Hi all,

Wednesday, Feb. 26
When we woke up this morning, we had 3 1/2 inches of snow on the Saturn, as well as all around.  The trees were really loaded with snow on the branches, and the electric wires across from us were about 3 inches in diameter.  As it started to warm up, snow came crashing to the ground all around us.  When the wires let go of their load, both dropped all their snow at the same time.

The drywall taping was complete except for a small area at the rear of the RV garage.  They need to rig up a scaffold/ladder arrangement to reach the part above the landing and its steps.

Steve's crew was busy tamping the AB on the RV driveway.

I swept each of the rooms in the house, then picked up the debris piles using my shop-vac which I brought over from our storage unit.  Then I left.

This afternoon, I got a call from Mark, who does the wrought iron railings, asking if now was a good time for them to come out and measure for our railings.  I headed back to the house and met his assistant.  I showed him what I wanted and he took lots of measurements.  He cannot do all the rails yet, as there are still steps to be installed, but they are slow right now and want to start on the pieces they can.

Thursday, Feb. 27
We had snow showers this morning.  It was warm enough, and the snow was light enough that each time the Saturn started to get a covering of snow, the snow would stop and the Saturn covering would melt.  It never got more than 1/4 inch before melting.

At the house, Ralph and crew were busily working to finish up the sanding and re-coating process.  He said that I should be able to start my finish electrical work tomorrow morning.  I hope it is warmer!

The side door to the shop was finally installed, but they did it wrong!  They installed it to swing inward - it is supposed to open out!  They will change it.  I told Ralph to not do any finishing work around the door.

I did some shopping at Walmart.  As I walked in, it was raining/snowing.  While I was in the store, it snowed really heavily!  It was back to moderate as I left and drove off.  It continued to snow on and off all afternoon.

Friday, Feb. 28
Ralph and Ron spent a little time at the house this morning doing some sanding and secondary patching.  They said I could use their scaffold if I would lock up the wheels when I finished.  The wheels tend to "walk off" at night according to Ralph.

Using the scaffold, the RV garage ceiling fixtures went in fairly quickly.  It was much easier than my stepladder would have been.  As I installed each outlet for either the fluorescent lights or the door opener, I masked it off with tape ready for paint.  When I finished the ceiling of the RV garage, I moved into the garage and did all the ceiling outlets there also.  I then proceeded to the shop and did the ceiling there also.  Of course my shorter ladders worked fine in the last two rooms.  I then installed all the switches and outlets in the garage and some in the shop.  

I evaluated my progress and found I had installed over half the fittings in one relatively short day.  I decided to not install any more until after the painting.  Part way through I started making sure the low items I installed were very loose on their mounting screws and then masked them so that the paint could be sprayed on the wall behind them.  After painting, I will need to unmask then tighten the screws.  All the connections are done.

During the time I was working, it snowed several times, but was mostly dry.  The temperature was in the low to mid 30's and there was a breeze.  I almost froze!  I had my insulated stocking cap, heavy jacket, and gloves on most of the day.  I had to take off my gloves often to get the dexterity I needed, but they went right back on.  It was like Heaven when I moved into the shop, where I could close the doors and cut off the breeze!  Boy, wouldn't garage doors have been nice today!

Saturday, March 1
This should be our "move-in" month!

Gene and I went to an RC Model Aircraft auction this morning.  One of the members of the Dewey club had passed away recently and his widow donated his equipment to his club.  They had an auction of the gear.  When we walked in, it looked like a hobby shop had gone out of business!  There were half a dozen complete airplanes, at least 20 or 30 models still in the boxes unbuilt, many with the shrink wrap still in place.  There were half a dozen radio outfits, many, many engines, several of which were new-in-the-box.  There were boxes of balsa wood, servos, miscellaneous fittings, meters, batteries, a case of 4 gallons of fuel, and almost anything else you could think of related to model aircraft.  I bought a transmitter case which will house my two transmitters.  There were many, many other things I was tempted by, but this early in the hobby, and without any storage space yet, I resisted.
 
Our monthly church potluck dinner was tonight right after the Saturday evening service.  There was about an inch of snow on the car when we left.  I cleaned it off before leaving.  When we started to leave, we found more than another inch of snow on the car.  We were very careful getting Betty into and out of the car.

I didn't accomplish anything of note at the house today.

Sunday, March 2
I didn't leave for the house until about noon.  It was fun sitting in the motorhome watching the massive snow load drop off the trees one snowball at a time.  When the power lines dropped their 3 inch tube of snow, the wires really bounced!

At the house I went around and loosened the earlier outlets and switches so the paint can hit the wall behind.  The later ones I installed were already done this way.  I cut holes in the drywall and installed "mud-rings" in all the appropriate locations to access my conduits for phone, TV, and computer network wiring.  

It was much more comfortable today!

Monday, March 3
I talked to Steve this morning now that he is back from the wedding of his oldest daughter.  She is the oldest, but the 4th of his 5 daughters to get married.  He is hoping that #5 waits a while!  He said the concrete crew is busy after all the storms, and will do my RV driveway either Thursday or Friday.  The car driveway should be done by Monday.  Steve thinks we should be able to move-in by the end of next week.  I am not calling the movers just yet.  He asked Vinny to schedule the painting contractor.  He also called the roofers at my request and told them if they could not get our solar tubes installed promptly, to forget them until after we are in.  He assured us he would to it today.

Betty and I went to the flooring company who will do our carpet installation.  We inquired about installing an entry area when the carpet is installed.  We decided to wait until after we are in and know what we want.  They recommended using an 8 pound 3/8 pad instead of the 6 pound 1/2 inch standard pad.  This should make the carpet easier for Betty to walk on.

On our way out to dinner tonight (Taco Bell - $3.38 for the both of us using two coupons!) we went by the house.  The solar tubes were not in.  I talked to Steve and asked him to cancel them.  The painters will be out tomorrow at 10:30 to paint the interiors of the garages and shop.  I need to get out early and finish masking all the empty boxes so the wires don't get painted. 

Tuesday, March 4
Today was busy!

I was at the house just after 8:00 masking all my switch and outlet boxes.  Shortly, Mike the plumber showed up.  He had been there the previous evening to hopefully fix the slow leak in his new gas run.  He had cut out a foot square section of the brand new drywall to access one of his fittings in the front of the RV garage.  He opened a joint there and pressurized each half.  Both held pressure!  The leak was at the joint he opened.  Mike is a very slender fellow.  He said he had tightened the joint as tight as he could while standing at the top of a ladder.  He is getting his boss, who is much stronger, to come and complete this joint.  They will patch the drywall and paint it when done.

About this time, Steve drove up in a skip loader and started doing the final grading around the house.  Then Tom and Scott along with several of the workers showed up.  They started forming for the extended patio and a landing for one of the sets of steps from our front deck.  

The painters arrived.  It was 10:28.  They were actually early!  One of them started masking windows and doors.

I left for a while and when I returned, the painter was just starting to prime coat the shop.  With his airless spray gun, he was painting about an 18 inch swath.  It went very fast!

Tom and Scott started putting the skirting around the bottom of the house.  I got a call from Betty saying the locksets had come in to Foxworth Galbraith.  I picked them up.  They actually had levers on both sides this time!

By the time I left around the end of the day:
   - The grading was done around about 2/3 of the property
   - The skirting was installed almost around the front of the house
   - All the trim around the doors and crawl holes was installed
   - The shop and garage were primed and finish painted, the RV garage was primed
   - The external electrical boxes were all masked except the 2 RV garage lights.  I decided not to try these while they were painting nearby.
   - The side shop door which had been installed swinging the wrong way, had been corrected.
   - The attic vents on the front and rear of the RV garage had been installed.

It's amazing how much can get done just before the painters get there!

Wednesday, March 5
When I arrived this morning, the RV garage finish coat had been completed, and the skirting around the house had been completed except for the trim strips.

I started by installing the lever lockset in the door between the garage and the shop.  Next I installed both a lever lockset and a deadbolt in the outside shop door.  I now have a room outside the house which can be locked!  As I went around, I pulled the masking from the doors and windows, as well as from my electrical items.

Next I installed the cover on the breaker panel.  It is an interesting construction.  There is a flat plate with formed edges that screws to the box set in the wall.  There is a hinged cover on this plate.  Behind the cover is a plate with the knock-outs for the breakers.  This is a floating plate that rides on a couple of pins, and is spring loaded against the breakers.  They must have to do this to accommodate panels that are not installed quite flush with the wall.

I then started pulling the masking off my outlets and switches in the garage.  As I went, I tightened the mounting and installed the plates.  The garage certainly looks a lot more finished with the switch and outlet plates!  I continued on into the shop and did all the ceiling outlets and the few switches and outlets I had already installed.  I installed a few outlets and switches.

I did all the ceiling light outlets in the RV garage.  Then I discovered one switchbox where either I negleted to mask, or it came undone during the painting.  I have painted wires!  At least it is the only one.

The concrete crew is scheduled for 1 PM tomorrow to pour the RV driveway.

Things are getting really close now!  I think I will send this now, and start a new report tomorrow.

Till next time,

Dick

I have posted photos on-line at:

http://members.isp01.net/rmason/statusreports.html