House Projects
Living as a bachelor this week, I’ve gotten a lot of work done in the kitchen. Yesterday after work I got about two-thirds of the floor tiles grouted, and Sunday I cut and installed most of the cabinet cover panels and kick panels. It’s a good feeling to be almost done, and I can’t believe how long it’s taken (I started the kitchen remodel in July). I guess I got used to how quickly I was able to get things done on the house in CA, but in retrospect I realize that 1. I was under tremendous time-pressure, as we had to sell the house and move, and 2. Maria’s folks were there to watch Kai. I’m happy to not be under that kind of pressure again, and now I spend more time with Kai than working on the house, which is a trade I’m extremely happy to make!
The next project on my list is rewiring the house. All the existing wires are original – from the 1920s – and at this point they’re a fire hazard (the insulation is crumbling, exposing the copper). I may have to juggle that project with another one – replacing all the water pipes in the basement. Although age isn’t so much of a concern with copper pipes, between the fact that I have several leaking valves and that many of the pipes run in a maze of water-pressure-reducing forks and dead-ends (presumably due to hare-brained projects of former owners), they’re in need of being re-done.
