The view out back this weekend…
We got about 6″. I wonder what the fish are thinking under there? (click to biggify…)
As soon as the deck gets rebuilt, the outdoor furniture will go back where it belongs. Until then, it will continue to collect snow on the patio and look like a really miserable spot for dinner.
As promised, walls started going up today. First Joe soundproofed the gap between the ceiling and soon-to-be-wall with acoustical sealant …
Followed by sheetrock…
Honest-to-gawd walls are happening!
Sheetrock, that is. This time for the walls. Two separate loads arrived…
The boys are just about done QuietRocking the ceiling downstairs…
That’s the bathroom — the ceiling got insulated only yesterday. I’m liking this pace. All that sheetrock-in-waiting means walls will be next. Yay!
After much haggling back and forth over something as silly as angled or L-shaped path lights, David and I finally settled on one…
Does any of this really matter? Not much, no, but L-shaped it is. That’s the Atlantis 1518TT-LED by Hinkley Lighting. David turned his nose up at the Bronze finish. So I ordered the Titanium and Hematite finish samples from Hinkley. Not only were they FREE, they arrived just a few days later.
We looked at them against the granite (Titanium top, Hematite bottom)…
Titanium is clearly more reflective. Hematite would blend into the background better, as I assumed.
Then we checked them against the galvanized steel we have on some of the steps, the veggie garden planter boxes and our steel cable railing…
We’re not trying to match the galvanized, mind you. But the various finishes outside have to play friendly. Out back there’s also that rusty Corten steel drama queen of a fire pit/grill vying for your attention. So rather than have another dark finish nearby competing with the Phoenix, we settled on Titanium.
Done. Ordering!
I’m weak. I started ordering plants for Spring last night. That is all.
So what’s up down? Well, David and Joe have been busy since their last round of ceiling-up-putting with final prep for closing up the walls and ceiling. Tell us all about it, David…
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The hallway got its energy-efficient, eco-conscious makeover. Now fully denimated and insulated…
That ridiculously frigid storage area under the stairs got the same treatment…
And the bathroom will now be much warmer and cozier, too…
Including the shower…
[The concrete foundation wall was insulated earlier with 3″ EPS — the floor was also insulated, so it will definitely be more snug in here even after we tile. Gyp board (sheetrock) is the next step.]
Our electrician got all the new wiring roughed in downstairs — we passed inspection, which is why Joe and I are able to button things up. Our old electrical panel was code-compliant in 1971 but had since become outdated with a grounding system no longer acceptable. So we now have a nice shiny new 100-amp box.
All electrical boxes and ceiling lights are getting special soundproofing. Heavy putty pads are wrapped around them which block air (and noise) from getting through all the little holes and openings. The pads also add mass to the boxes so they won’t vibrate and transmit sound…
This thing that looks like a boring old light is actually going to become a smoke and CO2 detector…
To complete the soundproofing, the gap between the detector’s electrical box and ceiling gyp board will be filled with non-hardening acoustical caulk. The box itself will be wired to another one by the upstairs bedrooms and to a heat sensor in the garage. If one unit is triggered all three will sound the alarm, giving us the best chance to get out and get the fire department here.
All pipe and wire penetrations are getting sealed against air and noise passage as well as against fire. Special fire-rated caulk first, then expanding foam where appropriate…
Last minute additions to the A/V network: more smurf tube. One run from the desk area to the stereo cabinet to get digital music from the computer to the DAC, and a video cable to allow use of the TV as a monitor. Mmmmmm, 50” internets…
The other run goes from behind the TV to the future home of the upstairs stereo to allow for AM/FM and TV signal wires…
Someday soon we’re going to put antennas on the roof. That way we’ll be able to pull in distant radio stations and if the cable ever goes out we’ll still be able to get local TV channels.
The plant stalking for spring continues. This time up: vines. The more crazy and exotic it looks, the more I long for it.
FROM SELECT SEEDS
Mina lobata “Exotic Love Vine” an old fave. must revisit.
Clematis viticella ‘Alba Luxurians’ so unusual. love.
Vitis coignetiae (Crimson Glory Vine) brilliant 10-12″ leaves!
Apios americana (Groundnut) native. looks like a wonky wisteria.
Passiflora caerulea (Passionflower) somehow mine got dug up.
Where will I put them all? Um… hmmmm. (Btw, I added a few others to Pinterest.)
Seven degrees two nights in a row. What does the koi pond look like?
Solid.
And the fish? The fish are still swimming around in under there. Verrrrrry sloooowwly. Luckily the bubbler has kept one 4′ spot from closing up, so they still have oxygen…
This is good. Supposed to start warming up a little again. Still, I may take up knitting and make those fishes some tiny sweaters. It’s a long time until spring.
We go through a lot of fruits and veggies in this house. But just because it’ll be 7 degrees tonite doesn’t mean I’m going to toss my scraps in the trash. I make compost all winter, in fact, using these three cans I picked up at Ikea last year…
My food scraps don’t stay in the cans — they just get a good start at breaking down into compost indoors where it’s warm before they get added to the pile outside in the freezing cold. I got the idea from Fine Gardening last winter. Check it out if you compost. This method worked well for me last winter so I’m doing it again.
The basic idea is to create a compost lasagna: chopped up leaves on the bottom, a layer of scraps, a layer of sawdust and soil (I usually use leaves and soil), a layer of scraps, and so on. As one can fills up you move to the next. The third can is for storing your sawdust-soil mixture (or in my case, chopped leaves) so it’s handy. By the time spring rolls around, you’ll have a healthy pile of compost to work into your soil.
Have you seen these videos yet? Mind-boggling!
PART 1
PART 2
Pretty cool, right? I’ll post the third when it makes its premiere.