1 March 2016

Steve easily extracted the 4″ PVC pipe from around the guest bath shower drain pipe, then installed the shower pan and connected the drain.  He also let me know that the box I built yesterday afternoon for the sauna waterline valve was not the size he wanted.  So I spent part of the morning ripping out what I had built and constructing a larger replacement, into which Steve ran the conduit that will protect the sauna PEX waterline… if the conduit ever thaws out.  Sean brought a dozen Dunkin Donuts to brighten up his visit this morning.  Craig Powell also stopped by, and we agreed that Eric would concentrate on getting the storage room completely done by the end of the week so we can use that space to store all the “stuff” cluttering the rest of the house.  When Eric is up on his stilts doing ceilings, he has to have a completely empty room to work in, for obvious safety reasons.  Sonny and Doug (with minimal help from me) replaced the vaulted ceiling sheetrock taken down yesterday.  They then started putting plywood up for the shop walls, in spite of the miserable / completely cluttered working conditions in that space at present.  In the this-is-why-I-drink-Scotch category: got completely sidewise with Bryan Arnold this morning over how the master bath shower was being constructed, which took Sean most of the rest of the day to straighten out.  (Side note: general contractors don’t get paid nearly enough for the crap they have to contend with.)  Also, Steve tested the geothermal heat pump’s current draw and found that it was sucking down 29.5 amps.  He then found in the installation manual that that heat pump requires a 40 amp circuit breaker (and, therefore, AWG 8-2 wire) vice the 30 amp breaker and AWG 10-2 wire that we put in based on information on the label plate on the side of the unit.  So four sheets of drywall will have to be taken down and the new wire run before Eric can tape and mud that area.  Spent the afternoon in Burlington visiting Alverta (and buying a circuit breaker and wire at Lowe’s).  Sure, Barkeep, I’d LOVE a refill…