projects on the go
The baseboard heater works now.
According to my electrical engineer friend, the thermostat was arcing. When dialing it up and down, one can hear a kind of buzzing or hissing sound, the sound of a small arc going on within. Likely the contacts are dirty. He thinks it’s fine, but I think I will replace it anyway. Arcing leads to carbon building which leads to more arcing.
More finish work was done today. I added faceplates to most of the outlets and switches. Double outlets / switches aren’t done yet because I bought the wrong ones. I’ll pick up the right ones tomorrow.
Seam sealer, normally used in vinyl flooring, was used to seal the butt joints in the countertop.
The baseboard heaters were all installed except in the bathroom. The heater does not work.
Today is organizing day. I brought home much of the building materials, supplies, tools, etc. from 1403 and put it in the garage at home. Now comes the sorting, storing, cleaning, throwing away, recycling, and … the big one … inventorying. Why make an inventory? As workdays went on, stuff became less organized and more chaotic, so, when something couldn’t be found, a new one was purchased. This was the case for everything from a box of screws to a laser meter. If only I had stuck to a method of accounting for all of my stuff, my accounting wouldn’t be in such a state.
The upper suite at 1403 is not yet complete, but they are moved in, any my arms are sore, so I will spend the next while organizing.
Another trailer load of junk.
The rear light, previously used at the rear of 520, was malfunctional (yes, it’s a word), just as my tenant attested. The neighbours here at 1403 said the damned thing flashed all night long. After changing the settings, it still flashed. “Cheap is cheap”, as a long-forgotten person would say. So I picked up a motion sensor light from Rona along with a 2-pack of 15-Watt bulbs. Dave held the ladder and handed stuff up to me while I scrambled up there in the wind. I’ll have to go by the house at night to see if it works.
After working outside for a while, the microwave was installed today. It took a while to get it installed because of the same problem as the rear suite at 520 – the cabinet bracket screws are almost lined up with the microwave mounting screws, forcing the mount to be slightly off-center.
However, there is a little flange that sticks out at the top left, preventing the cabinet door from opening.
It seems to have no purpose, so…
My arms are still sore, so today was just a half day.
I noticed some gaps in the first floor bedroom window framing where the wood wasn’t taped with flashing. I sealed as much as is showing in preparation for window trim.
Meanwhile…
Smile, You’re On Camera!
Maybe this will make a difference.
The new upstairs tenants left many of their belongings outside to sort through when they had time, but one thing was taken. I have a video of the thief, and it is now in the hands of the tenants.
In the mean time, more of the construction stuff is being cleaned up.
I wonder why no one has tried taking the stove. Or the fridge dolly that has been sitting in front of the garage for a year. Or the ladder. I guess because all of those things represent real work.
Because the entire property only has 100 Amperes (80A main floor, 50A upstairs), the upstairs suite cannot handle the on-demand water heater I had planned … yet. As well, there is no room in this small suite for a water heater of any decent size. (I have a 6-gallon, but for two people it should be minimum 15-gallon.)
So, they will share the main floor hot water tank. To do this, they need a flow monitor to measure how much hot water they use and pay the tenant downstairs.
The work begins. These valves are for the upstairs.
Over time, things get swept up, boxed, misplaced, or outright lost. I have no idea where the cover for this window crank went. I’ll have to order another, after I have a Thanksgiving weekend.
The kitchen blind was finally put up. When I get the measurements, I’ll go empty out Home Depot’s stock of blinds again for the remaining windows.
This window was from the main floor living room. Not sure what to do with it, but it can’t stay in front of the house.
I cut the rear entrance add-on rafters to the same length. I used a chalk line to mark them and a reciprocator to cut them. I’ll add a fascia board, paint everything, and replace the gutters next time I’m there.
The leaves are cleaned up and grass cut with the leaf blower and lawn mower.
These stones came mostly from the basement area while excavating. They sat on the sidewalk for the longest time. However, it is called a sidewalk, not a sideclimb, so they were moved.
