Author Archives: ellen
Supply Side Ductwork
I’ve been connecting the ductwork for the ventilation system. The original plan had a few vents that I decided to eliminate based on balancing the system’s supply and exhaust ports. So there is a long stretch of flexible duct in … Continue reading
Ventilation Progress
The ventilation system has to be finished and inspected as part of the HVAC before we can drywall. We started the soffit for the ductwork in November when my brother was visiting. I finally finished the framework today. I finally … Continue reading
Nest Thermostat Info
It’s been cold outside. We woke up this morning to negative ten degrees. The Nest thermostat is only recording the temperatures and boiler use in the living room so it is an incomplete picture of our heat use. I need … Continue reading
January 1, 2017-Retrospective of the First Five Years
Today we have owned the house for five years. That is a sizable amount of time and one that seems unbelievable when we look back at our LEED project. I created a retrospective report but moved it to its own … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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