This update is very late in coming. Since the last update in April I have put in about 350 hours to finish up the last items before insulation and drywall. To summarize, mainly:
- Late April through early June – plumbing and gas lines
- Early June through early July was spent running fire sprinkler lines
- Mid-July through August has been rough electrical (outlets, light fixtures, etc)
Everything took a bit longer than I thought it would, especially the plumbing. (By end of installing the fire sprinklers though, I was getting fairly proficient at cutting, fitting, and soldering pipe.)
Back when I drew the original plans, I left out many of the little design details – where this appliance needs an electrical outlet or how high the vanity lights go above the bathroom mirror. Or even appliance or material selections. I thought I would solve those issues later, but about six months ago, I realized that a lot of appliances and other things need special outlet locations and so, most of the finishing material selections actually need to be completed prior to closing up the walls with drywall. So, a significant portion of the last five months has been spent selecting cabinet sizes, finish materials, and appliances.
Dad threaded and ran all the gas lines by himself. It was a huge help. Thanks Dad!! We pressure tested the gas lines to 30 psi and inspected with a soapy water. There were no leaks except for a small 45 deg fitting that seemed to be leaking through the casting (the body of the casting appeared to be cracked from the manufacturing process).
Before, during, and after Dad’s work on the gas lines, I installed plumbing lines. I ran the hot line at 3/4″ copper to washer, both bathrooms, and the kitchen for anything with more than one fixture on it. For single fixtures, I ran 1/2″. The cold line, I ran 1″ to the first bathroom and washer, then necked down to 3/4″ for the rest of the house.
Completed plumbing! In the end, there is a lot of piping in these walls and ceilings. 🙂
After the plumbing was nearly complete, I started work on the fire sprinklers. Overall, the installation went smoothly. While I haven’t pressure tested it to full test pressure yet (200 psi), I did test it to about 50 psi and there weren’t any leaks!
The last six weeks I’ve been working on the rough electrical. All the outlets are placed at this point and nearly all the lighting fixtures installed or rough’d in (a few special order canless lights for upstairs bedrooms haven’t come in yet). The last couple days have been spent running wires to the boxes and light fixtures.
I tested out a few of the light fixtures in an effort to make sure they were what I was looking for and approximately positioned in the right location.
The kitchen outlets took a long time to figure out. I want the backsplash to be a single sheet of patina copper; however, the white outlets would be an eyesore. I finally found a place that sells bronze-colored receptacles and covers which should help with the color. I also decided to install the outlet boxes about 3″ below the upper cabinets to try to prevent them from becoming too much of a focus. We’ll see how well it works. I think the bronze color will ultimately blend well with the copper, so I’m thinking this material selection might be complete. Without a lot of experience, it seems to take a lot of time to make good decisions about what to go with.
All-in-all, the bits and pieces are finally coming together. God is kind and good and has blessed me much with an amazing opportunity to build my own house!
Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliver; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.
Ps. 144:1
