no more inspections

We passed the final inspection today. As far as the county is concerned, we can move in. But Betty may have another opinion - something about finishing the floors, oiling the woodwork, cleaning the windows, putting up curtains, ...whatever.

We ate our first dinner in the house last Sunday evening - it was kind of nice... lasagna cooked in an electric oven, a nice French burgundy, real cloth place settings on a folding table in front of a small fire in the newly-finished woodstove. The occasion was the day before Betty's birthday.

called for final inspection

This morning, I called for a final inspection (i.e. permit to occupy).  I'm not sure we're really ready for it - I intended to build stairs for both entrances, but I got only one of them done.  But, I thought I'd get an inspection anyway to see what else I might have to do to pass it.  Anyway - the inspection will be on Wednesday.

woodstove 99.9% done

The woodstove is virtually complete. Here is Jim with his sons, Zeb and Jack, putting on the finishing touches.



The stove looks really great! We're anxious to start using it, but first I have to hook up the air intake to the exterior port (i.e. install some 6" duct work). Then, we have to make a series of small fires for 5 days to "cure" the stove (so as not to damage it by heating it too fast while there is still a lot of moisture in it).

Today, I was reading the owners' manual and one thing it said was that, in a mild climate (such as ours) or a time of year when it's not too cold, only one fire every two days would be enough to make it keep providing heat!

humidity is back on the scale

Last weekend, we used the sump pump to empty the tub (in the crawl space) which collects water from the dehumidifier 24 hours/day. While I was down there in the crawl space, I noticed that the dehumidifier indicated that the humidity was 80%. Up 'til that time, all it ever said was "Hi" - meaning that the humidity was off the scale. But, that was apparently only a transient indication, since it went back to "Hi" and seemed like that was where it was going to stay.

But today, I took a peek and the dehumidifier said "80%" steadily - so I guess we're really getting that crawl space dried out. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way. It'll take at least a complete year's worth of seasons before we can tell how the weather is going to change down there.

masonry woodstove almost done

fire box on the bottom, oven on top:


taller-than-most chimney for better draft:

woodstove kit assembled

Well, it finally happened - the woodstove core kit was assembled today! (Nice to have all those pieces not spread out around the floor and patio, too.) One picture shows the stove without the side channels and top. The other shows the complete kit (the bands of tape around it hold the sides against the stove until the stonework is built up around the core).

The little square at the bottom is the ash clean-out port for the stove itself (the chimney has its own clean-out port). The same port can be used to clean out both sides of the oven. According to the manufacturer, the ash needs to be cleaned out once every 6 or 7 years.

The arched opening in the top is the bake oven. While wood is burning, the bake oven is actually a secondary combustion chamber. After the fire goes out and the oven cools a little, the oven can be used for cooking.

The next step is to wrap the core with cardboard and build the outer stonework.

only the final inspection remains

This morning, we passed the floor insulation (ground insulation, actually), chimney clearance and chimney reinforcement (rebar) inspections. The only inspection left is the final. To get a final inspection - i.e. occupancy permit - we need the woodstove finished and outside steps to the front door and mud room door.

hole in the roof plugged

Yesterday, the chimney construction made it thru the roof. From this point, the chimney will be mostly brick with an occasional stone here and there just to keep it interesting. (It's a very tall chimney and would be very hard - not to mention expensive - to do it in stone all the way up.)


the view from the inside looking up:

gonna miss the outhouse and outdoor shower

This past weekend, we finished installing everything in the bathroom. Saturday, we installed the shower faucet and showerhead (really hated to drill holes in Malcolm's excellent tile work!). Sunday, we put the sauna back together, installed the toilet, put up the mirror and towel holders. Sunday evening, we took a sauna and showers - it was great!

the sauna as viewed from the bedroom:

the shower right across from the sauna:


check out the heated towel bar on the wall next to the shower (this view is looking back toward the bedroom - the sauna is on the left, but is not visible in this shot) ...that's a sliding pocket door between the sauna/shower area and the toilet/sink area:


ok, here you see the sauna and the shower and the bedroom in the background (there is another sliding pocket door between the bedroom and the bathroom):


vanity, mirror, glass shelf and reflection of the toilet (and my elbow) ...the door to the living room is also reflected in the mirror:


this is the entry from the living room (the other entry is from the bedroom):


You may have noticed that there was no mention of a bathtub - in fact, there is none ...we couldn't figure out how to fit it in the space, so we settled for a sauna and walk-in shower.

It was kind of a strange experience ... no cold wind blowing thru the shower, plenty of hot water, no radiant heater to stand in front of while getting dressed (that part I might miss), but no cold wind either. We could get use to this!