Blog Archives

It's Always Somethin'

3/30/2014

Well, it's always somethin'. The fog has cleared and we have a beautiful sunny Sunday. BUT Tracey discovered that one of the subs ran over our new well head and smashed the crap out of it.

It's hard to imagine how somebody did this since the well head is at least 30 feet from the driveway.

We have Builders Risk insurance but with a $1000 deductible I imagine we are going to have to eat the repair bill.

Aside from that, it is a pretty nice day

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Rain and Fog

3/30/2014

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We had rain and dense fog on Friday and Saturday so we are behind schedule on the windows.

You couldn't even see to the end of the draiveway.

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Electrical Rough In

3/29/2014

Tracey has been in Georgia the past two weeks and a lot has been going on. Our shower units and the Andersen windows have been delivered. The HVAC and electrical contractors have been working hard and the rough-in is nearly complete.

We are using Metal Clad (MC) Cable throughout the basement, within the steel joist system and wherever the wiring goes up through the suspended concrete slab.

MC cable is similar to the older armored cable but it has a seperate ground wire and does not rely on the metal sheath for grounding.

Kieth's crew did a really nice job running the MC cables through the space in between the steel deck and the top of the joists. It makes a very neat installation and the cables are barely visible in the photo below. Note that the red lines are hot water and the MC cables are above the joists.

We have been planning to install a tankless, electric water heater. These beasts can draw as much as 140 Amps so we are installing 400 Amp electric service with two 200 Amp service panels. It's probably overkill, but it only cost a few hundred extra dollars and it keeps my options open if I ever decide to build a woodshop.

The main level is conventional frame construction so we are using Nonmetallic (NM) Sheathed Cable (also known as Romex).

The NM cables is less expensive and easier to run.

Wherever a circuit comes up through the suspended slab we run MC cable to a metal box and then transition to the NM.

There sure is a lot of wire in a modern home!

100 Year Warranty - Laugh of the Day

3/22/2014

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I needed a new claw hammer so I splurged on a Bostitch. When I got home I got a great laugh from the 100 Year Warranty.

"Proof of purchase required"... I guess I'll have to keep the Lowes receipt in a safe place for the next 100 years.

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Plumbing - PEX Is Really Cool

3/8/2014

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Mark has completed the plumbing rough-in. We decided to use PEX for all of the water supply lines.

PEX has a lot of advantages over copper or CPVC supply lines. Its less expensive than copper and fairly easy to install. The lines are distributed from a manifold in the basement.

We are using a home-run system so every fixture has a direct, continuous run from the manifold. This minimizes joints, tee's and elbows.

Each line has it's own on-off valve right at the manifold so you can turn individual lines on and off.

The tubing is flexible, so installation is fast and simple and the entire system is lead-free.

The manifold is installed vertically and looks like a fuse panel for water

The Marino/Ware joists made it easy to route the lines through the floor system.

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It's Always Somethin'

Rain and Fog

Electrical Rough In

100 Year Warranty - Laugh of the Day

Plumbing - PEX Is Really Cool

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