Interior Walls 14

For awhile now while working on the interior walls of the JayBee, I've been pondering about what to do about my wonky electrical boxes. Typically, the boxes for switches, outlets, and light fixtures should be flush or recessed from the wall boards once they're installed--like the one in this photo below.

Unfortunately, though, I have a number of boxes that were installed so that they protrude from the wall due to the framing in these areas--like these in the bathroom (below).

Back before I insulated the walls, I should have yanked out these boxes and replaced them with specialty boxes that were shallow enough to fit correctly. I didn't do that then, and now it's too late to do it. So I had to come up with a solution.

My solution was to create some custom trim to install around the protruding electrical boxes.

When I created the custom trim piece for the bathroom, I also created one for the living room. I painted this one barn red because it will be installed inside my entry/office cupboard, which is painted barn red on the inside back. (It's not installed in the photo below, just temporarily propped in place in order to take the photo.)

While waiting for the various layers of finish to dry on those trim pieces, I cleaned and rearranged everything inside the JayBee in order to open up access to the south wall--so I can begin installing wall boards here.

My biggest challenge with this wall will be working around the jutting-out wheel well that will interfere with the first two rows of boards. I had a similar problem on the north wall but, since the wheel well did not stick out as far on that side, I was able to carve out the back sides of the boards on that first north row to fit around the wheel well.

I still have the closet half on its side as a paint stand for the longer boards...

... and I set up my other painting area inside the bed alcove.

Ready to roll!

Also see:
Interior Walls 1
Interior Walls 2
Interior Walls 3
Interior Walls 4
Interior Walls 5
Interior Walls 6
Interior Walls 7
Interior Walls 8
Interior Walls 9
Interior Walls 10
Interior Walls 11
Interior Walls 12
Interior Walls 13
Interior Walls 15

Turkeys wandered through the yard the other day. Hard to imagine that Maine was once so devoid of turkeys that they had to be reintroduced starting back in the 1940s, given how many I now see on a regular basis.

Patriots' Day

This is Patriots' Day. Boston Marathon day. (I hope the runners didn't freeze!) April 16--halfway through April. And it's snowing outside.

I complained a little while ago in this blog about spring not arriving quickly enough. It's over a month later, and not much has changed. This is definitely the winter that will not quit.

From a storm about ten days ago...

Mid way through today's storm...

The extreme chill keeps dampening my enthusiasm for working on the JayBee. I have managed to pick away at some minor projects--nothing too photo worthy. I put some primer paint on the east section of the clothes closet back when we had a semi-warm day. We haven't had another one of those for awhile. I have drawn some more of the storage cupboards for above the refrigerator and washer/dryer, and for under the bed. I purchased some more hardware for the interior. I also think I have made a decision about the interior door and window trim. I've been thinking about it forever--researching possibilities, wanting it to have a simple profile without looking clunky. Then, at a work retreat a few weeks ago, I saw this trim that is not too fancy. It has a simple bead along just the bottom edge of the top piece of trim.

Blah, blah, blah. Still waiting for spring to arrive for real.

Hiding Wires & Electrical Boxes 3

Beginning work to hide the wiring to the light in the clothes closet...

Here's the finished trim ready to install.

And installed.

Final round piece installed.

Below is the wiring to the light in the narrow storage closet.

First parts of the trim installed.

All done!

While I was working on that last closet light, I noticed that there were some more exposed wires that I needed to cover. From inside the bed alcove, looking towards the rest of the house, there were exposed wires running along the ceiling joist closest to the living room.

First, I installed boards above and below the wires.

And, then, finished trimming out the joist. Voilà! Wires hidden.

Installing all of this trim required using lots of small pieces of wood. I have been teased about the wood scraps I save. Those scraps came in handy! Here is what is left over. No, I won't be saving these.

I took out a couple of light fixtures to hold them up to the trim I installed--to see how they would look.

Here is one of the closet lights.

Here is one of the kitchen lights.

Also see:

Hiding Wires 1
Hiding Wires 2


Today was eclipse day. I ended up being glad I decided not to purchase special glasses. Even though I kept looking outside the JayBee all afternoon, there was not the slightest difference in the amount of daylight or the quality of the light during the entire time the eclipse was occurring. Guess I need to wait until 2024 when the path of a solar eclipse will bisect Maine!

Hiding Wires & Electrical Boxes 2

Step one to cover the exposed electrical wires that power the second ceiling light in the kitchen--boards attached to the joist, above and below the wires.

Trim board covering the wires and a half-octagon wrapping the electrical box.

Final piece of trim covering the protruding edge of the electrical box.

Half-octagons and circular trim pieces already made for the last three ceiling lights.

On to the third ceiling light in the kitchen...

Trim board cut and ready for stain.

All three kitchen ceiling lights now trimmed out!

On to the last two lights with exposed electrical wires and boxes--both located in closets.

Also see:

Hiding Wires 1
Hiding Wires 3


George--still here, still enjoying his summer, still deaf as a post, turned 18 this month. My sweetie!

Hiding Wires & Electrical Boxes 1

I was having a hard time finishing up the vapor barrier in the bathroom end of the JayBee because I was spending so much time debating the merits of installing a fan in the bathroom. My original plan was not to have a fan in the bathroom because the room has a window and there will be two other fans in the house (over the stove, and the air exchanger in the living room). I mean, really, just how many fans does a tiny house need? But... then I started thinking that it would be unlikely that I would relish the idea of opening the bathroom window after a shower in the middle of winter. And the bathroom is so small, I imagine it could get quite steamy... I ended up deciding that I would rather install a fan now than try to retrofit one later. While the parts were on order...

I moved on to thinking I could start hiding some of the exposed electrical wires. Since the ceiling joists that hold up the two lofts will be exposed, the wires that run along them will be exposed as well, unless I do something to hide them.

I guess it had been awhile since I last used my table saw. Ahem!

I began by ripping some pieces of pine to install above and below the wires on each joist.

Then came the tricky part--figuring out how to enclose the electrical boxes. I began with one that is close to a wall and does not require a full 8-foot piece of trim. I made a half octagon, attached it to a straight board...

...stained it, and installed it.

Then, the final piece--cut...

...stained, and installed.

My goal was to end up with something that would blend in with the joists and not draw attention to itself. I think I accomplished that!

Four more to go!

Also see:

Hiding Wires 2
Hiding Wires 3

For those of you who follow my cats more than my housebuilding: I am very sad to report that Bear appears to be gone--as of ten days ago. There are many possible explanations for his disappearance, but I fear the most likely is that a predator snatched him. While I was working in the JayBee this last week, I was listening to the podcast Criminal; the episode about attacks by great horned owls (Animal Instincts) really had me thinking... Anyway, if he miraculously turns up, I will post an update. If he remains gone, I will probably post a memorial gallery of photos at some point. Meanwhile, George is enjoying his summer.

Some mornings, the Kennebec is so fogged in, it looks like the world ends out there. This was one of those mornings.

I looked up from my desk at work one morning this week...and saw this mama deer, and her baby (camouflaged on the right).

I wonder just how much I miss by keeping my nose to the grindstone most of the time!