I have power!

Barry and I made it up today and got the power working.  It took longer than I expected, but it is worth it.  The new box is installed.  I also shored up the panel.  When they installed the original (incorrect) box (incorrectly) they made sure that they did everything wrong.  The only screws holding the backing to the post were in a straight line up and down, so there was nothing to keep it from rocking. 


I also gouped the top so it is reasonably water tight.


I installed the clamp at the bottom.  I couldn't find the nut for it, so I will have to redo it at some point, but hopefully this will prevent mice from getting in.


I then went and flipped everything on.  It all works.


I turned on the heat.  It was actually pretty nice today, but it needs to be warm to do the fiberglass work.


I also cranked up the pressure tank and plugged in the heat tapes.  The picture sucks, but you can see the needle is pointing up, which means that there is pressure.


Some other notes: my moose is back.  That is about 5-6 inches long.


Apparently there are a lot of deer using the driveway as well.  There were tracks everywhere in the mud.  Too bad I won't get out this year.


The town felt bad about my mud pit and put more gravel down. 


I called Cooper to try to get moving on the apron, but haven't heard back yet.  Likewise, I haven't heard from Dead River on the propane.  My hot water heater is on its way to Home Depot, so it should come in late in the week or maybe early next week.  The big question is what do I work on the next few days.  I guess I can start the interior work, finish up the bathroom and maybe start on the kitchen.  I will have to think long and hard about cutting skirting and stuff inside.  I don't want to use the circular saw or table saw inside, but if I cut them with tin snips (I shudder at the thought of cutting over 50 pieces by hand...) then it wouldn't be messy.  Or maybe I just bite the bullet and run the table saw and deal with the cleaning later. 

The electric is finally done (Thanks Barry, for both playing with the electric and for not dying), another item off the checklist.

Before Occupancy:

1. Install paneling on interior walls.
2. Build floor pan for the bathroom
3. Install bathroom fixtures.
4. Install electric.
5. Complete interior plumbing and test it.
6. Finish running the waste PVC line.
7. Well prep work.
8. Get well installed.
9. Get hot water heater installed.
10. Install flooring.
11. Install skirting.
12. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.  
13. Install kitchen sink.
14. Install kitchen appliances.
15. Install enough driveway to satisfy the apron requirements.
16. Get propane installed.

Before Winter:

1. Build bed frame.
2. Build closets.
3. Install table.
4. Install heat tapes.
5. Build some sort of porch.
6. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
7. Fix snowblower.  
8. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
9. Clear slab
10. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Sadly no electric.

I didn't manage to get Barry up there for the electric, his truck developed an issue yesterday that he needed to attend to.  He said he would be good for tomorrow though.  If his truck is grounded he can ride up with me. 

I went up at lunch to do skirting, and found that even though it was sunny with a light breeze, everything hadn't dried out yet.  So I went and swept off the track locations. 


I also laid out the track itself, since it was still wet as well.  Thankfully it didn't blow away.


I only got a couple of pieces done before I realized I had run out of things to hold it down after gluing it on with. 


I switched over to doing plumbing work.  I got the part sticking out of the slab trimmed, as well as the elbow to make it shorter.  I am debating doing a partial piece of pipe to get it back to the right area, and then using a coupler to get it to the perfect length.  Not ideal, but it does make it a lot easier. 


Still annoyingly no progress on the checklist.  Time is running out.  I need to already be on the before winter checklist at this point. 

Before Occupancy:

1. Install paneling on interior walls.
2. Build floor pan for the bathroom
3. Install bathroom fixtures.
4. Install electric.
5. Complete interior plumbing and test it.
6. Finish running the waste PVC line.
7. Well prep work.
8. Get well installed.
9. Get hot water heater installed.
10. Install flooring.
11. Install skirting.
12. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.  
13. Install kitchen sink.
14. Install kitchen appliances.
15. Install enough driveway to satisfy the apron requirements.
16. Get propane installed.

Before Winter:

1. Build bed frame.
2. Build closets.
3. Install table.
4. Install heat tapes.
5. Build some sort of porch.
6. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
7. Fix snowblower.  
8. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
9. Clear slab
10. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Short update. Ready for power.

Even though I left on time, the days are getting too short this time of year so I didn't get much done.  I went out at lunch and paid for the well.  My checking account is a lot lighter now.  I also verified that the thing I found is in fact the heat tapes, which is good enough for me to call the well done. 

In my limited daylight, I did manage to get the last wire installed for the box up at the house.  In hindsight I think I probably should have just used couplers in a box instead of a whole new box and setup.  It would have been much simpler, quicker and cheaper.  Oh well.  The box is ready for power now at any rate.  This time I got the correct adapter.


With what little daylight was left, I went on a scavenger hunt.  I came away with the battery charger for the drill though.  I checked every place in the apartment last night, so I knew it had to be in the shed tote that was packed.  I also pulled out my old fiberglass stuff. 


We are finally supposed to get some nice weather tomorrow, so I hope to finish off the electric tomorrow.  It is also supposed to be nice on Wednesday, so I will try to finish the plumbing then, before the rain starts back up on Thursday.  Unfortunately, since I also need nice outside weather for the skirting tracks, I also need to fit them in there somewhere.  I guess technically I can do the plumbing in the rain, as much as I despise the idea.  The PVC cement will work, since it won't be actively getting rained on underneath the house.  Ugh.

The only movement on the checklist is that I am now considering the well complete.  I made another round of calls on the apron, and still no responses, so it unfortunately looks like I am calling Cooper tomorrow.

Before Occupancy:

1. Install paneling on interior walls.
2. Build floor pan for the bathroom
3. Install bathroom fixtures.
4. Install electric.
5. Complete interior plumbing and test it.
6. Finish running the waste PVC line.
7. Well prep work.
8. Get well installed.
9. Get hot water heater installed.
10. Install flooring.
11. Install skirting.
12. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.  
13. Install kitchen sink.
14. Install kitchen appliances.
15. Install enough driveway to satisfy the apron requirements.
16. Get propane installed.

Before Winter:

1. Build bed frame.
2. Build closets.
3. Install table.
4. Install heat tapes.
5. Build some sort of porch.
6. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
7. Fix snowblower.  
8. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
9. Clear slab
10. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Not quite.

Today wasn't as rainy as yesterday, but not nice enough to dry things out.  I got a late start, courtesy of my washer.  It decided that the drain hose didn't want to be in the sink anymore, and dumped a bunch of water.  Of course I was running all my towels, so I didn't have anything to clean it up with.  I ended up using an old workshirt.  Grumble. 

One of my coworkers had a project trailer that he didn't have time for anymore, and he only wanted 30 bucks for it, so I snagged it.  I don't have a dump cart for my lawn mower, which is likely this trailer's future.


After that I went up and continued work on the electric.  I got the box mounted flush against the wall, and started wiring it up.  I got everything but the grounds and the neutral wired up, since both needed extra hardware I didn't have.  I had forgotten how much of a pain in the neck 2AWG wire was. 


I drilled some extra holes so that there was less strain on the wires, and realized that I have a problem.  The only tool I have while I have no power is my drill, and the battery is dying.  The problem is that I have no idea where the charger is.  It got packed into a tote, but I don't know which one.  Ugh.  At least I shouldn't need it before power is working again.  There should be enough juice left to mount the other box which is the last thing before power is restored.


I also ran the ground wire.  It was a mess, so I cleaned it up a little too. 


After that I made a Home Depot run.  The sun actually came out while I was there, but it was too late to make much of a difference, other than being nice, since it hasn't been seen in a while.  I headed back up even though it was getting late at that point.  Turns out the neutral adapter I got was the wrong kind, but I at least got the ground bar installed.


On the Home Depot run I inquired about the hot water heater, he said I could order it and when it comes in they would call a contractor.  So it is ordered. 

As Dad commented on the last post, Tractor Supply sells 100lb tanks of propane, which is a good backup plan.  I think I will call a couple of places on Monday and find out who other people use.  See what kind of lead time I would be looking at.  I would like to have the propane in place before the hot water is installed, but the electric is the top priority. 

I don't consider ordering the hot water starting that task, so no movement on the checklist. 

Before Occupancy:

1. Install paneling on interior walls.
2. Build floor pan for the bathroom
3. Install bathroom fixtures.
4. Install electric.
5. Complete interior plumbing and test it.
6. Finish running the waste PVC line.
7. Well prep work.
8. Get well installed.
9. Get hot water heater installed.
10. Install flooring.
11. Install skirting.
12. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.  
13. Install kitchen sink.
14. Install kitchen appliances.
15. Install enough driveway to satisfy the apron requirements.
16. Get propane installed.

Before Winter:

1. Build bed frame.
2. Build closets.
3. Install table.
4. Install heat tapes.
5. Build some sort of porch.
6. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
7. Fix snowblower.  
8. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
9. Clear slab
10. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Wet soggy day.

My hopes for the weather today didn't happen.  Instead of snow, what I got was a mix of snow, sleet, and rain.  And it kept drizzling even long after the radar said that it should have stopped.  It didn't help either that there was a hefty wind blowing either.

It was heaviest in the morning, so I slept in.  I started off when I got there trying to start the generator.  It didn't start.  Another thing to get fixed.  I might consider replacing it too since it was only 150 dollars, doesn't produce like it should (remember my electric testing that kept flipping one of the legs) and is one of the noisiest you can buy.  As I noted above, the wind blew off the roofing panels so I upgraded the covering with a spare piece of T1-11.  Hopefully the extra weight will keep it on.


Much to the chagrin of my cordless drill, I started with the skirting backplate, which is now complete all the way around. 


I also placed the electric box on the outside of the house.  I didn't do the wiring inside it because I really didn't want to introduce water to the power planes, which aren't waterproof.  I can't silicone it yet either, since that requires a half hour until it is rain proof. 


After Dad's comment the other day about the heat tapes, I did more investigation, and I found a controller that wasn't plugged in, it was just sitting behind the tank.  I am thinking this is the heat tapes, but will confirm with the well guy. 


At that point, the water had sogged through my boots and pants.  Thankfully my Carhartt is nearly waterproof and wind proof, but the rest of my attire was not.  Tomorrow isn't supposed to be quite as bad; it is supposed to be a little warmer and the rain is supposedly going to end.  I am going to borrow a masonry bit from Jason to install the tracks, though I am seriously considering just using silicone.  I know it sticks to concrete and to plastic, and doesn't require I put holes in the slab.  I just don't know if it will hold strong enough to keep the skirting in place.

The skirting is now in progress (since I didn't have enough ongoing things already...).  Otherwise no movement on the checklist.  When I stop at Home Depot tonight I might try to get the hot water heater scheduled, though I personally would rather test the water first.  Time is getting really tight though.  I only have about two weeks until I have agreed to be out of the apartment.  Even though it is the more expensive one, this is the water heater that I am looking at:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Performance-Plus-7-0-GPM-Liquid-Propane-Mid-Efficiency-Indoor-Tankless-Water-Heater-ECO160DVLP3-1/303811994

Before Occupancy:

1. Install paneling on interior walls.
2. Build floor pan for the bathroom
3. Install bathroom fixtures.
4. Install electric.
5. Complete interior plumbing and test it.
6. Finish running the waste PVC line.
7. Well prep work.
8. Get well installed.
9. Get hot water heater installed.
10. Install flooring.
11. Install skirting.
12. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.  
13. Install kitchen sink.
14. Install kitchen appliances.
15. Install enough driveway to satisfy the apron requirements.
16. Get propane installed.

Before Winter:

1. Build bed frame.
2. Build closets.
3. Install table.
4. Install heat tapes.
5. Build some sort of porch.
6. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
7. Fix snowblower.  
8. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
9. Clear slab
10. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

No more excavator. Electric didn't go as planned.

The last couple of days I didn't really get any work done.  Yesterday I had a team dinner (I got braised sirloin tips with mushrooms in a cream bourbon sauce on pasta.  Yum).  The night before I was beat and got out late.  The reason I got out late though was that I had a meeting with the septic guy.  He is done for this year.  He intends to come back in the spring to finish smoothing and seeding. 

It does look better, he did hit the slopes again to help smooth them out.  This is the final state of the yard for the year.  The side yard is still bad. 


The front






The hump is where the old foundation was.  I might try to get some fill in there before he comes back. 


He did bring another load in for the driveway too.  I was actually able to make it up with the truck in 2WD today.  I almost didn't, but it made it up.  I think the car will make it up once I get the onion skins off it too.


I left work early today to get some stuff.  I found a place in Hinsdale that had skirting, and went down and picked some up.


Barry also stopped up after work to replace the box.  We finally got the old box off, but I didn't have the proper cap for it so the new box hasn't been installed yet. 


So I decided to try to fire up the generator and test the pressure tank.  It wouldn't start, even after yanking on it for several minutes.  It didn't even try to catch.  Sigh.  I will try it again tomorrow, but I don't have any reason to think it will work.  Which is something else that I will need to get fixed.  I don't really have time to screw with it at this point.


The biggest issue with the generator failure is that it puts a serious wrench in my weekend plans.  I was planning on doing a bunch of interior work this weekend, since it is supposed to really suck weather-wise.  Without the generator though, I can't heat the place and have no lights.  Without those, I can't do the fiberglass (it is far too cold for fiberglass work).  I will need to decide how to proceed.  I don't particularly want to do the skirting in the rain.  It is terrible for my tools, but I might not have a choice.  I can also do the other electric box, the one that mounts on the side of the house, but again, not good to do in the rain.  My best hope is that it is colder enough in Sullivan to be snow to be honest. 

On the apron front, I tried calling another company that apparently doesn't want business, three calls, two voicemails and an email and they haven't responded.  I don't really want to go with Cooper, everything I have heard about the guy and his work is that it is sketchy and expensive, but I might not have a choice if nobody else will even talk to me.  It is kind of frustrating. 

I didn't have a chance to test the well courtesy of my generator and the septic wasn't listed, so no movement on the checklist.

Before Occupancy:

1. Install paneling on interior walls.
2. Build floor pan for the bathroom
3. Install bathroom fixtures.
4. Install electric.
5. Complete interior plumbing and test it.
6. Finish running the waste PVC line.
7. Well prep work.
8. Get well installed.
9. Get hot water heater installed.
10. Install flooring.
11. Install skirting.
12. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.  
13. Install kitchen sink.
14. Install kitchen appliances.
15. Install enough driveway to satisfy the apron requirements.
16. Get propane installed.

Before Winter:

1. Build bed frame.
2. Build closets.
3. Install table.
4. Install heat tapes.
5. Build some sort of porch.
6. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
7. Fix snowblower.  
8. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
9. Clear slab
10. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Mostly errands.

Today was mostly an errand type day.  I went up and paid my property taxes, paid some other bills, and so on.  I talked to the septic guy, and I am meeting him tomorrow to discuss the seeding and look over the work he has done.  The yard is still very rough, but at this point I want the excavator out of there so I can pave the apron.  He did say he had some leftover material from another job that he would bring in for the driveway. 

I meant to test the pressure tank today, but didn't get around to it.  I didn't leave work until it was almost dark. 

I also got a hold of a company that sells skirting in Hinsdale, so not too far away.  He said he was out of stock right now, but had a truck coming in this week.  I will head down there Friday.

As for my work, I was pretty wiped and it was already 6 when I got up there today, so I just did a little bit of prep work for the fiberglass.  I vacuumed the floor and got painters tape on the plumbing.  I am not worried about the walls since they are plastic and it won't stick.  I wanted to lay the mat, but realized that I didn't have a pair of scissors with me.  I wanted to do the glassing today, but I thought it was supposed to be warm today, and it was, until the storms came through and sucked the heat right out of the air.  Oh well.

Maybe water?

So I found out when I got to work that the guy that was supposed to install the pressure tank was already up there, and he was locked out.  Good communication there guys.  I didn't know until they told me he was already there when he was going to show up.  Other than that snafu though, it looks like I might have water now, though I am confirming that with the guy I have been working with. 

The new pressure tank.  Not sure why they decided to put it on cinder blocks, hopefully they didn't wreck the flooring.


It looks like I won't have enough space for the washing machine.  Ugh.  This means that I will have to put the washer in front of the window.  I might try to get the water heater installed in this space then, that way when I make a shelf to put the dryer on, I can just make the shelf go all the way across and have some storage, since I will have to keep the shelves in the wall fairly shallow if the washer is in front of the window. 




They made a mess inside installing it. 


They chose to install it in a different pipe than I expected, which means they dug up the rest of the side yard.


They used this pipe.


This is the daylight or drainoff pipe.  There is a constant trickle coming out of it.  This is where the excess water goes.  It is pretty close to the stream. 


The well looks normal now.  The containment pit was filled in and all that too.  Still a major mess I will have to clean up though. 


All the line is insulated.  I haven't been able to tell if they installed heat tapes and whatnot on it though.


If they did, they didn't use the outlets that were installed for that purpose.


Today's septic update: he actually did more smoothing.  This at least looks better, though I didn't go walking around in it too much. 


He also did some repair work on the driveway, which he said he wasn't intending to do.  I guess I complained too much.  The truck only bottoms out in one spot now.


As for the work that I did, I installed my "soil pipe adapter".  Unfortunately it looks like I made life harder on myself, since it wasn't installed far enough into the other pipe, which means I need to cut it off and grind out the lip inside.  I also used the wrong fitting, since one of my couplers doesn't have the lip inside (for this purpose) and I used the first one I found underneath.  Doh! 


I am still a long sweep 90 short, so I wasn't able to finish it.  I dry fitted the next couple of pieces though. 


I have been using this since it was there, and this is actually quite nice to lay on.  It is slippery enough that I can move around on it, is waterproof, and helps keep the dust and grime off the coat.  And it was a spare piece, so I don't really have a use for it.


I had to leave and be back in Keene before 6 since I realized that I never paid the loan payment that I took out for the septic, which I thought was due today (since I thought today was the 23rd...  Doh!)

Once I get confirmation that the well is complete, I will test it (I can turn on the generator and the pressure tank should fill) which will complete that item.  Since I didn't finish the plumbing, that isn't off the list yet.  No movement on the checklist yet.  Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and miserable.  There is a chance it will be warm enough to do the fiberglass though, so I might try to do that tomorrow evening. 

Before Occupancy:

1. Install paneling on interior walls.
2. Build floor pan for the bathroom
3. Install bathroom fixtures.
4. Install electric.
5. Complete interior plumbing and test it.
6. Finish running the waste PVC line.
7. Well prep work.
8. Get well installed.
9. Get hot water heater installed.
10. Install flooring.
11. Install skirting.
12. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.  
13. Install kitchen sink.
14. Install kitchen appliances.
15. Install enough driveway to satisfy the apron requirements.
16. Get propane installed.

Before Winter:

1. Build bed frame.
2. Build closets.
3. Install table.
4. Install heat tapes.
5. Build some sort of porch.
6. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
7. Fix snowblower.  
8. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
9. Clear slab
10. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Brrr.

It was a frosty one today.  I got at late start, still stiff and sore after yesterday, and sleeping for 10 hours didn't help either.  I also spent part of the morning doing bills, my property taxes came in yesterday, and I had a few others to get done, but my checkbook and everything is scattered.

I found out that there is something that I hate more than plumbing.  Doing plumbing when it is freezing out and there is 40mph gusts.  I started to work on it, froze my buns off, and that was the end of it.  Needless to say I didn't get it done. 

Part of what I did this morning was find my drafting stencil for circles.  I needed it to finish the flooring in the bathroom.  It is now complete.  All that is left is the fiberglass, which requires slightly warmer weather.  While I don't expect it to get warm enough to open the place up at this point in the season, I need it warm enough to dedicate a space heater just to curing the resin and not heating the place.  This is what the bathroom floor will look like


I also cleared out the utility room. They are coming up to install the pressure tank tomorrow.


I did a few other odds and ends and organizing.  After taking an unintentional short nap on one of my warm up breaks (I really don't know what it is about my couch, I can't sit on it for any length of time without snoozing), I decided to do something about the colder weather.  My flannel just isn't cutting it in the wind and the freezing temperatures.  So I pulled out the winter tote and grabbed my Carhartt and gloves and a couple of other warmer things.


Because I wimped out in the cold, no movement on the checklist.  There was an error in the previous post, the plumbing was tested a while ago.  Everything that is in progress is really close to completion, so hopefully these things will start closing soon.  I did add a missing task to before occupancy: get the gas installed.  Having hot water and a stove would be nice.

Before Occupancy:

1. Install paneling on interior walls.
2. Build floor pan for the bathroom
3. Install bathroom fixtures.
4. Install electric.
5. Complete interior plumbing and test it.
6. Finish running the waste PVC line.
7. Well prep work.
8. Get well installed.
9. Get hot water heater installed.
10. Install flooring.
11. Install skirting.
12. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.  
13. Install kitchen sink.
14. Install kitchen appliances.
15. Install enough driveway to satisfy the apron requirements.
16. Get propane installed.

Before Winter:

1. Build bed frame.
2. Build closets.
3. Install table.
4. Install heat tapes.
5. Build some sort of porch.
6. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
7. Fix snowblower.  
8. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
9. Clear slab
10. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings