Saturday, August 22, 2015

Mish Mash Catch-Up

Okay. The phone calls have begun, so clearly I have let my blog entries slide too long again. I have been doing many different things these last few weeks to keep the JayBee project moving forward...

I have made a small list of adjustments that need to be made to the electrical wiring. The most obvious is illustrated by this photo.


Oops! It would be kind of hard to install a window in that opening, don't you think? Not sure how that blunder happened, but since I need the electrician to come back and make a few other adjustments, it's not the end of the world. When I went to install the vent for the air exchanger (ERV--Energy Recovery Ventilator) I had purchased, I discovered that it would not fit between the studs in the JayBee wall, so I sold it on Craigslist, did the research to find another one that would work better, and bought that one. This new air exchanger will be installed in a different location than I originally intended, so I will need an extra outlet for it.

I have been up on the JayBee's roof a bunch of times--making templates for cutting roofing pieces. It has been so hot and humid that working on the roof is a killer. How do people build houses in hotter climates?

I have been working to prepare the north wall for shingle installation. In the process, I discovered that the electrician had used very long screws to attach the breaker box to the exterior sheathing. Really?! I ended up using a hack saw to cut off these protruding screw ends, and decided to just be grateful that at least these screws had not been driven through finished shingle siding.


I have made decisions about all the openings that need to go through the north wall, and I have been trimming them out. I installed a light- and motion-sensing light on the north wall.


Here's a bunch of wood trim and metal flashing in process.


All the lower north-wall openings.


A box for some exterior electrical outlets.


A box for incoming electrical power. (If/when I add a photovoltaic solar system, I will be able to plug it into the house here.)


A vent for the dryer.


A spot for the city water meter.


A spot for an exterior water faucet.


I have one more opening to create: the one for the new air exchanger. This six-inch opening will go up above the north double window.

I have begun to experiment with painting faux azul macauba (a blue granite from Brazil). Rather than buy the real stuff, I'd like to create a reasonable facsimile on wood with an epoxy top coat--to use for the kitchen counter in the JayBee. In the photo below, I am using printed photos of real azul macauba (in the top portion of the photo) to help me paint my faux version (in the lower portion). Not good enough yet, but not bad for a first attempt.


I missed an entire day of housebuilding when I won tickets to a Counting Crows show at the Maine State Pier in Portland. The photo below shows my perfect view of the band's sound check. They mostly played full songs during the sound check so it was like having a personal concert. Citizen Cope was one of the opening acts; he was great, too! After the sound check, I had my photo taken with the band. What a kick!


George ruling the roost.



Monday, August 10, 2015

Siding (West Wall) 5

Three more rows of shingles done on the west end.





I have now installed all the shingles I can on the west end until the roofing is installed on the bumpout.




Also see:
Siding (West Wall) 1
Siding (West Wall) 2
Siding (West Wall) 3
Siding (West Wall) 4
Siding (West Wall) 6
Siding (West Wall) 7
Siding (West Wall) 8
Siding (West Wall) 9
Siding (West Wall) 10


If it seems like I've been moving slowly, that's because I actually took a few days off for a mini-vacation.

I drove my son and his girlfriend way up north so they could pick up the Appalachian Trail at Bald Mountain Stream for a few-day adventure.




Since I was already so far north, I hopped over to Moosehead Lake. Every time I crest this hill and catch this view of Moosehead Lake, my heart soars.


Lily Bay State Park is one of my favorite places in the world. Pristine water, loons calling, peaceful breezes, and waves lapping.






<sigh> This was a perfect (if brief) getaway.

Back home again and finishing up the siding on the west end, this guy kept getting underfoot.


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Roofing 9

The north side gable dormer was the last place that needed roofing drip edge installed, and I decided today was the day! The part that took the longest was wrestling the ladders into place and moving them around when I needed to work in a different spot.


Here's the gable edge that needed drip edge.


Aww...see who surprised me by suddenly appearing out from under the JayBee?


Drip edge done on the west side of the dormer.


Drip edge done on the east side of the dormer--about five minutes before the thunder storm began. Good timing!


Now the roof is ready for actual roofing!

Also see:
Roofing 1
Roofing 2
Roofing 3
Roofing 4
Roofing 5
Roofing 6
Roofing 7
Roofing 8
Roofing 10
Roofing 11
Roofing 12
Roofing 13
Roofing 14
Roofing 15
Roofing 16
Roofing 17


Monday, August 3, 2015

Electric Power 2

The electrician and his assistant came today. In under seven hours, they had the whole house wired!





Hopefully I didn't forget an important piece...

Also see:
Electric Power 1
Exterior Electrical Trim

Electricity Prep

It was really looking like the electrician was going to come work on the house, so I scrambled to get ready. I built the walls in the bathroom that will surround the shower stall.


I dragged all kinds of materials out of the JayBee to give the electrician room to work. I put another large box of free scrap wood at the end of my driveway. It was gone before the day was over!


I marked out appliances, cupboards, and closets on the floor of the JayBee. Then I hung pieces of paper representing switches, outlets, and light fixtures all over the walls so there was an obvious visible representation of what I wanted installed.



Ready for the electrician!

More photos of that crazy bird that talks to me during the day.



More snakes. One is bad enough. But when they're slithering all over each other... :::shudder:::






A storm moving in.