Electrical wiring

Another less than glamorous but very essential part of construction is the electrical wiring.  The electrician and his crew of two have been here in the house for weeks taking down old defunct wiring and lighting and replacing them with up-to-code materials.  Fortunately they found no knob and tube wiring which was a great relief as that is a no-no with insurance companies.  Below are some photos of the kind of work our electricians have been doing.



A new switch box in the kitchen.



An electrician's gear.



New wiring in the "sewing room", which will be
the children's shared common area.




An electrician's way of taking notes:  painter's tape.  To this
wall we are adding three light switches and an intercom.



Wiring for the new half bath
off the kitchen.



Wiring the kitchen ceiling.



A new fuse box in the basement.



A new recessed light in the vestibule outside
the dining room.



There's Dermot himself installing the recessed
lights in the cathedral ceiling of the family room!



Four recessed lights and a ceiling fan for the family
room!



Trail of wires...



An electrician's collection of outlets and switches...
note the monster-size drill on top!

Plumbing work

The focus of the last couple of weeks here at the house has been the infrastructure including the electrical work and the plumbing.  For those of you interested in the less glamorous aspects of construction, here are a series of photos focusing on the plumbing upgrades.  Before looking at some of the "finer" touches of the plumbing work, one first has to take into account the miles of pipes that start in the basement and thread their way throughout the house.  Most of these pipes were unmarked and the plumbers have spent hours following them through the house.  Some pipes had been replaced, rerouted, and cut off over time, so it's been quite a feat!  And they're still looking for the pipes to the third floor!



Basement pipes...white PVC pipes are new...



More basement pipes



Basement pipes along with new wiring...




One last shot of the basement hallway pipes




These are a mix of old and new pipes in the basement
apartment where we live. 



The master bathroom.  The "hole" is where the toilet
used to be.  They have spent a great deal of time in
this area while plumbing the new 1/2 bath off the kitchen
below and installing what we need to have a small
stacked washer/dryer in a closet behind the master bath.



Up close in the master bath...



Same view with new piping...




Plumbing the new shower in the master bathroom



This is a copper pan which goes
in the bottom of a shower.  One has
been installed in the kids' bathroom and one
in the new shower of the master bath.




The plumbers made a drain in the pan using a blowtorch.




Master bath shower with the copper
pan installed...

The shower valves are now in place in the
master bath shower




New plumbing in Eliza's half bath -- for her sink



Searching for those third floor pipes -- hole is in the
ceiling of Hernando's Hideaway in the basement.



Stuart Little isn't so little anymore...

In this Big House, there was a very small bedroom fondly called Stuart Little.  This little bedroom was contiguous with what is going to be Eliza and Caleb's shared common room, so in the interest of space and light, most of Stuart Little's interior wall has been removed.  The most amazing thing is what the crew found when they took down part of the ceiling where there had been water damage...a lovely "cathedral" ceiling!  They've also removed a very old skylight, seen where they can add insulation where there wasn't any, and found a few beams that have been compromised by rot.  While looking at the progress the other evening, we saw a mouse scoot right along a wall up there -- Stuart himself is looking for a temporary home while we make improvements to his accommodations.



Looking down the second floor hall toward
Stuart Little (trying to keep the dust down).

Taking down the interior wall of Stuart Little
(the closet is going to stay because it is weight bearing).



Exposing the ceiling



Looking from inside Stuart Little toward the hallway --
now look at the ceiling!



Looking into Stuart Little now that most of
the wall is gone...



Another view of Stuart Little...



Temporary insulation...you can see the framing
for a double window just to the right...

Gutters go up on the family room!

Carl and Ger have been working outside this week putting soffits and gutters on the family room and mudroom.  The weather has been cooperating!



Gutters (in the family room) waiting to go up!



Ger making adjustments!



Steel Support Beams for the Bay

We were away for four days and a lot went on during that time...the kitchen continues to be prepped for the new cabinets and appliances.  Welders spent several days putting in steel support beams which will eventually support a new bay on the front of the house. There's more, too, but that will come a little later...


The old soapstone sink is now fixed in place.  Note the
new plumbing to the right.  Matching cabinet doors
will be made to go below it.



The new kitchen island is now framed in.  It will
be 11' long and will have bookcases on either end.



Welders installing steel support beams in the
kitchen walls...



A steel beam up close...



A steel beam from the inside of the kitchen...it's
the maroon-colored  material on the ceiling
and running like a post in the wall...



This sketch shows the new bay above the kitchen and
may help explain why the structural engineer
required the steel beams.



This is Caleb's room -- the door to the left is a closet, but
the original door to the bathroom has been removed.



Now Caleb's door to the bathroom will be
straight ahead where the radiator was
formerly located.  The former door will
be a wall; and he'll have bookshelves
on the wall by the window.



More good works!

Yesterday the thermometer hit 52 - a lovely day of warm sun and melting.  The mason visited and our crew started work on the "master" bathroom.  The sound of saws, hammers, and heavy footsteps along with the compressed air gizmo (what is the name of that machine?) is music to our ears.

The kitchen stove had been vented through
this area.  The vent is gone and the mason
will reinforce it.

Filling in the hole!

Mortar and trowel...

Like new!

From the other side...

Nice new hardware on a new family room door

There was a closet here in the master
bathroom (next to Grandma's Bedroom). 
It was removed yesterday
to make way for a shower! 

Another view of the master bath with the closet
on the left removed.  The rest of the bathroom
will stay the same except for a new toilet.



Happy Valentine's Day!