Installing an Attic Antenna

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

When my house was built in 1923, the builders couldn't anticipate the wiring demands of occupants 86 years later.  I am gradually separating circuits and updating electrical wires, but wiring for telephone and television is also outdated. For the TV, our too-cheap-to-pay-for-cable household has used a set of rabbit ears on ...

Post-Insulation Follow-up

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

It has been a week since the spray foam insulation was installed for my upstairs bedroom renovation project, so it's time for me to make good on my pledge to provide a follow-up post on the issues of smell and satisfaction. That New Insulation Smell Venting the newly-foamed areas with fans was ...

Insulation Day Live Blog

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

After a two-day schedule shift to allow my insulator to work on an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house in St. Paul, today is my insulation day! I thought it would be fun to try a live blog format to capture the pace of the day's activity.  I'm already a bit behind ...

Bedroom Update: Wired

Friday, July 31st, 2009

My bedroom renovation project passed the first of several inspections a little while back when the electrical inspector signed off on the wiring rough-in. For now, those new wires are sitting dormant until the walls are finished and the new fixtures and receptacles can be connected.  But the upgrade of the ...

Electricians’ Eve

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Twas the night before the electricians and through part of the house I was marking outlet locations with help from my spouse… Since my last post, I received bids from four electrical contractors and selected one to work with me on the bedroom project upstairs.  Tomorrow the wires start running. If the electrical job simply ...