The last thing I need at the moment

Not the most exciting week in terms of progress but some solid planning and preparation nevertheless and we all know what PPPPPPP stands for. Electricians charge an arm and a leg for their labour and so I have decided to do all the wiring myself and it has taken me a couple of days to work out what my initial material and tool requirements are, which I have now bought.

I have continued reading up on the electrical code for installing all the wiring. There is a lot to take in. Most of it is pretty straight forward and just involves reading what is required for all the various tasks around the house. Different parts of the house are subject to specific requirements. Bedroom outlet circuits (as opposed to lighting circuits) for example must be protected by Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter breakers at the service panel. Kitchen and bathroom outlets within 1.5m of the sink/bath etc must be protected by Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, either in the plug or with a GFCI breaker at the service panel, and so it goes on and on and on.

The more complicated stuff involves calculations for such things as the number of circuits required; the load on each circuit; what size wire and breaker each circuit requires; what footage of electrical baseboard heaters is required to heat a room (square footage adjusted by the number of outside doors and walls, ceiling height etc). It really does go on and on. It is not difficult stuff but, it does require attention to detail.

Some of the book work I have been boning up on. The little yellow book, which belongs to Tex, is particularly useful. It has over 40 different circuits illustrated, including two, three and four way switches - very handy. The Black and Decker book also comes with a CD but it is disappointing. What's on it is very good but, and it is a big but, there isn't much on it. If only they had made it more comprehensive it would be outstanding. There is also the internet, which I have found can provide most of the answers to questions I have about building your own home.

I have also had to obtain a homeowners electrical installation permit, which authorises me to do the work and which (as I mentioned last week) specifically forbids me now from employing anyone to help me. Unpaid friends and family are permitted but there aren't too many of them around here at the moment. I thought that the process of obtaining a permit was going to be tedious and lengthy but in the event it was neither. Maybe it was because I applied over the holiday period and the only person in the office was a little old lady who didn't ask too many difficult questions. All the inspectors were on leave.

I have started the work already. This morning I installed the sub-panel that will distribute power principally to the garage, north wing and utility area. 

Cable, different colours for different jobs. Blue for AFCI circuits in the bedrooms; Red, thicker cable for baseboard heaters; Yellow, same gauge as red for kitchen circuits. Loads of breakers, connectors, boxes, staples, nuts and steel plates for protecting cable where it could be damaged by screws or nails.

The sub-panel in place.

Other work has included getting rid of the half wall that was on the left hand side as you enter the cabin. A full sized wall is now required to support the landing for the stairs going up to the top floor. Kevin came out to the cabin on Friday and we discussed the options for the staircase. I was hoping to put in a spiral staircase for this section of the stairway but, the local authority building inspector has informed me that they are no longer permitted. Apparently, fireman can't carry people down spiral staircases. I didn't bother to point out to him that my place isn't covered by any fire fighting service (reflected in my insurance by the way). I didn't want to irritate him. You know how difficult minor civil servants can be if they are so minded and one of those is the last thing I need at the moment.

The new wall.

 I also did a little plumbing work. After the water line was installed I just left it coming into the basement without trimming it or attaching anything else to it. I thought it was timely to tidy things up as I will shortly be doing more work in this area and didn't want the excess pipeline getting in the way.

3/4 inch plywood ready to take the water manifold and other plumbing.

Closer up you can see the elbow joint and shut off valve. Next up will be a pressure reduction valve, then a metre and then the manifold that will distribute the water around the house. 

Today the sun came out for more than five minutes for the first time since the roof was finished and it brightened everything up, from the sky to my spirits.

I also light the stove occasionally not that it heats the house up at all. The heat just rises and goes out through the eves. It does keep the local area nice and warm however and it is good for morale, especially when I use it to warm up my lunch.

I should have some contractor help next week. Tex and Keith (who was living next door to me but has now moved to one of the other cabins, which is more suitable for him and his wife and daughter because it has two bedrooms) are coming out to help. Keith is a wizard with small engines and so I am going to get him to tune up my quad, which has been playing up a bit recently and which is desperately needed for snow ploughing.

A few people have been in touch with me recently expressing concern about my health and morale. I imagine there are other readers who have similar thoughts. I publicly thank you all for your concern and would like to reassure you all that I am in good shape physically and my morale is high. I don't take much time  off because things have dragged out long enough and I want to be able to receive visitors, especially family, as soon as I can. Those of you that know me well will also know that I am not very good at doing nothing. I like having something to do, actually at the moment I need something to do, especially something I enjoy doing and I am still enjoying this, including the challenges that it involves - well most of them at any rate.

A few people have being trying to get in touch with me via email, with limited success. The best email address for me is christopher_walch@hotmail.com. Feel free to drop me a line if you wish.