A Bit of Destruction, Inside and Out
It’s amazing how much debris I created, only making such a small opening. We’re going to be taking down several walls when we finally get to the upstairs… and boy oh boy, is it going to get messy.
Posts Tagged "our first home"
A Long Conversation, and the Beginning of the Kitchen Demo
Beneath the first layer of tile is… another layer of tile. See that humongo piece of floor that’s broken off and resting against the counter? Liz did that, all on her own.
Relocating the Furnace
Despite the heavy snowfall, Bob trekked over to Hyde Park early in the morning… and we set about relocating the furnace… once and for all. In addition to simply moving the unit, Bob also had to direct the vent to the opposite side of the machine, replace the switch, patch the existing return, cut out a new return, adjust the vent, and re-pipe the gas line.
A Mysterious (and Unidentifiable) Leak
The bit of bad news: we were unable to track down the source of the leak. Though we saw it initially, the additional exploration ended up revealing very little. To top things off, the water in the tub stopped working completely (when it had been working fine, previously). Not a good sign, especially since we couldn’t identify where the leak originated from in the first place.
Extending a Gas Line to the Second Floor
With the old program, I was imagining the length of time that transpired between when it was lost in the house and when we discovered it. With the coin… I was awed at both the time and distance it must have traveled, before we encountered it.
Pouring Concrete for the Water Heater Platform
Bob arrived at the house early today, and had all the concrete for the water heater pretty much poured in place by the time I arrived. As we were waiting around for the concrete to dry a bit more, we decided to tackle an area/opening for some future ductwork. Here he is, using a sawzall to clear out some additional room.
Pouring Concrete for the Furnace Platform
On Sunday, Bob and Julie both came by the house and offered more of their time and assistance. While Julie and Liz worked on stripping the paint from the windows and doors… Bob and I focused on the concrete. I say Bob and I, but again… this was another task where I helped where I could, and mostly stood on the sidelines.
Setting Up a Concrete Platform for the Furnace and Water Heater
I helped hold onto the rebar as it was cut, but this process was all Bob. Closeup of the process, as I found it pretty fascinating. I asked him “Does it hurt,” and he said “Not at all.” Me, I was acting like a kid seeing sparklers for the first time – and afraid to get too close.
Snow Day in Chicago, Before the Arctic Chill Arrives
Despite the large amounts of snow we’ve gotten the past 36 hours, yesterday I had to go and dig out our car and visit our house in Hyde Park. I wanted to go and check up on the furnace and condensate pump, and to just do a general check on all the bathrooms/sinks.
A Broken Furnace, and a Few Trips to Ace Hardware
Knowing as little as I do about furnaces and furnace repair, I employed the one skill I bust out whenever my car isn’t behaving properly: I open things up, and I stare. I’ve seen several episodes of Sherlock, so I was convinced that through the sheer power of observation, I could fix the thing.
The Heat is On!
Prior to today, we’ve been running individual heaters in the kitchen and bathrooms. With the temperatures sometimes dipping into the single digits and no heat, we needed these in place to prevent our pipes from freezing. We even went so far as to throw in some antifreeze, anticipating some really cold days ahead.
It’s Come to This
With the new house, it’s kind of weird to find myself getting excited by things that should provide no excitement for me. Watching “Ask This Old House” used to be something I’d do while lying on the couch on a Saturday, too hung over to change the channel. Now, we can’t wait to watch new episodes.
Installing New Gas Lines, Part 3
After work, Bob and I met up to work on the gas lines some more. We discovered that we were missing a “T” that we needed, so Bob mentioned that it might be “an EQ” for us. Turns out, EQ stands for “Early Quit.” So instead of installing more pipe, we ended up cutting and prepping for when we’d return next.
Installing New Gas Lines, Part 2
Our house (and the building next to us) were built right along the property lines – so we are super close to our southerly neighbors. That brick is their wall, believe it or not.
Installing New Gas Lines, Part 1
A pipe vice, which holds pipe in place. The chain loops over each piece, and you tighten it down with the crank. It holds pipe remarkably well which, I guess, is to be expected… but it was super sturdy. There’s a small bit of metal that connected this to the joists above, so the entire thing wasn’t moving anywhere anytime soon.