Day 28 and the rainy gray weather just wouldn’t go away. But, Brad managed to do his outdoor electrical work without any trouble (I even “assisted” by standing at the foot of the ladder, and by holding a light while he wired it). We had planned on re-wiring the post light, but when Brad took a look at both the post, and the feed for the electrical, he discovered that the wiring was relatively new, and could be saved (hooray! savings!). The ground wire hadn’t been tied into the outdoor outlets, making them a bit scary to use, so he fixed that up, rewired the box, and voila! Safe outlets! Brad’s main work for the re-wire is almost done, which means that the next phase we’ll see him for is Finish! Within a few weeks, we’ll have outlets, lighting fixtures, appliances and switches energized and buzzing with power. I can hardly wait!

Caleb – our tile contractor, who has been working in solitary confinement for days (there’s nothing I can do about how tiny these bathrooms are!) – worked hard getting the radiant heating mat down (with Brad’s assistance) in the powder room, installing some blocking for where our handheld sprayer will affix (love the forward thinking), and thin-setting the seams, joints and a portion of the wall that’s a bit curved (it’s flat now). And though we had expected him to begin tiling this week, due to some the order of events that need to happen (still need paint in that room, for instance), it was determined that it’ll be better for him to come back next week and just tile like a madman. The foundation for both rooms will have time to cure a bit, and it should make the process a bit easier on him, and we like that.

Meanwhile, Dave and Eric worked on trimming out the windows outside – carefully chiseling out the antique shingles, cutting sills to fit, and trimming the openings in crisp, white stock – to a very handsome and suddenly finished looking exterior. The rain came and went, and for a minute there it looked like they were going to be able to get a coat of paint on the trim. No such luck. The sun disappeared, and the window work took a bit to complete – the existing shingles are mighty delicate, and require precision – so the painting will, hopefully, happen tomorrow.

Also, I spoke to Dave about the fumes. He suggested a lower VOC alternative as a top coat of poly to reduce the off-gassing. We will be trying it on the closet floors, and if it’s a hit, we’ll use it for the two top coats in the main part of the house. I’m hopeful, and happy that there is such a choice. I wish I had asked earlier. We made a point of using low VOC paints (Benjamin Moore Aura) and we should have researched a low VOC stain/poly combo. Live and learn, right?

Pictures, though still overcast, for your ocular enjoyment!