Day 5: One Week Down, Four to Go

We are accumulating a dumpster full of tear out material. The best use of this faucet is scrap, that's for sure. Form and function were definitely not on the same page, so it is good to see it go.

The biggest challenge today was taking the sagging header between the kitchen and lake room out and putting in the new and improved one. The sag, my have sagged more once the old header was out, even though the support walls were in. Even if it didn't, the one end went in, but there was close to a 2" sag that prevented the other end from going in. The biggest concern was the tiled bathroom. The wall side of the tub is over the header. This was one room we were not planning on gutting and doing over. Truly, though, Brady 3 would have taken care of any problems created by it, so let 'er rip. 

Phone calls were made, I ran out on errands, when I got back the header was in and this little jack was doing it's job.

The wall the laundry chute is in, was a wild card in the kitchen design. There was a good chance major mechanicals like plumbing and HVAC runs were in it because of the size and depth. And as it turned out, they are, but not so much that would prevent it from being cut down. Yippee! Cutting it back a foot allows for the refrigerator door to swing freely, which is not what happened in the old kitchen. Seems odd calling it an 'old' kitchen, when it was updated just before we bought the house. This will be a much better layout and with more functional space.

I am always fascinated by what's behind the walls and the history it represents. I have been told that the old knob and tube wiring is actually safer than the romex used these days. Why? The + and - wires are not sheathed in the same casing and so can't cause sparking which could lead to a fire. Makes sense, but is it really true??? Will ask the electrician on Wednesday.

Moving from a very small kitchen and storage space in McLean, VA, we thought the walk-in pantry was fabulous. So much was crammed in there that it made it difficult to find many things. So out it goes and one with pull out drawers, tray dividers and more will be put in, just not right here. This space will become a desk area with filing cabinet drawers to do the biz of running a household.

It is apparent from the staining on the subfloor above that there have been plumbing problems in the past. Fortunately, it has been in the 'beyond our stay' past. The question is, to update any of it before closing it all back up. It has the original trap and iron piping. Something to ask the plumber when he gets here on Thursday.

Learned a little more about Radon today. It is a by product of Uranium, is on the periodic table and is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking, number one in non-smokers. Why did I learn that? Because the radon gizmo attached to the wall our bedroom is on makes a terrible racket, coming on and off all night.

If it worked properly, the blue U in the picture would be at two different levels, indicating it was drawing pressure (? think that is what he said), not sitting even like it is here.

Turns out the fan has burned out and it was turning on, overheating and shutting off about every hour or so. The guy from SWAT Environmental, Tony Mowrer, seemed knowledgeable and thorough, tearing apart the outside switch to see if it was just that or the actual fan. As would have it, we need a new fan. Good to know it is fixable and the part available, just in Massachusetts.


Ended the day again, with another floor washing. There won't be so much tracked upstairs, (yeah, right!) I wouldn't eat off of it, but to have the dust cut down, makes at least a better mental picture. These guys are great!

Hmmm, what to have for dinner in our little studio-ette??? I am hungry!