That's plumb purdy!

Rough plumbing is done!  Huzzah!  Thanks Greg Ellis of Ellisco Contracting.  Tub is "dropped in" its place, lavatory is nearby, and there is pex running everywhere.  I'll finish framing in the master bath shower and hardi-backer the walls therein.  Then I'll put a lid on the guest bath enclosure and hardibacker the bottom part of the wall.  The top part of the walls with be the green, mold resistant wallboard.  It will be painted later.

Pouring the concrete for the mailbox has been delayed and delayed...by weather, time, and physical condition of this writer.  Hopefully this week.  The forms are up (as they have been for nearly two weeks.)  We'll get there.

As this week goes on, I have to plan again the wiring pattern.  Things change.

I'll get by with a little help from my friends...

January 2015
Things are moving in the right direction.  My friend, Greg Ellis has been "helping" with the plumbing.  I write helping with, and mean doing.  We had made a boo-boo earlier when placing a toilet drain...too close to the side wall.  While working to correct this, he offered to finish the rough-in plumbing.  What a mensch!

I've decided that instead of finishing the corner of the front fence as planned, I'm going to build a brick pillar for the mailbox instead.  I've readied the forms for the concrete pad, but ran out of daylight before I could do the pour.  I'll try to get it before the rain on Thursday.

I've agreed with the owners of the property behind to split the cost of the fence between us.  I'll buy the materials later and submit a bill.  We'll work on it together.  I've got to get the fences done.  I've had too many things stolen from the yard to leave it open any longer.  It was bad enough before, but no that they have taken the chain-link fence between us down, even more people pass straight through.  That's going to stop.

I've found a floor guy who will do the floors at a reasonable price.  I need to do that before putting in the cabinets.  Need to start the electrical soon (it keeps getting put off for other things).  I also need to get the plumber to run the gas lines.  They are needed for the fireplaces (downstairs and upstairs), the hot water heater, and both HVAC systems.

At an auction a week ago, I bought an English pub sign.  The Brookes Arms closed and was being demolished.  The sign made it to Palestine.  We'll put Nickel Manor on it with possibly our coat of arms or some other graphic.  It should look great out front.

Lots to do, little money to do it with, and not a lotta time to spread around.  Ah well, the life of a landowner.

Getting the lead out.

Okay, so the title of this one is a little tricky.  Think lead, pronounced  /led/, the metal.  Then go to its Latin name plumbum from which we get the elemental symbol Pb for it.  Finally morph that into the modern word for the pipes that carry water and waste around our homes and you have it: Plumbing!

So I've been working on the plumbing of the Manor, trying to get it roughly to where it needs to be before finishing.  As I got to the point of putting in the drainpipe for upstairs, I found something surprising and problematic.  In the space between ceiling and floor, running next to the joists, I found the original ceramic drainpipe still in place.  This is, however, when we bought the place, that was not being used as an upstairs drain.  It was sealed off and "alternative plumbing solutions" were employed.  (For that read rubber hoses run behind the walls.)  The problem this creates is that I must now remove this ceramic pipe to make room for the new drains.  That means cutting away a large section of the ceiling to get to it.  My back can't handle that these days.  And that means I have to hire someone, which in turn means less moolah for other things.

Bummer!

On the good side, Kathy and I got the big pile of rubble cleaned up and hauled off.  It was all the broken brick pieces, concrete shards, chunks of plaster, and just plain rocks that had been piled up in the back yard of the Manor for nearly a year.  Of course it kept growing during that year.  The area looks sooo much better.  Step by step-- inch by inch-- task by task--- we approach our goal.

Baby it's cold out there.

Okay, so I've been pretty lax about working down at the Manor for a bit.  It gets really cold in there!  Freezy fingers get smashed and slashed and gashed pretty easily.  Boy's gotta be careful.

Once I got my propane heater back from the "Grinch's Lair" (Jeremy Janz, Sonia Martinez, and Ian Warmke), I am able to work pretty well.  I've done some down there, but it's hard to find the time.  So much to do- so little time.  There are three upstairs windows I need to rebuild, one ground level window to finish rebuilding, and most of the basement windows to redo.  After that, rehang the garage/basement "barn door" and work on sealing it.  Those are the next things on the agenda.

After that, plumbing to the upstairs.  It shouldn't be too hard to rough it in since we will have a  "wet wall".  (Am I over-using quotation marks today?)  I want to get this done before spring break in March.  I am NOT on track for a July move-in so I must get myself in gear.

Game of Porcelain Thrones

Success!  We now have two toilets in what will be the "Ladies Room".  The permanent lavatory should go in tomorrow with the dividers shortly thereafter.  This is a major milestone on the way to habitable.  The vinyl tile floors were hell on my knees and back (even with knee pads), but it was worth it.  Once the sink/lavatory is in, I can start bringing the water and drains upstairs and over to the "Gents Room".  If I had to, I could stay there now.  I wouldn't like to, really, but I could if I had to.

Somebody tried to break in last Sunday, but were foiled not by the alarm system, but by a well constructed door and the steel bar cages on the basement windows.  Take that!

Here is a sequence of pictures of the restroom construction:

Potty mouth

Much is happening:  got the fencing all done, of course; began scraping the paint off the ceiling (harder than it sounds);removed a lot of "stuff" to another location; removed the floor of the NW first floor room; and...trumpets please... am now ready to put in the first toilets!  By this time tomorrow I expect to be able to answer the call of nature without crossing the street to Kroger's or hiding behind a tree.  It's a big step.  I've also decided that instead of separating the restroom into two independent restrooms, I'm going to make the NE corner the Ladies' room and the NW corner the Gents'.  Each will be wheelchair accessible (that's the plan anyway).  In between all this I put up a new mailbox post on Brazos to replace the one that was rotted.

On a completely separate note:  Someone once again tried to break into the Manor Sunday night.  They kicked in one of the panels on the basement door, but the resulting opening was too small to get in.  They also tried to get in by way of an alley window.  Ha!  The steel cages on those windows foiled that attempt rather nicely.  Had they gotten in, the alarm would have quickly sounded anyway, but that would have gotten me out of bed, schlepping down to the building to meet the police.  I fixed the door.  I'll be installing my cameras.  As soon as I can afford to, I will put the bars on the rest of the basement windows, too.  Take that!

Lights...camera...no action!

OK, got security lights up on the building to deter more budding graffiti artists. I wish they would realize that, as a historic building, it's a felony to deface it. and the adult training the kids to do it is engaged in "Organized Crime Activities" which can equal real jail time. Anyway, hope this helps.

Kathy, the love of my life and mother of my child, has decided that the kitchen needs a total redesign. (Glad she said so before I started framing it out.) I don't care for her plan, but if she ain't happy- ain't nobody happy! "She who must be obeyed" WILL be happy.

The plan now is to get plumbing (read bathrooms) and kitchen ready, then move into the great hall while we finish renovations. We can then sell the old house and infuse that capital into the project.

Speaking of plumbing: Had the water turned on this past week which resulted in an elegant waterfall in the basement. The waterline between the meter and th e house is ruptured. *singing* We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig in our mines the whole day through!... (dwarf miners from Snow White) Ah well, this too shall pass.