New roof!

Another BIG project. 

This time... Just wrote a check. 

A big. fat. check. But... It was so nice to just do that! 

Background. The house was thrown together in 1980. 

We knew we had some projects and a new roof was in the plans when we bought it.
Well... Last year the bathroom skylight started leaking. We patched it up and it held out until a month ago, just as the rainy season started.. Boo. Within the past year, things fell into place for us to be able to finance the much needed major repairs to the house. (The siding is coming up next year).

Needless to say...I have some cosmetic repair to do in the bathroom.

Anyways, I spent a few months looking for a roofer. We decided on a metal roof and a company called Coast Exteriors. The company had a spotless record, glowing reviews and great guarantees. A bonus was that they also could do the gutters! The estimate was in budget and reasonable. The crew were professional and kind. I even noticed that they had some music playing when I got home. It wasn't loud at all and... they actually turned it off shortly after I arrived. I can't say enough about these guys. They got our small roof done in one day. 

It looks GREAT!

We chose the charcoal color for neutrality. But I am so pleased with the fact that is is neutral in color but surprised that it seems to catch the colors of the sky. Just look how great it looks in the bottom photo taken during a beautiful orange and pink sunset!

I was hoping to be able to hear the rain on a classic metal roof sound but... I can't. Because the roof is insulated. Yay. Hopefully, we will see better climate control in the summer. Oh yeah... it comes with a ridge vent. We also have 2 extra downspouts on the east side. Our old gutters were a joke that had only 2 downspouts and were installed with wrong angles and poured over in the rain and collected water in the far ends. Sigh. No longer. Yay!

Time will tell the rest of the story but for now, I'm very pleased!

The photos show a detail of the gutters and standing seam.

Front and back elevations with before (taken in the morning) and after in the morning and evening.

The Switch from central electric heat to a Wood-burning Stove

This "wall" in the center of our living and kitchen area just had to come down from the very beginning.

You can read about that remodel here.

We had to get rid of the big, loud, energy vampire of a furnace and fireplace.

We decided on this stove vs a new heat pump unit because of the following
 - we have an abundance of wood and access to wood
 - the house is tiny and the new stoves are so efficient that the wood use should be under 2 cords a year in our "mild" climate.
 - the new stove burns with super low emissions.
 - our summers rarely have temps above 90 so the use of a ac unit part of the heat pump is almost useless
 - when we are without electricity we can still have warmth and cooking
 - when in use, it can be used as a cook-top, reducing the need for the electric range in the winter.
 -  should save us about $400 in electric heating costs per year.



Now for the review of the stove in the 1st season

Stats 

House: Split-level "kit" house with a walk-out basement. 1980 built. Crawl attic. The windows and attic insulation have been updated sometime since the 80's.
Stove is on the top floor where the living/kitchen area and bedrooms are located (appx 1000 sf).

Stove: Pacific Energy, Alderlea cook-top model T4 with, Excel chimney system.

I chose this model because of the high quality of the company. The model features steel box with "floating" iron for heat retention. Built in shield for reduced clearance from combustibles. Hinged removable iron grate flat top for a variety of cooking needs. Big glass door for ambiance. Features air wash flow for the ceramic glass. Size to fit where I needed to put it and for the area of space to heat. Price. ..although it is a top quality stove, they're are way more pricey ones out there.

When I get to old or tired of the work of split wood, I can buy and use pressed logs or convert it to pellets or gass. 

Every time the inspectors come, they comment on the quality and say "This is a really nice stove".

Climate: Mild Pacific northwest USA. 10 months rainy season September-June. 7 months cold starts in October with daytime temps 60 F and under with nites in 40s. Winter cold is usually daytime of 40s and nites dipping down into the upper to mid 30's.
It rarely freezes here. We also have power outages typically in the cooler months due to downed trees from landslides, wet ground and high winds.

History:  We have been acclimating to the cooler weather here. I notice that we like it in the mid-60's in the house at night.
I use a tiny space heater (milkroom heater) under my work table on  "mild" days to get the chill off and it works great in the tiny upstairs. It allows me to heat up the hands and feet but not get too hot while working around the house. It has 1300 and 1500 watt settings.

Review disclaimer: I have not been paid for this review or received free products for it. The review is based on my experience and reflect my own opinions. Performance will not be the same for everyone due to type of wood, moisture of wood, climate, building size & energy efficiency and personal comfort preference.

Season Diary:

This is the boring part!!! I documented some boring details to help me keep record. The first few months are long and it tapers down. Scroll down for a Summary at the end.

September 2013

Early rainy season (fall/winter).
I fired it up on a nice 60degree, sunny day to let the paint cure and open up the windows.

HEATING

We fired it up again on a mildly cool day to knock the chill out and learn how it burns and cooks so we are not having a learning curve on really cold days or in a power outage.
It  was 62 high 51 low F, rainy and cloudy with sun peeks in the evening.
The place got pretty warm (mid - upper 70's). So warm in fact, it was too hot to sleep comfortably.

October 2013

Fall-like weather

Oct1st...
Woke up to 60 in the house with overnite temps of mid-low 40's, current temps of 45 with forecast of 100% rain (of course) and a high of 55 dropping back to mid-low 40s at night.
Decided to use the stove to heat us up this morning and get the house warm for overnite.
Started burn at about 7:30am. By 10am it was 70 in the house. I opened the bedroom doors to let the heat in. Let the fire go out on its own around 3pm.  9pm still 70 in house and 50 outside. Kept the stove "cold" for the nite to see how we do in the 40's this nite.

Oct 2nd...
Woke up to 65 this morning in the house and about 45 out - nice retention house!

Oct 9th
I woke up to 36 degrees and it was a nice 65 in home. With just a maple log on low put in at 8pm - perfect.
It was a bit warm for me going to bed but the waking up temp was wonderful.
Supposed to get to 60 today and mostly sunny so, I just got a small fire going to knock off the chill as the house temps are dropping slowly.

October seemed a bit crazy with using a stove. It is that time of year where most of the time it isn't needed.
Starting up from cold (without coals) has its challenges.

Energy Usage Comparison for October
2012 - 1109.90 kwh   Temp - 49avg, 68H, 32L
2013 -   990.87 kwh   Temp - 47avg, 75H, 28L
       
 = 119.03 less usage (about $15- savings)

November 2013

Nov 7th
Now it is starting to get "winter" around here in the Pacific Northwest. The 1st snow fell in the passes and we are pretty much a constant below 50F with cloudy skies. The stove is being used more often than not but is still on the low burn side most of the time.
Kudos to the house as I have been able to keep it between 60-70 all the time.
I am able to cook on it more often. But, I don't know how much it will help with the electric consumption as I realized I bake more in the cooler months. The oven is another electricity eater.

Nov 30th
It has been a strange fall in the western cascade foothills this year - clear and cool and very "Fall-like".
We have had cold snaps (below freezing at night) of about 3 days followed by about 5 days of typical weather (cool, wet and above freezing).  This month I probably used about an 8'x3' row of wood.


Energy Usage Comparison for November
2012 - 1565.36 kwh   Temp - 45avg, 66H, 23L
2013 -  1086.67 kwh   Temp - 43avg, 60H, 19L

          = 478.69 less usage (about $45-52 savings)
               ($ 80.32 actual compared to previous year November bill)

DECEMBER 2013

December 1st
We start of the month with 2 full cords left.

December 4th
Unusually frigid week. This is not the norm here luckily.
Woke up to 57 in the house this morning - boo. Got a learning curve here with below freezing.
Daytime is no problem. I have been going through more fuel and keeping it on medium to high for the day.
We had about 3 weeks of the coldest temps in a few years here. We got down to 8 one night.
I experimented with pressed logs (100% wood) and it went well. They heat well, evenly and leave a nice coal piece for overnite.


Energy Usage Comparison for December
2012 - 2282.625 kwh   Temp - 36avg, 46H, 26L
2013 -  1466.58 kwh   Temp - 36avg, 53H, 8L

          = 816.045 less usage (about $80-90 savings)

JANUARY 2014

This has been a strange winter here in the PACNW. Not a lot of "warm" rainy days and quite a bit of sun and cold. Really really cold!


Energy Usage Comparison for January
2013 - 2432.37 kwh   Temp - 36avg, 55H, 17L
2014 -  1424.6  kwh   Temp - 40avg, 57H, 19L

      1007.77kwh less usage = (about $110 savings)
                                              ($156.78 actual compared to previous year bill)

February 2014

The first week was another bitterly frigid week with lows in the low teens.
On the 7th the stove started smoking more than it should when we opened the door to reload.
The 8th, I cleaned out the ash. The CO alarm sounded shortly after I cleaned and started a new fire. We aired the house and I let the fire die. The alarm did not sound again but to be safe, we did not use the stove again and instead let the small electric space heater keep the temperature stable.

The 9th, I opened the window in case it was a pressure issue, and lit a paper fire to heat up the chimney and see how the smoke goes up the chimney. I noticed smoke coming out from the stove collar. So, a call to the certified chimney folks is in order for the morning.

Lesson: always have a backup or two.

All cleaned and chimney and stove all in good order. The spark screen was clogged. Good news is they said the chimney looked good for this time in the season and just recommended to have it cleaned again at the end of next season and to go up on the roof about 2 times in the season to clean off the screen and take a look at the chimney.

Energy Usage Comparison for February
2013 - 1835.31 kwh   Temp  - 41avg, 53H, 24L
2014 -  1578.495  kwh  Temp - 38avg, 55H, 10L

   256.815   kwh less usage = (about $25- $31 savings)

March 2014

At the start of March, we have gone through a full cord so far this season. There is a months worth in the log hold on the deck. I think it will last us thru the rest of the season. The weather is actually starting to show a warming trend. I have been lightning it up mainly in the evening around 3-5pm when it starts to cool in the house. March has used almost all the wood on the deck. I light up the stove usually about once a day to every-other day or just in the evening or in the morning.

Energy Usage Comparison for March
2013 - 1718.43 kwh   Temp - 45avg, 71H, 24L
2014 -  1404.03  kwh   Temp -46avg, 68H, 26L
             314.4 kwh less for march

  534    kwh less usage = (about $ 30 savings)
                  $373.37 march2013              ($ 77.86 actual compared to previous year bill)
                  $295.51 march 2014

April 2014

April starts with some nice spring weather. We also have about 2-3 days of wood "left over" from last month.
We had to use it 2-3 times in April but for the most part I use the small space heater most nites set to 65 degrees to make sure it doesn't get too chilly. Hubby turns the thing on full blast in the morning and I turn it back down after he leaves.


Energy Usage Comparison for April
2013 - 1270.82 kwh   Temps - 48avg, 71H, 32L
2014 -   1161.71 kwh Temps - 49avg, 80H, 32L

    109.11 kwh less usage = (about $15 savings)
               

May 2014

Typical spring weather for here. Cool days and nights with occasional warm days and unpredictable rain.
The start of the month, I used it once or twice on cool, very cloudy days where the high was in the low 50's.

Energy Usage Comparison for May
2013 - 948.96 kwh   Temps - 55avg, 84H, 30L
2014 -   873.24 kwh Temps - 56avg, 86H, 39L

      kwh less usage = 75.72 (about $10-13 savings)
                  $238.95 may 2013              ($23.60 actual compared to previous year bill)

                  $215.35 may 2014

so far for season - $338.56

Summary

Savings & Expenses

$338.56 for the 2013-2014 burn season as compared to 2012-2013 electric furnace use.

This is not as much as I had hoped for.
The only difference from last years' energy usage is that... The previous year with the electric furnace, I kept it pretty cool in the house during the day and bundled and used the space heater right next to me while working. There is also a heater in the well house that kicks on whenever it gets under 60F (I've got to fix that). I think the man-cave usage may have been the same. He likes it pretty toasty down there in the winter. This year... I kept it very cozy in the upstairs and if I were using the furnace as opposed to the wood-stove, it would have been a much higher bill. I can't go back past one year in my bill history. I do remember having 2 mid-winter bills in 2011-2012 that were between $500-$600. That is why I was so conservative the following winter. Comparing that to the 2 largest in the conservative year at $375-450, the savings would be a whole lot greater and... I do not have to bundle up so much and sit in front of the space heater.

"Hidden" expenses of woodststove life...

The annual cleaning and inspection which runs about $140 around here.

If you have to purchase wood, you can expect to pay $200-$300 per split cord in this area.

We did purchase a cord the first year as a just-in case. We used the cord and a little of our older stuff.

We do not have to purchase wood for the next 2 years (so far) as we have almost a full cord from 2 years ago, about a cord and a half from a downed maple from last year, and about a large cord from a dead fir we just felled and a dead maple and alder that will be felled next weekend. Looking at all the trees on our acreage that are on the way out (there was a maple disease a few years ago and the fir beatle that are killing quite a few trees around here), we should be set for at least few years after that. Hopefully with only a cord - to one and a half cords per season... our acreage will be self-sustaining.

Start up costs. ..

Stove

Chimney system

Floor protection 

Install 

Inspectors

Insurance will increase

Tools 

Fuel

Fuel storage 

Cleaning maintenance 

Concerns...

Safetey

Yes, there is fire and carbon monoxide hazards. But... you could also have a fire start from the electrical wiring in your home, space heaters, ovens, toasters, fixtures and even the electric furnace. If you are a smoker, or light candles (or tend to burn food - guilty) etc... CO2 is a huge concern if you have gas lines of any use.
When a quality stove and components are properly installed and maintained and used, the risk is no more than any other appliance in your home.
We did have the CO alarm sound one day. Our spark screen had build up and was not allowing the stove to vent properly. A quick and easy maintenance that we could have done ourselves and prevented if we had checked it. After a cleaning and inspection from a certified sweep team, we were on our way. This was toward the end of our burn season anyway. Next year, we will check and clean the screen in December and check it every month.

Accidental burns...
Our stove is steel box surrounded by floating iron plates and a heat shield on the back. During normal burning, I can touch the sides, top, and back without getting burned. It is HOT but not enough to burn unless I intentionally leave my hand on there. The glass and areas of the front door are hot enough to burn as is the cook top (has vented iron cover). I have been burned twice when I have carelessly loaded the box with my hands instead of using tongs or fire gloves (the box is small). If I had a young one I would install a fire gate around the hearth anyway.

Messy. 

Yup, it is messy. Wood sheds dirt, bark, moss and yes, bugs etc... in the house in the wood pile and when loading.
There is ash to clean. During the peak burn season I empty the ash about twice a month. It burns so efficiently that the ash is very minimal.
I vacuum, at least once a day around the hearth because I like it to look clean. I also wipe down the stove from ash and dust and clean the glass about once a week.
Compared to the central unit, there is no more dust in the home than before. And, I feel like there is less.

Glass Is easy to clean. Just a moist rag and a clean paper towel. Add a dab of white ash for tough areas. 

Smell:

It only smelled of smoke when the chimney needed cleaning.
Outside smell - does not smoke except on a start-up and smells of a faint wood-burning scent.

Work:

Yes, especially if you split and collect your own cord wood.
That can be reduced if you purchase your wood and pay to have it stacked. Or use pressed logs. But, you still have to bring it in.

Convenience:

None unless when the electricity is out then, it is a HUGE convenience!
If you are gone most of the day it may not be useful except in power outages.
If if is cold in the house it does take 1-2 hours to get it warm depending on how cold it is in the first place.
We came back from Christmas break in Texas to about a 40 degree house at midnight and it was not fun staying up for the next hour to get the stove warm and going. That is when our bed heaters really were more than welcome!
On the super cold spells I would get up at 2am to re-load. I think i probably had to do that about 6 days out of the whole year.
I can be sure it is going well before i leave to go shopping, return 2 hours later and it is still good.
Sometimes it is really hard to start from cold. Part, I think was the quality of wood we purchased. I don't think it was fully seasoned. Next season we will be using our own wood and will know exactly how long it has been seasoned. I also have cut our own kindling - I like it much better.

Heating:

In the bitter cold (below about 25 F day time temps) it kept the house comfortable at a full burn 24 hours a day. In most of the burn season (non-peak) it is great and I can easily keep it between 60-70 in the house. In the October and April-May months it will get the house really really warm and I prefer to only light up on the occasional evening or morning and use the small electric space heater to knock off the chill and wear my house sweater.

You would think heat is heat and I thought people were crazy when they raved about the "feel" of the heat from their woodstoves. I am joining them in their crazy... I love the heat it makes. It feels natural and beats the forced air furnace in the way it feels. There is a difference.
It may have also helped fight off the SAD this year. Really, it does lift the spirit on a cold, rainy and dark day to sit in front of the stove and watch the flames and feel the warmth.

So far, so good.

Starting of 2nd Season. ..

My own seasoned wood is so much easier to start! Really didn't get started burning till Nov this year and had 2 freezing snaps.  Emptied the ash 3 times and took a month to fill the ash bucket. I check the CO2 alarms almost daily. The numbers have been at zero except when I burn food.  Oops.

Are you considering a woodstove? 

There are so many options and situations. There is no one solution as a woodstove purchase and needs are custom. 

Know your climate

Know your home

How much work do you want to put in? 

Are you gone all day? 

Do you like convenience and consistent, instant comfort?

Do you want complete off grid functionality? 

Do you have a place for it to be safely installed?

Do you know of all the regulations in your area for use,  maintenance, installation etc? 

Are you aware of all the expenses? 

Have you done your research? 

November 2013

Cleaning out the photos (over a year later :-/)

Here are a few photos of fall-early winter of 2013.

Installing and painting the old pantry from the kitchen wall we tore out and re-purposing as built in storage.

Moved the wood drying shed from the orchard to the meadow and replaced the roof.
Filling in with the fallen maple from the west side.

Experimenting roasting a squash in the new woodstove.

Baking

Feels like the Holidays

Lichen for Santa's Reindeer Christmas Eve

I don't need to cope.

How to cut crown molding with a miter saw and NOT have to cope.

* Don't be a dummy. Be safe when handling power tools by following manufacturer's instructions and always using appropriate safety equipment. *

My order of crown molding arrived and I watched a few how-to videos about cutting and installing.
All of them said you have to cope some joints. Coping is taking a fine hand saw and manually cutting an angle so the corners fit.

If you know me, I thought there HAS to be a better and easier way!
So I played with a scrap for about 5 minutes and found the answer.
C'mon guys! I am not a pro contractor or an engineer and it took me FIVE MINUTES to figure it out.

This is not an all-inclusive how to on crown molding - just a description of the 2 cuts to make to get 4 different 45 degree corners WITHOUT having to cope.
I don't do videos so, I hope this visual helps you to make quick and easy interior and exterior corner cuts for your crown molding install.

Tips:
Not all corners are square.
I cut about 1/4 inch longer than measured to give a little wiggle room to adjust.
Be prepared to make lots of minor adjustments because your house may not have square corners.
Order a few more pieces than you need because 1) there WILL be damaged peices in the shipping 2) you can practice with one 3) you can be less stressed about making a mistake 4) you have extra in case something happens later on.

EXTERIOR CORNERS














Exterior Right Corner

Set the saw angle at 45   pointed to the Right.
Set the molding upside down on the saw.
The corner you are cutting needs to be facing toward the Right and on the left side of the blade.

My hand is there to hold the molding for photo only

Exterior Left corner

Pretty much opposite of the right side.
Set the saw angle at 45   pointed to the Left.
Set the Molding upside down on the saw.
The corner you are cutting needs to be facing towards Left and on the right side of the blade.

As seen in the photo above... one cut makes 2 different corners. It depends on what side of the blade your cut is as to the corner you are making. Make sure your cut is lined up. I mark the bottom edge of the molding that touches the wall on the back side of the molding and line that up. But, there are other tutorials on the web that can show you how to measure. 

INTERIOR CORNERS

Inside Left corner

This is an Inside Right Corner cut.

Set the Saw angle at 45  pointed to the Right
Set the molding upside down on the saw.
The Corner that you are cutting needs to be facing toward the left to make the cut on the right side of the blade.


Inside Right corner

Set the saw angle at 45  pointed to the Left.
Set the molding upside down on the saw.
The corner you are cutting needs to face toward the Right to make the cut on the left side of the blade.

So, That is it. Easy peasy.

More tips... I painted mine BEFORE cutting and installing. SO way EASIER!
I also used carpenters wood filler putty to smooth the joints, fill any gaps and fix minor damage. It can be sanded and painted over for a smooth and seamless look.

Phase 6 tearing down the wall

6 is about the stove!

I made the pad. Slate tile and black grout.

I picked up the stove and the neighbor guys came over to help hubby "man-handle" the 400lb stove up the stairs of the deck and onto the pad.  After, we had burgers and beer and relaxation. THANKS GUYS!

view from the back door

I took a day to measure, measure, measure and measure again for the holes in the ceiling and roof. Once those are cut, there is no going back. Had to be absolutely sure everything was plumb and centered and had at least minimal clearance according to the specs. 

view from the front window

Hubby helped to cut the hole in the roof and install the chimney, flashing, collar and flue pipe while I made sure everything lined up and maintained proper code clearance (don't want things burning down).

It seemed pretty easy, but when the instructions are vague and the manufacturer does not supply the right fasteners according to the instructions, things get a bit frustrating. 

Everything (except the attic collar because I don't think it is the appropriate size and want to get a larger one) is in and I just need to get some stove paint for the scratches we put on the pipe and some edging for the pad. I also need to get an inspector out to see if we are ok. Then, we get to wait till a cool day to fire it up, open the windows and cure the finish before the cold sets in.

I was thinking that this is it for home improvement projects for at least 2 years. I want to enjoy next summer and need a break. Luckily, my hubby was thinking the same thing.

I will post a before and after once we get the details done.
But for now, the big stuff is out of the way and I can get back to some sense of "normal".

Phase 5.2 Tearing down the wall

Phase 5.2 of the ceiling is taping and texture.

I have a new found respect for drywall folks. It takes time time time! If you are doing a hand-done (not a hopper blower texture) it takes a level of an artistic eye and handiwork to get the stuff to to what you want it to do.
I did what is referred to as a "knock-down". I used a homemade hawk (a flat board with a handle under) covered with a scrunchy plastic bag and tapped the mud onto the ceiling. Then, knocked it down at the appropriate dryness level with a scraper. It mimics a stone/slate like texture.



One day on the taping.

The next day for laying on another layer on the tape.

Day 4 was cleaning up the taping
Day 5 was floating.

The 6th, 7th and 8th days were all about texture.

Day 9, 10 and 11 I worked on the wall texture and patching some holes where the thermostat and 3rd front door switch were.

Glad that's over with!

Phase 5.1 Tearing Down The Wall

Messy time with phase 5.1

Knock down popcorn ceiling.

Still recovering from the illness, it took me a while to get this done, One part at a time.
Day one I did the "dining room". It is taking some extra time soaking the popcorn since it was painted.



Mark took down the lights for me so I could do the kitchen the next day.


Day 2 the kitchen just could not come off. It was an orange peel texture vs the popcorn.Since the paint is a matte finish I will just texture over it. I did remove the burnt texture from where the flush mount lights were.

Day 3 the Fourth of July!
work day :-(  Hubby and I hit the living area and entryway and knocked it out before dinner.

Finally getting more energy but still only half of my normal pace.
And really really sore.

Phase 5 tearing Down the Wall

Phase 5  Ceiling

vents down

Now that the wall is gone we decided against installing a vent fan to the hall vents and tore the remaining vents out.

The house is so small that there is no problem getting air circulated.

I went out of state to visit family for a week and hubby got to do demo without worrying about the kiddo getting in the way.

He got the hall cleaned out. It is gonna feel so much bigger in that hallway now.



Here it is all down and ready for drywall.

ready for drywall

So, when I got back from Texas, it took a while to recover from an illness I contracted while there.
The weekend I really could have been helping my hubby get this done, he had to do the majority of the work himself.

With the help of a pole jack and occasionally me, he got it done in a "heat wave" of 90 degrees. Yeah, that is unseasonably hot for west Cascade foothills (it might hit that in August sometimes). No AC here and the sun is quite brutal up at this latitude.

Now, he will need to cut holes and re-install the smoke detector, install the hall light to it's new location on the ceiling and cut out the hole for the skylight.

Onto finishing.

Phase 4 Tearing Down the Wall

Phase 4 is my favorite part.

Because it will finally open up the wall completely. But, mostly because we hired a contractor to do it. Working to the sound of someone else doing the work is music to my ears. Unfortunately it is also the most expensive part of the project.

Moving the hot water heater is NOT a DIY for us. It requires finding and re-routing plumbing and electrical and is not in our scope of amature expertise. When in doubt, hire out! :-)

So, this post is not only for our friends, family and followers but for us as well. Great idea to document work and know where things are for possible future reference.

We found this contractor through Angie's List (no info  in this post is sponsored FYI). I had a few contractors over and chose these guys over the competition.
This guy keeps us informed every step of the way. I love it! He even did a lot of the work with the guy he assigned to this project. Hands on, not just a delegate.

So, we find out the hot water heater was (as we suspected) hooked up wrong. :-/

Day 1

 They did the exploring,

set up the new pipes and connections and electrical.

Drained the tank, and got it all hooked up downstairs!

WOW! Had hot water back by evening showers.

It is amazing how hot the water is now that it is hooked up correctly.




Day 2

Taping and mud.

Piping the pressure valve.

Removing the box. 

 Have to wait for the mud to dry for texture and primer.

Day 3

Texture and primed.

The rest is up to us.

Tearing Down the Wall Phase 2

Phase 2 of tearing down the wall project.

We had several contractors come out to do bids and inspect the wall to be sure it was not load bearing.

After we actually exposed the wall - it was obvious and if we had just gone in the attic and peeled back the insulation, we could have easily seen it was not a structural wall being that the top beam was a 2x2 AND it was not even attached or touching the rafters/ roof structure or beams etc...

So, phase 1 was the kitchen light.
Here on Phase 2 we tear down the wall and expose the water heater and upper drywall for the contractor to come in and take care of. We remove the furnace.


Before:

from the southeast corner of the LivingRoom

from the south west corner of the LivingRoom

From the northeast corner of the diningroom

from the northwest corner of the kitchen

from the hallway facing east

One day of work getting the electricity sorted was a whole day for the hubby.
I worked on the drywall.

not a load-bearing wall - the 2x2 gives it away :-/

Yup, that is a forklift hole - this was a prefab house.

2nd day hubby finished up electrical and removed the furnace.

from down the hall

Day 3 we split the cabinet and moved the halves to a temp location until I can get an island figured out and built. Hubby worked on more electrical and did demo, removed duct work etc.
We ended up removing the upper drywall because it was just setting on top of the wall and it was practically falling down anyway. Sorry contractor, we will have to re-write the contract.
Our ceiling is now opened to the attic.