Another disappointing snowstorm.

We got another storm yesterday that was supposed to drop 6-10, but only dropped around 4inches.  On the plus side, it means that I don't have to clear anything, except for down by the road and the steps.  I can pull a NH and not do anything about it.  This is what the road looked like even though I was following a line of 3 plow trucks (that didn't go over 20mph...).  My tax dollars hard at work.


The insulation seems to have helped more than I figured.  For the first time in a long time, the far end of the house was actually warmer than right next to the heat pump.


It will get tested tonight, since we are supposed to get well below 0 tonight. 

In other news, I am finally reaping the reward of building my own place.  I just paid off my truck, and didn't need my tax return to do it.  It will completely empty my account, but my truck is now completely mine.  Next up: the federal student loans.  The Firstmark loans have a higher interest rate (6.0% vs 5.8%), but I am paying 450 a month to the federal ones, and only 96 to Firstmark.  I also owe less on the federal ones at this point.  Even though I didn't want it, it looks like I got a 20 year term on Firstmark since I have paid off only a couple of grand on it since college.  Not sure how I missed that; I was fairly certain that all my loans were 10 year (which is next year).  I hope to have the federal loans gone this year.  After that I will have to decide whether to attack Firstmark or the personal loan I took out for the septic.  I will probably go after the septic, since it is at 9%, even though it is twice as much and will take a while to get down, even if I am paying 1500 a month extra.

Not the most productive weekend.

Not a very productive weekend.

I didn't get a whole lot done over the weekend.  I pulled my hamstring and did something not very nice to my knee in the gym on Friday, so I took it easy over the weekend. 

I did however force myself up on the ladder to get the insulation completed. I am glad the ladder didn't buckle.  It was very cold out (so the aluminum was brittle) and it is only a 225lb ladder, which I am a bit over.  But it is up, and I also put a 2x4 on it to help hold it in place, since screws don't hold foam well.  I put them in at an angle, so I also have the shaft of the screw helping to hold.  We shall see if it is sufficient, it is supposed to get well below zero again this week.  I also pulled in a space heater since airflow to behind the box with the water heater is limited.  Hopefully this will keep it from freezing.  Looks tacky, but should work fine.  It is only R5, I thought the foam was better than that.  It still brings the wall up to R18 though (the fiberglass is R13).  They did have some foam that was higher, but it was polyisocyanurate, not XPS (extruded polystyrene) and isn't as weather resistant.


It is kind of a bummer to have lost all the natural light.  In the winter when the sun is coming from the south, this was one of the primary inlets for natural light.  That said, I work from dawn to dusk, so it isn't a big issue.  I might cut out the window at some point in the near future, if I get a nice weekend.


No movement on the checklist.  I did stop by Home Depot, and they apparently don't carry smaller sink bases anymore.  I am debating whether to order in a series, or just build my own.  If you want to build them to "perfection" they can be very complex and difficult to build, but for basic functionality and more simplistic designs, they aren't too bad, they are basically a box on a 1x4 base structure with doors on them.  Building my own would allow me to build the sizes that I need, but it is very very time consuming.  It would also require that I get the shed fully operational, since all the cuts will need to be done with a table saw, and I would need to get some rollers and whatnot since the table isn't big enough.

I am also considering building the pantry first, since that would go a long way to helping clean out the kitchen.   That table just isn't large enough. 

1. Install bathroom fixtures.
2. Get hot water heater installed.
3. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.
4. Install kitchen sink.
5. Install kitchen appliances.
6. Get propane installed.
7. Build bed frame.
8. Build closets.
9. Install table.
10. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
11. Fix snowblower.  
12. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
13. Clear slab
14. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

The snow may not have won, but the cold did.

While it never got too cold inside, the heat pump was able to keep up, I did have issues with the cold.  All the water lines in the wall froze.  Even the bathroom, which has heat blowing in it and has no obstructions, had the shower freeze.  They thawed out today, and thankfully don't appear to have split, but it is still January and I will have to do something about it.  I think I will just pick up some XPS insulation and put it up until spring when I can open up the wall and make it thicker.

I also noticed when snowblowing tonight that I now know what was wrong with the gearing on the snowblower.  The arm that selects the gear was bent.  I had a hell of a time getting it back together with the new pin, but I now realized that what was happening before was that the slot for 1st gear was actually 4th.  I also complained about reverse being worthless before, because R2 was inaccessible.  I figured this out because it changed when I was wrenching on it to get it back together.  1st gear is now R1 (yes, I put it in 1st and it goes in reverse) but I do actually have 1st gear now (it is now 2nd) which made the clearing tonight a lot easier.  I have lost 6th gear now, but I never really used it anyways.


I did finish the snowblowing though.  I even got the part with the ruts reasonably well, and didn't break any shear pins. 


The top is completed too now.  You can even see in the background where it winds up the hill, I did a path up to the shed as well.


It is supposed to get really warm and rain tomorrow evening into Thursday, so I will hopefully be able to get the insulation up without too much trouble.

Storm wasn't bad.

Despite the supposed snowpocalypse we were supposed to get, it really wasn't that bad.  It was light fluffy powder and there was a lot of wind coming through, so it is difficult to say for sure how much we got, but is around a foot.  Because of the wind, the roof cleared itself. 

The snowblower started second pull, and no oddities with how it ran, so I went and got a lot of it cleared.  I thought I was in for a rough evening last evening when I broke a shear pin in the first two feet on the slab, but afterwards it was fine.  I got a good chunk of the slab cleared (though not all of it), the upper portion of the driveway, made a pass down to the bottom, and got the bottom portion cleared.  As I was finishing it up though, the snowblower broke.  I lost the hitch pin that connects the gear selection lever to the transmission side.  It is naturally a smaller size than the ones that I had lying around.  It defaults to 6th gear when there is nothing to hold it in place, so I just finished up the bottom and then did a burnout all the way up the hill. 

That isn't supposed to dangle like that.


I was able to just drive over the part I didn't finish (the part with the ruts) on the way in, so it wasn't a big deal.  I picked up the pin, though it is -5 as I am writing this, so I might not finish the snowblowing until tomorrow when the temperature is positive.  The high for today was -1.  There is more crap moving in Wednesday though, so I will have to finish it tomorrow.

As ready as I can get

We have been downgraded to 18-24", but I still got prepared.

Home Depot saved me 80 bucks by not having anyone there last night, but I got the generator tonight.  It is in the truck and won't have to move.


Unfortunately I had almost just finished completely clearing the steps.  Sigh

Why preparing, always preparing? Just go.

I haven't gotten much done this week, Three of the days I didn't put my bed up, but tonight I decided to skip the gym and all that. 

As you might be aware, we are getting a Billy Fuccillo "huge" snowstorm this weekend.  We are currently slated for 2-3 feet.  So today I went to make sure my equipment was ready.  I had straight up forgotten about the generator.  After talking with Barry, he pretty much echoed what Dad said; a little ether, drain all the gas, and it will be fine.  Well, when I went to go drain the gas tonight, I realized that I could feel ice in the gas lines, and they were frozen solid in one spot, so the generator isn't going to happen. 

The snowblower was very strange.  I had to lean on the electric start for almost a minute to get it to catch, and even then it was only running at around 20-30 RPM (it should be I am guessing around 3600 according to the internet).  The throttle and choke had no effect, though hitting the primer bulb would nearly kill it.  It was stable though, I could turn on the auger (at those RPMs it would have been worthless) and it would drive without bogging the engine.  After a few minutes of that, roughly when the snow on it started melting, it started to pick up and got up to RPMs fairly quickly and ran fine afterwards, completely normal.  So that is something to think about.

I went to Home Depot to rent a generator (at 2+ feet, I put the odds of my losing power at around 85-90%) but apparently their rental center isn't staffed after 6.  I don't really want to buy one, I have one, but figured for 160 - 200 dollars it was cheap insurance.  Keeping my pipes from freezing and being able to clear the snow are worth that, since based on what is above, it won't start without the electric starter.  I might try again tomorrow.  I want to get it before the storm, even if I have to pay for an extra day, since I am guessing once it hits that generators will become scarce. 

Tomorrow I intend to bring down the kerosene and propane heaters just in case.  I can run the propane one indoors, and remove some skirting (on both sides for proper ventilation) and run the kerosene one to keep the pipes from freezing if I absolutely have to. 

I am considering leaving early tomorrow and trying to fix the snowblower on the tractor, which I have put off for far too long at this point. 

Not much done this weekend

I spent a good chunk of Saturday shoveling and I think I pulled something in my wrist trying to break up the ice, so I took it easy on Sunday. 

The end of the driveway that I haven't been driving over is clear though.


The sunset was really pretty.  The air is very crisp and clear


I also went out and bought new shoes.  No more shoe goo masterpieces that get my feet wet even walking across cleared snow.  With how much they cost, they better last as long though.


I also got the plumbing installed.


And I fixed the bathroom faucet.  I had to buy a new end and then take the aerator out of it, but whatever works.


I did a little of cleaning and also went for a drive and did a little exploring.  It is amazing how quickly the place gets cluttered when there isn't any room to put stuff.  I had a few shipments come in from Northern and Amazon, and you almost couldn't walk from one end to the other. 

It has also been very cold the last several days (at or below 0 at night).  The heat has kept up, though the duty cycle it was running at night was up in the 90s.  I should be good unless we have any really obnoxious cold spells.  Even my creek froze, though you can can still hear the water running beneath the ice.

Nice to finally sleep in my own bed again.

I did manage to finish the bed frame last night.  I might consider adding some corner hinges that will lock the legs at a certain angle (similar to the hinges on a briefcase so you can't open it too far), to help prevent the legs from moving once set, but with rubber feet on the bottom and the sheer weight of the bed frame it wasn't a huge deal.

Folded up.


Down for sleeping.  When I first folded it down, this was a weird issue to have.  Once there are pillows and stuff on the bed, I don't think this will be an issue.


Apparently my mattress isn't the standard size for a full size bed.  I double checked the measurements, and the platform is the standard size.


It was nice to sleep on the bed for a change.  It is more comfortable than the couch.  One thing that is worth noting is that the heat pump is blowing directly on me.  The hair on my back kept getting blown on, which feels weird.  I will get used to it though. 

Along those lines though, the coldest night of the winter was last night, down into single digits, and the wind was howling too.  The place was still at temperature when I got up, but it felt cold, and the thermometer in the laundry room read 62 (it is normally 64-65).  The heat pump wasn't at 100% duty cycle, so I don't think it has hit its limit, but it is cold enough to make the floor feel cold and the place to feel colder, even if it did hold 64 near the heat pump.  It is supposed to be down around 0 as the weekend approaches, so we shall see.  So far so good.

I picked up new aerator for the bathroom sink.  I am hoping to complete the bathroom shelves tonight after the gym or tomorrow.  I also purchased a right angle shower curtain.  The dual bar setup I had was obnoxious, and the cheap shower curtain rods didn't stick on the plastic on the walls worth a damn, it has fallen off twice.

The bed frame is done, though I might make a few improvements to it, like adding another step to the ladder, rounding some corners so I don't scraped or bang my head when it is up, those kinds of things, but it is done enough that I am going to move on to bathroom improvements, and hopefully start working on the kitchen. 

1. Install bathroom fixtures.
2. Get hot water heater installed.
3. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.
4. Install kitchen sink.
5. Install kitchen appliances.
6. Get propane installed.
7. Build bed frame.
8. Build closets.
9. Install table.
10. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
11. Fix snowblower.  
12. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
13. Clear slab
14. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Bed off the floor. A lot of cleaning and organizing this weekend.

The weather Saturday was pretty nasty.  It started off as rain, which was fine, but then turned to freezing rain and sleet.  So I didn't go anywhere on Saturday.  Today was one of those days where every time I got the saw set up, it started snowing.

I did manage to get the platform attached. 


The bed is now off the floor.  Unfortunately, the u-bolt I bought was too short, so it is just tied off directly at the moment.  It is very heavy, but I think I can manage it just fine.  The cleat didn't tear out of the wall, so it is fine.  Maybe someday I will rebuilt it a little thinner, but that is very low priority.


I also did a bunch of cleaning and whatnot.  The place is a lot more open with the bed off the floor.





Today I did a little bit more cleaning and stuff, but did get everything cut.
I have everything cut for the other part of the bed.  I might be able to sleep on my bed tonight.


The water blocks for  the bathroom.  This will allow me to finish sealing the floor.


I also have everything cut for the other set of shelves.  Due to an unfortunate equipment failure, it isn't installed.


I also have the supports for the bathroom sink shelf cut. 


I did have a few casualties as well this weekend.  My pilot bit.


My air hose died as well.  I think I have another one, I just need to find it. 

No real movement on the checklist.  Hopefully I get out of the gym early enough to finish the bed frame and sleep in my bed tonight.

1. Install bathroom fixtures.
2. Get hot water heater installed.
3. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.
4. Install kitchen sink.
5. Install kitchen appliances.
6. Get propane installed.
7. Build bed frame.
8. Build closets.
9. Install table.
10. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
11. Fix snowblower.  
12. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
13. Clear slab
14. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings

Happy belated new year.

I was kind of lazy after returning from KY.  I have gotten a few things done though.

The main thing is the bed frame.  I have it nearly completed, though it isn't installed yet.  It looks nice.  I really like the way birch looks. 

It has a 2x4 frame 12" on center

 

I also made some supports for the part connected to the wall.

Even though it looks nice, I think I took the wrong approach to building it.  The frame is heavy.  Really heavy.  I could have easily gotten some metal brackets that are rated for 1200 lbs, put the 2x10 on them directly and eliminated the 2x8.  Likewise, the frame itself seems a bit overkill.  If you think about how a boxspring is built, they aren't nearly that overbuilt.  And I will have to haul this thing up and down every day.

I got the PVC cut and ready to instal under the sink.  I swapped out the threaded 1.25 to 1.5 fitting I got at Humble for the other fitting I got from Home Depot.  I just need to find my PVC cement.  I thought it was in the truck, but couldn't find it in there.

I also bought a new aerator the sink that didn't fit.  I broke it or something when I cleaned it.  At the moment I have the whole thing removed, so I can make sure I get the right size.  I thought bathroom sinks were standard in size, but I was wrong.

No real movement on the checklist.  I am hoping to complete the bed frame during the week.  This will enable me to do some of the kitchen and get the place cleaned up.   

1. Install bathroom fixtures.
2. Get hot water heater installed.
3. Install some form of cabinets in the kitchen.
4. Install kitchen sink.
5. Install kitchen appliances.
6. Get propane installed.
7. Build bed frame.
8. Build closets.
9. Install table.
10. Smooth driveway enough to plow/clear
11. Fix snowblower.  
12. Winterize equipment (mower, undercoat the truck, etc).
13. Clear slab
14. Shed work
1. Extend roof to prevent snow pushing on the side.
2. Fix pilings