Dan and Gena's life - on a boat, in a camper, and wherever else life takes us !!: Late June into July - plumbing, electrical, windows, bricks, interior....!

We lucked out with a good friend of David, Roy. He is a trained and talented plumber. Turned out that, not only did we have to do the plumbing for the new part of the house, but ALL the plumbing for the existing house had to be replaced. With Dan's help, Roy pulled out all the plumbing, including the stink pipe, replaced it. We've put in all water lines, gas lines, and tried to anticipate any needs in the future.

Old windows being completely removed to rough openings.

Old windows going.....

New windows ready for install...

Installation next.

New windows in! The shorter window is because the same size would encroach on the new roof.

Rough opening ready.

These are ready.

New windows from outside.

David preparing the rough opening..

It's a two man job!

Like a glove!

New windows all in!

Hydrangea tree in full bloom!

Hydrangea tree, nine bark bush, more bushes.

Plumbing for our master bathroom.

Electrical!

Kitchen wall ready with electrical connections.

Canned lights and connections for pendant lights over the bar.

Here, you can see some of the big plumbing pipes in the basement and lots of wire!

Our bricklayer, Rich, a true master of the art.

The reclaimed bricks actually look better than the original walls!

New windows are in, old shutters removed.

Now would be a good time to insert a note about my friend, Linda Adams, who is a decorator. As I was bemoaning all the choices I had to make for this big new house, Linda, who at that time was just a golfer on my league, said "Hey, I'm a decorator and I'd love to help you!" She started coming to the house while things were still really rough. She had ideas, really good ones, on so many things while we were still in construction. For example, she realized that the bar in the kitchen was placed wrong - it would have impeded traffic flow. She suggested a slightly different configuration of the wall of our shower which resulted in a more roomy shower. She helped me choose light fixtures, tile, backsplash, colors....pretty much everything. She insisted from the very beginning that we should make the old dining room into a sitting room and use the living room as our formal dining room. We really resisted that idea! But, out of respect for her, we decided we could start out that way. As it turns out, we love it! She shopped all over the metropolitan area, and even in Chicago when she visited there, for items for the decor of the various rooms. Her taste is impeccable, she respected our views on things, was concerned for our budget, for our comfort in the use of the new rooms. I couldn't have done it without her! I will be forever in her debt.