Day 41 - More Electrical Work

Tuesday - This is the first day that Gary and Joe did not work on the site. Two electricians were there installing wiring and also wiring ceiling fixtures. Gary and Joe were finishing up the house that is almost ready to be occupied.

The weather was good the whole day. The plumber installed a hose bib for me so that I could use the hose to wash off the porches.

The fireplace installer came by to inspect the chimney installation.

House Day 40 - Electricity and Gas

Kevin will built our cabinets from scratch. Here Kevin - Lulu - and Gary are planning the 10 feet high kitchen cabinets. They are standing where the kitchen island will be. 

Monday - In Tallahassee - they city owns the power company and gas company. Every month you get a bill from the city that includes - electricity - gas - garbage - water - sewage - fire protection  - and storm water runoff. When planning a new home - the city offers incentives to encourage you to use energy efficient appliances and abundant insulation. If you install a tankless water water you get a rebate of $675. If you install insulation - the city will pick up to 80% of the tab. 

In our new home we will have a tankless gas water heater - a gas fireplace - a gas range - a gas outdoor grill - and a gas fire pit. We will have 46 recessed ceiling lights featuring LED bulbs that use 80% less electricity than incandescent bulb. The entire home is going to be encapsulated with open cell foam insulation - the kind they spray install and it bubbles up and seals every crack. The windows will have energy efficient glass. If you add up all the 20% - 50% - 80% savings - it seems that the city will owe us money every month. 

When we prepared the building site - we removed many tall pine trees. This was done first to protect the house from falling pine tree - a very common thing in Tallahassee - but also it will take advantage of the Florida sunshine for our garden - our fruit trees - and for solar heating of the pool. 

The guy from Bubba Plumbing is also installing the gas system. Here they are installing the black steel gas lines to the fireplace. The large silver pipe behind him is the double wall chimney that will ventilated the gas fireplace. 

With the flick of a switch the gas logs will ignite and really heat the home. The fireplace will open on two sides to the living room and dining room. This is Lulu's creation. Since the fire is surrounded by glass - no heated room air will be drawn up the chimney. The heated glass will radiate throughout the home. Fresh air will be drawn into the fireplace through a separate duct. Also with the fire covered by glass - there is no chance of flame or fumes escaping into the room. 

The gas fireplace will be turned on by a switch. Flame height will be controlled by a rheostat. There will be no standing pilot light. 

46 recessed cans were installed in the ceilings yesterday. Each can will be filled with an LED 7 watt light bulb. The LED bulbs are not the swirly kind of bulb - they look normal and can be dimmed. They will be installed in standard sockets - easy to screw in and out. Supposed these LED bulbs last 20 years - and they are cool to the touch.

House Day 39 - Electricians Were Pulling Wires Most of the Day

2000 Feet of Wire So Far.

Friday - Over 200 feet of wire was installed today. All this goes into the walls before the insulation is added. 46 recessed ceiling lights - tons of outlet receptacles - switches - circuit breakers. 

Also in the afternoon - William Reynolds - the residential appraiser paid a visit. He measured the house and was very helpful on telling me some of the rules for appraisal. 

Gary and Joe continued framing the interior. 

House Day 38 - Lots of Hardware Installed

THURSDAY - What a mess! Wood chips all over the place. Today Nick and the electricians did a lot of drilling and wire pulling. 

The HVAC men were putting in the kitchen and bathroom vents. The kitchen range hood and motor are restaurant size and quality. It could drain the house of smoke and stale air in seconds. 

All the vents are designed to exit under the eaves. There will be no vent holes in the roof - keeping all sight lines clear. This will also prevent roof leaks and also avoid staining from debris and electrolysis. 

This is the range vent system. It has an 8 inch pipe and a remote motor to keep the sound out of the house. Lulu will have to be careful or it will suck her up and out. 

Josh is Recovering Well

Josh is already doing physical therapy. He will be at TMH a few days. 

The 3.5 inch nail was firmly planted into the bone. It is considered a bone fracture.

Josh is one of the four men building our new home. He is 21 and one mountain of a man. He took one for the team - he took one for me. 

Josh was using a nail gun to frame the porch ceiling. He was working overhead - the ceiling is 10 feet high. As he was going up the ladder - he rested the nail gun on his leg. That pushed the safety guide down - when he hit the trigger - it was like a gun with the safety off. 

I was in the attic cleaning up. I heard a different kind of nail thud. There was no screaming - no cursing - no blood. Josh just said he put a nail into his leg. Gary was there before I got down the steps. Josh's shorts were nailed to his leg. He was in unbelievable pain - no yelling - just grimacing and trying not to move the leg. Gary lowered him into my golf cart - then we made a slow bumpy ride toward Gary's truck. They hopped in and were gone. 

They went to Patients First - a walk-in clinic about 1 mile away. The clinic sent them right to TMH - Tallahassee Memorial Hospital - about 2 miles away. After a few shots for pain and infection - Josh was made comfortable for surgery. The accident happened at 10 AM - but the actual surgery did not start until 8 PM. With the nail in the bone - they were extra cautious. 

The x-rays show how the 3.5 inch nail was to the hilt with about 1.5 inches of it embedded in the femur. They used a vice grip pliers with a slide weight on it - it look like a wheel puller that you use when you are changing the bearings on your car. Of course it is all stainless steel.

Ironically the inspector was on site the day before checking to see if everybody has Workmen's Compensation Insurance.

He will be in the hospital a few days - they are concerned with infection. In about a week he can come back to the job - but no climbing allowed. Josh gave me the pictures and told me to post them. 

The nail pinned his shorts to his leg. The next day - Josh still had the shorts on.

After a while the leg was very swollen.

While Josh was sleeping - this vise grip with the slide weight pulled out the nail. The nail is the kind that is dipped in red adhesive. The heat of the nail going into the wood melts the glue - then it cools down and seals the nail tight.

House Day 37 - Accident at Our Work Site

Joe continued working on the job Josh was doing when he got hurt.

It happens just that quickly. I was in the attic cleaning up. Gary was installing the pocket doors. Gary Wayne had just left for the other job after finishing the south wall - the house was now enclosed except for the eaves. Joe was cutting lumber pieces to fit in the porch ceiling.

Bam - I heard a different nail sound. Josh - said I put a nail into my leg. No screams - no cursing. I ran to see what was the matter. Gary was already there helping him down the ladder. I got the golf cart and pulled it as close as I could. Josh skipped in - and we went to Gary's truck. Gary took him to the hospital. In one blow Josh had driven a 3 and 1/2 inch framing nail - right to the hilt above his knee. His shorts were literally nailed to his leg. The nail head was clearly visible and it did not go in on an angle. 

Gary stayed at the hospital with Josh. The accident happened around 10 AM - and at 3 PM - they still did not remove the nail. They were concerned about debris in the wound. 

Joe was called to bring Josh's license and truck to the hospital. After that - Joe came back and continued to work. 

One of these 3.5 inch nails was driven into Josh's leg - above the knee.

The house was really busy with plenty of subcontractors. The fireplace installers set the unit in place and ran a double wall pipe - up and out the sidewall under the eaves.

The heat - ventilation - air conditioning men installed the two bathroom vents. They also worked on the range hood vent. In order to keep the kitchen quiet - they installed a big fan in the ductwork up in the attic to draw out the foul cooking air. 

Gary build the platform for the double sides gas fireplace.

Gary was busy installing the 4 pocket doors. 

The electrician were placing the gray plastic outlet boxes throughout the house.

When we get more information on Josh - I will let you know how he is. 

Gary was installing this pocket door assembly when the accident happened.

This is the exhaust fan for the range hood in the kitchen. That pipe is 8 inches in diameter.

The fireplace firebox is in place. The double walled vent goes up to the ceiling then goes out under the eaves through that 18-inch space between the ceiling and the attic floor.

House Day 36 - 3 Sides Sheeted - More AC Ducts - Electrical Work Marked Up

Three of the house sides are sheeted. This is the north and east walls. 

This is the north and west walls. The lower layer marine grade plywood.

Tuesday - A bright sunny day but nice temperatures and low humidity. Gary and Joe got 3 of the 4 sides sheeted in with plywood. The air conditioning crew was installing the return air ducts. The insulation man was there to review the job. The electricians marked where all the outlets - switches and lights will be. 

Ben - the ventilation man - reviewed where we would put the ventilation fans for the bathrooms and kitchen. We are routing then up and then over to the side where they will exit under the eaves. First - we are trying to avoid loud noises. Second - we do not want to make any holes in the roof. Third - we want to make sure there is a good flow of air - we do not want odors in the house. The range hood fan will be mounted up in the roof trusses away from the kitchen. 

The electricians said it will probably take 4 days to do all the electrical roughing in. 

We are using open cell foam insulation which will be sprayed in from edge to edge on the roof. We will also use spray foam insulation in the wall. This will make the home a tightly sealed envelope. The the spray application will be done after all the wires - pipes - and vents are in place.