Lights!

I don't have a photo for today's post, but I've made some progress with the wiring. I now have lights and outlets in two bedrooms upstairs ... the master and the bedroom next to it that will be my daughter's room. The wiring had to be run from the service panel in the basement to the attic, then from the attic I was able to run the wires down through the walls to the outlets and switches. It was quite a job, but I'm so glad that I have this project as far as it is at this point. Now I can work on the drywall finishing and painting with lights, I won't be tripping over extension cords ... and best part, I now have attic access thanks to a pull down ladder I installed this weekend as well. I'll get to describing that project soon, but for now I'm basking in the glow of 60 watt bulbs. :) Oh, and all the lights and outlets in the house were knob and tube wired, half didn't work, and we only had overhead lights in two rooms too when we bought the place. Lots of wiring left .... but it will be worth it when it's all said and done. :)

Twenty Two

Twenty Two ... 22 ... that's the number of sheets of 4x8 ft. drywall I've installed in the house so far. It gets to point where you have to do something else ... anything else ... to preserve your sanity. While all the drywall is hung and ready to be taped, mudded, sanded, primed and painted, I've embarked on another project. With us moving in just a couple weeks from now, I need to finish the floors now. I can work on finishing the wiring, woodwork and walls after we move in, but for now, this is the last major project then I can get on to my favorite part, the finishing touches. Here's a photo of the floors now. As you can see, there's the old finish and the awesome carpet glue all over sections of the floor that needs to get finished off. I've been busy sanding all weekend and can't wait to post photos of the finished product, but for now, here's an awesome photo of the mess. The unfinished woodwork is actually the doorway I discovered underneath the paneling that was on the wall. The house originally had two french doors into the sunroom, one from the living and the other from the dining room. I'll restore this feature to the house ... already it feels more open and airy ... or should I say dusty. :) 

So why should I update my wiring anyway???

It's not that I don't enjoy historical knob and tube wiring. I absolutely love everything about historical homes. Except the wiring. First of all, it's not designed for modern appliances. Kitchens have fridges, stoves, microwaves, dishwashers and hopefully many outlets all around the countertops for even more appliances ... while the homeowners go out to eat for dinner lol. Then you have TVs, computers, stereos, video games ... they just didn't have all these crazy electronics back in the 1920's. But they weren't deprived by any means ...

... back in the days when my house was built people would 'call on' eachother, stopping by to say hi in the evenings and weekends and people would gather in the living rooms and chat. Homes had front porches and people would sit on them in the evenings and talk back and forth between the houses while the kids played in the yard and street. Life was simple back then, and people knew their neighbors and community meant more than just a sign by the side of the road. Nowadays, drive through any neighborhood and you'll see the familiar blue glow of the TV in the dark house where the owners sit inside with their doors locked and shades drawn. Everyone is more connected than ever nowadays, yet people don't even know their neighbors or 'call on' eachother anymore. I can't help but think about things like this as I work on the wiring in the house. Since I'm doing a lot of drywall work, it makes sense to upgrade the wiring as I go. Back in the day, an outlet in the corner was sufficient. But nowadays, outlets should be more plentiful and installed in the wall 12" from the floor.

Speaking of floors, we are preparing to sand the floors down and pulling out the old carpets. As you can see from the photos, it's a good thing we pulled out the carpets as a previous homeowner had an awesome idea. Instead of running the wiring in the wall where it should be, they ran it along the floor under the carpet. Not exactly safe if you ask me. I thought 'great! I have some updated wiring to work with!' When we bought the place, little did I know ....

... at least I found it and can fix it. That's what I do, fix the house, and wonder what it's like to have a neighbor 'call on' you. I'll take a hot cup of coffee and friendly conversation with a neighbor over a smart phone any day of the week. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. :)

Drywall progress

Master bedroom closet framed in

Master bedroom drywall

I've realized that drywall isn't a very interesting thing to look at. It's light gray in color and when I think about it, it brings thoughts of dust, heavy lifting, sore arms and shoulders. I apologize for the boring photos of drywall. But it's where I'm at for the next week or so. I've made a lot of progress for a guy working alone for the most part. I've managed to get some help getting the drywall into the house and up the stairs thanks to my parents which has saved my back and also been encouraging. I've been adding wiring as I go ... having fun with putting light fixtures in useful places and adding in new outlets. The current knob and tube wiring runs throughout the entire second floor on just one breaker. Most of the outlets don't even work. There's power to them, but I assume over the years that the neutral wire was disconnected. So by the time I'm done, there will be new wiring, the plaster cracks will be fixed and the walls will be nice and smooth. Instead of hunting around looking for an outlet, there will be plenty in each bedroom. Instead of flipping the switch when I walk in a room only to have nothing happen, there will be a central light in each room. Above the beds, there will be a small light fixture for night time reading with a switch conveniently located next to the bed. Outlets will be right next to night stands, there will be GFCI outlets in the hallway and bathroom with built in LED lights for safe nighttime travel through the house ... but for now, there's drywall. Lots of it. Twenty sheets so far ... but it's almost done, soon the walls won't be light gray, but covered with warm color. My mom got a good start on painting several rooms and I'll get photos of those soon as well. Please stop back soon.

Sun and Rain

Sun rising over Lake Superior in Duluth, MN

Dining room demolition

It has been pouring rain here the last three days. I don't know what the official total rainfall is, I do know we received 2.5 inches in just a three hour span yesterday alone. Most of the time it's just a steady light rain, and it's cold ... highs in the low 40's and lows in the high 30's. Good weather to work inside, I guess. The sun is forecasted to appear once again tomorrow and also Friday with highs approaching 65 degrees. (That's a heat wave for us up here in da woods ya know). The weather is kind of like the state of the new house now. Demolition equals rainy days, yet the sun will come once again, and the projects will near completion where you paint, decorate, and place the furniture. And put your feet up and rest ... or go play outside when it's sunny and warm. We may just have to bust out the bikes this weekend ... but until then, it's time to grab the tool belt and get back to work. 2 weeks 'til we move in. :)