Tag: Plumbing

Synchronous Progress

It’s been a good week, and it’s not even over yet. Much gratitude is due the entire team as we move into a Friday with many moving parts and a growing balance sheet of synchronous progress in the icehouse, outside the icehouse, and throughout Rosslyn’s still muddy but increasingly springlike grounds.

A photo essay (think more photos, less essay) will offer the best glimpse into the latest round of accomplishments. And behind all of these photos — if not literally behind the camera, in all cases behind the wrangling and tasking and managing and juggling and multitasking and quality control — is Pam Murphy. Our gratitude to everyone behind this week of synchronous progress, especially the woman who keeps it all together!

Finishing Up Icehouse Ceiling (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

In the photo above installation of the T&G nickel gap on Rosslyn’s icehouse ceiling is. Almost. Done. Rumor has it that tomorrow the ceiling will be finished. Fingers crossed!

Installing Icehouse Mini-split (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

March has marked plenty of plumbing progress in the icehouse rehab, most recently installation of the admittedly unattractive but practical mini split that will keep this oasis cool in the steaming days of summer.

East Icehouse Lamp Reinstalled (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

Electrical headway includes reinstallation of the lamp next to the entrance door. Removed during installation of the insulated panels and clapboard siding, the patinated exterior sconce is now back in place.

New Marvin Doors and Architectural Salvaged Door in Temporary “Paint Shop” (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

The first of the Marvin Doors have been received from Windows & Doors by Brownell. We started the process back in August, and the still have a little over a month to wait for all of the windows. So for now we’ll get to work painting the doors and installing them. On the right of the photo is an old door that Peter has rebuilt and that is now repainted in satin White Dove by Benjamin Moore to match the rest of the icehouse interior trim.

High Tunnel Almost Ready for Planting (Photo: Tony Foster)

In other exciting spring news, Tony has done a remarkable job of preparing the high tunnel for early season planting. And check out that solar gain on a freezing day!

Edging Volleyball / Croquet Court (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

In addition to carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and gardening headway, some landscaping progress is also worth noting. In the photo above the lawn adjacent to the icehouse deck and terrace, has been crisply edged so that Bob Kaleita can fine-tune the site work and stone wall construction can begin.

A hat tip to our Amish neighbors who’ve accelerated the landscaping grounds work AND split up the massive ash tree that fell a couple of weeks ago. Plenty of firewood now curing, a geometrically impeccable extension to the daylily bed, and plenty of edging including the new hemlock hedge planted last summer by Patrick McAuliff.

Edging New Hemlock Hedge (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

Crisp edging ready for mulch along the hemlocks. In the photo above the perspective is looking east toward Lake Champlain, and in the photo below looking west toward the Adirondacks.

Edging New Hemlock Hedge (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

And that’s just *part* of a busy week. Thank you, team!

March 30, 2023
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Today was one of *those* days. One step forward, two steps back. Setbacks. Not crises. So we are reminding ourselves…

Dishwasher Delay

Replacement dishwashers were halfway through installation when Susan walked into the kitchen and discovered that they were the wrong units. She was replacing two Fisher and Paykel DishDrawer units (that had started to fail) with Café Dishwasher Drawers.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (Photo: Geo Davis)

The service techs were as nice as could be, and their removal of the old units proceeded smoothly enough. Installation of one of the new units proceeded smoothly as well. Except it was stainless steel. The units Susan had ordered were white enamel. Full stop.

One step forward, two steps back.

They removed the new unit and rescheduled for the beginning of next week. Until then, two gaping holes in the kitchen and plenty of hand washing. Which, strangely enough, has been working out quite well.

Ceiling Sheetrock Complete (Photo: Geo Davis)

Shower Stem Setback

In a classic “cart before the horse” scenario, we got out ahead of ourselves with bathroom drywall installation. We actually have very little sheetrock (bathroom ceiling and mechanical room) in the icehouse, and so I’ve been pushing hard to get it off the to-do list in order to move forward with plumbing and tiling and…

Ceiling Sheetrock Incomplete Again (Photo: Geo Davis)

Long story short, today we had to cut out newly installed, taped, and plastered sheetrock in the icehouse bathroom to provide plumbing access for the plumbers to complete installation of the ceiling mounted rain shower.

One step forward, two steps back.

Plumbing complete we can now reinstall sheetrock, etc. And then we can actually cross it off the list.

Paneling Paint Hiccup

Tomorrow we’re excited to begin installing T&G “nickel gap” paneling in the loft. After a couple weeks of offsite preparation — and plenty of anticipation — the first delivery of material arrived from one of the offsite “paint shops” this evening. (We’ve been fortunate that two members of the team have been willing to temporarily prime and paint the lumber in their garages/workshops to help work around on-site space limitations.)

T&G Nickel Gap (Photo: Geo Davis)

Sadly we discovered that the hand brushed finish looked like a rolled finish. Think, texture of an orange peel. For many people that would be fine, ideal even. But given the 1800s historic building we’re rehabilitating, I opted to finish the “nickel gap” paneling with two hand brushed coats of Benjamin Moore paint. Unfortunately we made a compromise to improve efficiency: after hand brushing a stain sealer on knots, we rolled two coats of primer onto the wood before hand painting the finish. Some miscommunication and/or misunderstanding may have gotten baked into the mix, but I’m mostly frustrated not to have made offsite visits to the painting operations earlier on to inspect progress.

T&G Nickel Gap (Photo: Geo Davis)

Tomorrow we’ll install the first wall and then experiment with re-brushing another coat of White Dove onto the wall in the hopes of improving the results. Fingers crossed!

One step forward, two steps back.

March 9, 2023
Leaky Spigot
Leaky Spigot (Photo: Geo Davis)

I’m fond of the French word, “robinetterie“. In English the translation is “fixtures”. Not quite as intriguing a word, in my opinion. Nor are “plumbing fixtures”, “faucets”, etc. But “spigot“, now that’s a fine word! It conjures the drip, drip, drip… of a leaky spigot.

I know, pretty subjective, and perhaps a little esoteric. But I’m an unabashed connoisseur of words. I appreciate words the way others value gems or cigars or heirloom apple varieties or single barrel bourbon. Ok, I’m pretty fond of the last two as well, but words are my currency. I collect words, romance words, share words. And so far as I’m concerned “spigot” and “robinetterie” are in a class apart.

Leaky Spigot Haiku
```
Sometimes the soap dish, 
sometimes the [leaky] spigot,
 always drip, drip, drip,...
```
Spig’spiration

It’d be tough to be an old house enthusiast without appreciating antique and vintage plumbing fixtures. Fortunately Rosslyn’s kitchen, bar, bathrooms, and hose hydrants have undergone years of rehab, replacement, and TLC. But I live a peripatetic existence, and travel taps into my drippy robinetterie nostalgia from time to time. That leaky spigot in the photo above was photographed on July 21, 2014 in coastal Maine. Even now, I recollect my relief at not being responsible for fixing it!

But the seed for this micropoem was planted by another, Matthew Aaron (@_matthew_aaron_), with the following Instagram post. Thanks, Matthew!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cetwnq1uo1Q/

Per Matthew, “the soap dish is everything”. Per me, the spigot is everything. It may not even be a leaky spigot, but I’ve exercised some poetic license. After all, the layers of life patinating the oh-so-very vintage robinetterie speak in drips. Can you hear it? Drip, drip, drip,…

The soap dish is everything (Remixed from photo by Matthew Aaron)

Poetic license bled into the visual domain. I’m not 100% able to explain why Matthew’s photo grabbed me the way it has, but I’m grateful for his permission to include both the handsome original and my derivative remix. A wonder-fueled wabi-sabi water faucet. A visual poem of a leaky spigot.
November 10, 2022
Crappy Homecoming
Photo of Rosslyn taken from ferry last winter. (Credit: Tanya)

Sorry about that title. Crappy homecoming. Yuck. Not exactly the eggnog-y, balsam fire aromas one dreams of this time of year.

Joyful Homecoming

One blessing of living at Rosslyn is that travel – no matter how captivating – never eclipses the joy of returning home. That’s a bizarre admission from an unabashed wanderer, but it’s true. I’m always excited to return home.

But that may change. Soon.

We just returned from a week and a half in Santa Fe, and while there was much to celebrate upon our return (not the least of which is six inches of dry, powdery snow) something’s unmistakably septic at Rosslyn.

Literally.

Stinky, Crappy Homecoming

Are you catching my drift? I’ll spare you the full details, but the delicate overview is something like this:
- Half bath toilet plugged up.
- Sewage leaked into sports gear closet.
- Mess, stench, etc. almost unbearable.
- Yes, this is a repeat performance.
Contractor who plumbed the house must not have understood physics of pitch and gravity. The problem is likely to occur again for a third (and fourth, fifth, sixth…) time because the looong waste pipe which serves the bar sink, bar ice maker, half bath sink and toilet, pantry sink and washing machine lacks the necessary pitch to ensure that all waste – including “solids” – empty properly to the septic tank outside. Again?!?!

Yes.

Short/Long Term Solutions

We’re trying to put the crappy homecoming behind us. A plumber-Roto-Rooter tag team cleared the blockage, and my bride and I spent most of the day remediating the mess. Not fun. At all.

We did squeeze in a magnificent cross country ski to savor the sunset and moonrise from the quiet, aroma-free, perfect powder meadows and wooded trails west of Rosslyn. One part carpe diem and one part “We better remind ourselves why it’s great to be home!”

For a while it was bliss. Spectacular conditions. Ecstatic dog. Picture perfect sun and moon performance art.

But darkness fell, and we’re back to cleaning. And planning.

No More Crappy Homecomings

Apparently the contractor who installed the half plumbing neglected to suggest an obvious solution for a long waste line with inadequate pitch. It’s called a sewage macerator pump. I’ll spare you the description of what it does, but the benefit it that once we install it, we should never have to experience another crappy homecoming. Well, not literally at least!

And that will be worth it’s weight it gold. Which is what the installation is likely to cost judging by today’s rapidly accruing bills…
December 16, 2013