While it's true that I
have no intention of taking down my Christmas lights outside until probably
June (cold is an understatement in Madison, WI), the rest of the House on the
Isthmus is slowly recovering from the holiday season with decoration removal and
a deep cleaning.
Having less stuff out and
about and more time at home means we're also getting to more updates on the
restoration (like those ever really stopped!). With tile going
up last week in the upstairs bathroom and getting some decent dry time in, we
were finally able to get in for some wiring because, really, I’d like to have
light in my house!
It’s funny (peculiar,
not ha ha) how much the skills from my day job as a project manager go into the
house. I plan most things to the nth degree. The spreadsheet that I treat as
my project plan of sorts is all tabbed out by room in addition to full house projects so that I don’t confuse what goes
where, when and how.
One of the best things
about my spreadsheet is that it makes dependency tracking a lot easier to
predict. For example, the proper way to install simple trim in a room is casings
before baseboards. If casings aren’t milled and in before your baseboards, there
are going to be problems.
Bathrooms and kitchens
are notorious for lots of dependencies. Electrical and plumbing shut off before
demo, framing before rough ins, rough ins before walls or ceilings or floors
(oh my!), walls and ceilings and floors before fixtures, etc. This is, regrettably, not an exhaustive list but something that must be considered when
you’re booking contractors (I dislike electrical fires and floods as a rule,
licensed professionals help avoid them) and setting your timelines since they can’t do their part until
the guy or lady before them is done.
I'm a fan of working top down. Ceilings followed by walls followed by floors. It's way harder to not get mud or paint from your ceiling on your new floors (even if they're covered) than it is to not get thin set from your new tile floor on your ceiling.
Once our newly replaced wall was up and
inspection passed, it was time to finish the electrical. That meant installing sconces, the heated floor thermostat (warm toes in winter!) and the exhaust fan. There had never been an exhaust fan in this bathroom before (you don't need one if you have a window, per code) but I maintain that no one's going to open the window in January in Madison to get rid of steam from the shower!
My electrician was
surprised by just how challenging my sconces were to hang. It took a few tries
because of some funky mounting hardware but two hours later we had sconces,
complete with Edison bulbs.
The exhaust fan went in with no problems but there are a few things to know if you're thinking about installing one at your house:
- The amount of noise exhaust fans make is listed in sones. 0.5 to 1.2 is really quiet and anything under 2.0 is generally considered to be quiet so it won't sound like a plane is taking off in your bathroom anymore!
- DO NOT vent your fan into your attic. This is horrible for your attic and you'll get all kinds of nasty things growing in your rafters, never mind the ice dams you'll be facilitating.
- An exhaust fan does still run on electricity - don't put it directly over your shower.
Final switches in and a thermostat (did I mention warm toes?!) and we were good to go!
This was an important
step because it meant my plumber could get back in to set my finish plumbing!
Normally, I’d show y’all
all that now… but then I’d reveal too much! Tune in next Thursday for how the
refinished dresser turned kitchen island became a vanity – complete with sink
and running water!
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