Al B's House rework

[rox]

As always enjoying reading about your challenges and solutions.
kep up hte good work!

 

[MikeB44]

So Sunday MikeB44 from here on TBN and his dad came up to give me a hand getting some stuff done on the house.

Folks like that make this such a nice place, and make this project work.

They were the Fan hanging crew I can tell you.

Course I must admit, I layed out a bit not feeling too peppy Sunday morning, and ran a bit late but I don't think they had to wait too long

.....

The project keeps going, albeit much slower then I would like, but folks like Mikeb44 and his dad lending a hand sure make it go a lot smoother.

Thanks Mike.

Dad & I were glad to come up to help out (we got there just a few minutes prior to you arriving) - sorry we couldn't have stayed longer. We hope to be able to come back & finish up the other fans for you & get some old outlets & switches swapped.

Small pay back for welding hooks on my bucket (& then fixing that nail in my tire when Dad & I went to leave). Every time I use the hooks, I'm grateful that you welded them on & think about Hanna & your hospitality with Dad & I up visiting.

BTW - I'll leave a small note on pre-twisting wires before using a wire nut on your electrical rework post. (I'm for pre-twisting - makes a more sound mechanical & electrical connection & it's also the way I was taught.) I'm glad to see that your wiring was done that way.

Take care & thanks again

Mike

 

[AlanB]

Tub #6 got installed yesterday. I decided to go ahead and install the tub, and do the plumbing work etc. from behind. As with everything, it goes slow.

Tried to use the well pump yesterday to water the plants and have water for safety on the burn piles.... Yeah, right, as if something around this place was actually going to just work without me working on it or doing something or replacing something.....

I think I have to pull the foot / ejector housing and check it out, and the pressure ejector line has holes,,,,, who know's what else I will find.

One neighbor told another neighbor that I had been offered $60K more then I paid for the house and turned it down.... YEAH, RIGHT...... Someone gave me an extra 60K right now to have that house, they would own it

2117 is the shot of the floor sill where I am putting in the new door. White wood are the Jack studs. I am thinking of just leaving the sill plate there, those are the bamboo samples sitting in front of the sill.

So, should I leave the sill or take it out? Sill is approximately 1/4" over the height of the bamboo.

 

[AlanB]

So, yesterday, Hanna was sick, landscaping got backed up some, I had to go pick up "flash" (Georg) from the airport, (and that was rather funny because he had a big Neon Green "LATE" sticker on his luggage, that he did not understand why it was there.. His plane left at 6 and he was there a good couple of minutes ahead of time

So I FINALLY figured out my toilet leak. I tried a different style seal on the center of the tank to bowl. It set the tank higher and did not go around the nut as the others had. Well, it still leaked, but I could see that it was leaking around the big center nut finally. This was factory installed, I had verified it was tight, but had not taken it apart yet....................... So I took it apart, and the factory had curled the gasket under when installing it.

Go figure. At least it is now fixed.

I also got the drain line installed on the tub. That is a great thing. Went with 1.5" pvc trap and solvent welded it in. I wanted a coupler, but as Doug pointed out, I have never taken apart the one in my current house, and if I do, I will cut and add the coupler then.

So I did not work long, but got two things that have been bothering me done. That is cool.

Hopefully get a couple more things done as we go along here this week. Have to go out of town next week to evaluate some stuff. Going to be gone for Dean's Birthday... Dooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... That is not cool, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

Next project is to mount shower controls and feed them some water.

 

[AlanB]

Last night visited Harbor Freight and picked up their 18 peice holesaw set that had up to a 5" holesaw. $10. Cheap stuff, yep, did it work to cut a 4" and a 1" hole through my shower insert very cleanly and nicely, yep, sure did. Sometimes the best quality tool is just not needed.

I keep waiting for them to put the big concrete vibrator on sale. It is still sitting at $200. I want that to go on sale, then use my 20% off coupon and I will own that thing to do this foundation work with.

They pulled all the concrete saws off the shelves. I bet the warranty is eating their lunch. I don't think I would warranty a top of the line Partner saw for 2 years for $50 or whatever and expect to do ok.

So, I drilled the holes in the shower, and started making my attachments for the shower controls, and started soldering up and assembling my piping. As with everything, I forgot to pick up one drop ear.... And cut my length of pipe to 3' instead of 4'......

As my dad would say, I cut it off three times and it is still too short.

Or mine would be, I may not be good, but Man am I slow....

Got nothing "done" but made some headway, and commited to some things (holes in the shower wall now) so it is moving along.

I need to get to where I can sleep there and have a bit more time to work on stuff.

 

[AlanB]

Continued on with installing the tub and shower. Made up the plumbing rack to have the shower controls and water spigot on. I had one made up, and was looking at it, and nothing was square or straight and I just could not stand it, so I made another.

I think this house will be called House of the "do it at least twice"

So, Alan's safety tip of the day, when you solder, and you get the pipe real hot, then step back to look and see if it is straight, and let go of the pipe that you were using as a "wrench" that pipe will fall out of the fitting.

And a pretty normal reaction is to reach out and GRAB it.................. And it will still be HOT...............

Big blisters on thumb and forefinger will attest to my stupidity last night........

And sometimes I wish I had done PEX

So things are coming along, need to tie the shower in too the water supplies, and while I am doing that I will need to disconnect the kitchen water and add some 3/4" lines and valves to do the additonal plumbing I want.

More fun with hot pipes tonight.
cotton gloves, cotton gloves, cotton gloves

 

[AlanB]

Got the rest of the plumbing done,,, and redone , the house house of the do it again, do it again, is getting old.

Finally get in all my water pipes, and rework the two that decide they want to leak and am trying to get my shower hot water anti scald thing to adjust, bring my water heater up to temp,,, check my pipes are warm... No hot water in the shower..... :? Get out the instructions,, left is hot, yep, left is hot, touch it, yep, left is hot, fitting says top on the mixer, water comes out the bottom as intended... Scratch head, scratch other parts of body... cuss all plumbing gods that ever let me think I wanted to do my own house.....................

Finally get thinking about it, and the toilet. Take out the cartridge assembly from Price Pfister,,, They installed it backwards........................

Forced break this week, headed to Ft. Rucker for a week for work, so will have an enforced break from the house. Not sure if that will put me more behind, or I think it might freshen my mind up a bit and give me some evaluation time.

Sometimes as in business, you have to step back and work ON the business, not IN the business, I think this week will help me with that.

When I got the joints all right in the plumbing, and I opened the 3/4" mainline valves, it sure was nice to fill a bucket "quickly" made me remember why I went copper. It is painful doing it now, but in the future years, it will be as good as it can be so hopefully I am paying up front.

 

[lizusv]

Got the rest of the plumbing done,,, and redone , the house house of the do it again, do it again, is getting old.

Finally get in all my water pipes, and rework the two that decide they want to leak and am trying to get my shower hot water anti scald thing to adjust, bring my water heater up to temp,,, check my pipes are warm... No hot water in the shower..... :? Get out the instructions,, left is hot, yep, left is hot, touch it, yep, left is hot, fitting says top on the mixer, water comes out the bottom as intended... Scratch head, scratch other parts of body... cuss all plumbing gods that ever let me think I wanted to do my own house.....................

Finally get thinking about it, and the toilet. Take out the cartridge assembly from Price Pfister,,, They installed it backwards........................

Forced break this week, headed to Ft. Rucker for a week for work, so will have an enforced break from the house. Not sure if that will put me more behind, or I think it might freshen my mind up a bit and give me some evaluation time.

Sometimes as in business, you have to step back and work ON the business, not IN the business, I think this week will help me with that.

When I got the joints all right in the plumbing, and I opened the 3/4" mainline valves, it sure was nice to fill a bucket "quickly" made me remember why I went copper. It is painful doing it now, but in the future years, it will be as good as it can be so hopefully I am paying up front.

Alan - You should write a book. Some of the stuff you put in here is really funny the way you write it! I know it's not when you're in the midst of the "do-over", but you WILL look back and see the accomplishments. Keep on keeping on - Mom

 

[AlanB]

Posting some pics, explanations to follow.

 

[mudcat]

We're waiting!!!