading

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Family Room Shower Plumbing

The shower in the family room bathroom is long and narrow. The faucets are all Delta Water Sense and I chose the champagne bronze color for this bathroom. The color is similar to brass which I thought would give it … Continue reading

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More Electrical Work

The electricians started the rough electrical work on August 5th. Today they may have finished with everything on the original plans. There were some changes that were challenging, like the fact that the ceiling wires had to be enclosed in … Continue reading

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Plumbing Progress

We’ve been making progress on the rough plumbing install. The corner cabinet framing for the pressure balance valve and plumbing for the master bath tub was completed. The next step was to connect the tub plumbing. There are shutoffs that will … Continue reading

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Mang Ox Filter Repair

The chlorine batch connection to the iron filter started leaking few months ago. I didn’t have time or inclination to figure out what was wrong with it after a few quick tries to tighten the connection didn’t work. I was … Continue reading

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Central Vac Piping Revisited

I was writing support emails to Aspria about the vac connections before I got sick and today I reviewed the email and repiped the vacuum. Temporarily as they still need to be glued. Here is the advice sent to me … Continue reading

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How Could I Explain This to a Plumber?

The faucet for the roman tub is a freestanding antique style, meant to be exposed and reach over the rim of the tub. But we have a slab so getting the plumbing to the faucet is a bit tricky. I … Continue reading

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Updated Operation and Training Manual

Lots of time goes into the documentation for a LEED certification attempt. I have actually enjoyed the work because it is so centered in research and bringing together expert advice in many different areas of building science. The Operation and … Continue reading

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