Still Here...

Brrr!

Well, things have slowed down on my building project. I did install my electric system, and everything was looking good, until I called for an inspection, only to discover I CAN'T install my own electric system until I've taken and passed a "homeowner's electrical examination."

The Panel

OK, I took the exam, and failed. Plus, the examiner (also the electric inspector for my part of Taos county), on looking at my plans, noted that I'd used #14 wire for all lighting and sockets, and told me this is incorrect - I must use #12 wire (thicker) for all sockets. This means that most of the work I'd done now must be ripped out and redone...AND I have to wait 30 days if I want to take the test again. My advisor says the inspector is wrong - stay tuned.

Ready to do over...

So, here I sit. Until I pass the electric inspection. I can't have the final framing inspection, and until I pass that, I can't insulate and put up the drywall … and get warm.

I'm trying to decide whether to take the test again or just hire an electrician to do it for me, or at least sign off on my (redone) work.

In the meantime, we've gotten a lot of snow, and nighttime temperatures are below zero most nights.

The ditch ran for a little while after the first snow.

The animals like fire.

The Big Change

July - Zip! The big change is that the money is about gone, and I'll be doing the rest of the new addition on my own, with as much advice as I can get. I'm actually pretty excited to dig in.

Here are a few pictures to bring you up to date:

Quite a month... There was the family reunion at
Lake Metigoshe on the North Dakota/Manitoba border...

Thanks to my nephew Brian for these two photos.

The lake (and all of North Dakota) was gorgeous.

Back in New Mexico,
I made an outdoor box for my very noisy computer.
When I finally upgrade, this will be Dali's doghouse...

You never know what Dali will drag home...
This an elk foot (she brought two). She's so sweet!

You can see the bare beginnings of my mini-aviary,
which will cover all 4 windows with a wire "cage,"
allowing small birds to come and go,
but restricting cats, dogs and other big critters.
Just wait, you'll see...

Many projects begun..
I'm about to wire the house - something I've never done.
I'm getting guidance from my mysterious benefactor,
without whom...
Here he is - John at the bridge at the bottom of the La Junta trail, Wild and Scenic Rivers park, only 10 miles from my house. John and John paid a quick visit from Maui, also in July.

Electrical parts all ready to go.

Roof insulation... actually a little premature,
but I couldn't stand the heat anymore...

My current living situation.
Office is under the bed.
Can you find the cat door?
Finally, just today I started on the rain gutter.
Doing 4 or 5 things at once is my style...

Loyal fans, I'll try to update more frequently.

Inspectors

Just passed the plumbing rough-in inspection on Friday, and passed the septic system last week, too! Batting 1000 so far on inspections. I guess I hired the right guys...

Plumbing by Redwolf

Left to right:
vanity, water heater, toilet, tub/shower

Shower hardware installed but no hot water yet...

Outdoor faucet!

Bedroom closet!

Larkspur!

Piñon flowers, and...

Piñon cones!

Reflecting in the bedroom window

Plumbing (Out of) My Depth(s)...

Another burst of activity!

Oh My God! Running (cold) water - in the house!

And it drains out, too.
And dig that science homeroom style faucet...

Water and vent pipes fill the wall between the bathroom and the pantry.

Vent pipes... more to come...
If these windows opened, we'd have to move the pipes. But they don't.

The tub/shower.

1,000 gallon septic tank, ready to install.

Tank in (beneath green covers), and distribution field going in.

Only the tank covers visible now.

Two big loads of gravel, for the distribution field, and the driveway,
and the French Drain on the north side of the house.

The distribution field now invisible!

Gravel over and gravel under 4" leaky pipe.

French Drain,
carrying water from the north side, away from the house.

Through the wall!

All kinds of progress:

The roof style is called "Brai." Above is the base and galvanized drip-edge.

Cliff Bain, a Brai specialist, uses a torch to heat-seal the tar-based material.

The top layer has sand embedded in it. This matches the existing roof.

The finished roof. We'll be adding flashing and trim under the windows above the roof. The 4 small windows on the newaddition were lifted from the original structure.
The variation of color on the walls will fade as it weathers (I hope).

Bedroom windows. The one new window is on the left.

We've cut the wall openings into the new addition!
Pardon my messy house...

The fridge is temporarily in the corner, actually where the washer/dryer goes. The boards on the floor are the bottoms of the walls:
bathroom left, pantry right.

The plumber is scheduled to appear Monday. He'll also be putting in the septic system. We're approaching the next big round of inspections...

Closed in!

Well, the walls are up, and the roof is ready for tar and sand (a Brai roof), window holes are cut.

The east wall, last wall to be skinned - note the just-completed window framing.

East wall finished.

West wall with evening shadows...

North wall.

Fascia detail - the extra strip at the top is to bring the drip-edge away from the fascia.

Mark cutting windows.

Inside.

And, finally, the 5 window views: bedroom(3), bathroom(1), and pantry(1).
...with actual construction soundtrack...

Setbacks, but Nonetheless...

Builder Mark took a fall over a week ago, and work on the addition has slowed to a stop, until today. But the days have been filled with work on the ger and its platform.

I re-painted the large areas of solid orange (the color that matched at Questa Lumber was "Tomato Soup"), and varnished over all painted areas. The varnish really makes the original paint colors POP!

The Mongolian painted filigree was beginning to chip...

The deck is now waterproof and ready for the ger.

Mark is back on the job, and if the spring winds will give us a break, we'll begin putting the roof on tomorrow.

Spring is gorgeous, by the way..

...and Dali has a boyfriend
(fortunately he's a eunuch).