Josh Is Back on the Job - They Installed Facia Boards - Prepped For Soffits - Built Scaffolding - Nailed and Sealed the Windows - House Day 46

Josh is back on the job after taking a nail for the team. Gary got a haircut. That is the nail gun that tried to take Josh down. They are constructing the scaffolding. 

First the windows were caulked in - then about 70 nails go in every window.

Next - this really sticky foil tape seals every nail hole. The foil tape is 4 inches wide.

Wood Fires and Diesel Cars Pose Pollution Threat

NY Times

BRUSSELS — Air pollution is dangerously high across many parts of Europe, resulting in premature deaths, ill health and huge economic losses linked to reduced crop yields, Europe's environmental watchdog said on Tuesday.

While emissions of some pollutants have declined sharply in Europe in recent decades, more diesel cars and a rise in wood burning by households as a cheap alternative to gas mean other types of harmful pollution are receding more slowly.

European regulators are expected to propose a tightening of EU limits on microscopic particles known as particulate matter (PM) and other pollutants, with legislative proposals expected before the end of the year.

A total of 22 European countries including France, Italy and Poland exceeded the daily EU limit value for PM in 2011, while stricter, non-binding guideline limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO) were exceeded at most monitoring stations across continental Europe, according to a report by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Lulu Is Flying To Washington Right Now

Paul McCartney's NEW Album - Downloadable Today on Amazon.com

At 6 AM - I put Lulu on a plane to Washington DC. She is going there on FSU business - which means I do not have to pay for it :-) Lulu lovers to travel - especially to the DC/Richmond Area - because she gets to see her sons and the rest of the Everhart 8.

For the next 4 days she will be visiting government agencies and a few of her interns. Lulu has "student teachers" all over the USA and she enjoys seeing them in the field. 

On Friday - I will join her in Richmond for the weekend. We will get together at Drew's home and will watch the FSU Game of the Year together. FSU is ranked number 5 and will play Clemson ranked number 3 at Clemson. The game will begin at 8 PM Saturday night. It will be the national game of the week on ABC. 

If FSU wins this game - they will remain undefeated and be in the mix for the national championship game. If they lose - they would not be champion of their ACC division - would not play in the ACC championship game - not be in the Orange Bowl - and certainly out of the National Championship Game played in the Rose Bowl this year. Lulu is counting on a victory because she has plans of driving the Roadtrek to Los Angeles - Interstate 10 all the way.

As the boys said - "in Mom's World" - the Seminoles beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. She drives the Roadtrek from Tallahassee to Pasadena - 31 hours - 2200 miles - with her Seminole flags flying and tire cover on the back. In Dad's world - he watches the game at home on his Sony HDTV in his new home - and sees Lulu in the crowd.

One time - a very long time ago - we went to Disneyland in California for Christmas. Lulu found this amazing deal for the 4 of us. We flew from NY to LA - stayed in a hotel right by the park. Fate would have it - Penn State was playing Brigham Young in the Holiday Bowl - so we drove south 100 miles to see it. At the game we stumbled onto a familiar motor home. The Breiner Family from Lewistown were famous for parking their motor home inside their turkey coup. I recognized the motor coach right away. We stopped and talked to the Breiners. We later learned that the camper broke down in California on the way home. They had to wait 3 weeks - living in the camper - while it was being repaired. Every time I consider driving across the USA - I think of that camper. Of course - now that I am retired - who cares.

This morning as Lulu made breakfast - I downloaded the new Paul McCartney album onto her computer. It just came out this morning and was available for download. She just loves Macca - and I am sure in the extra 20 years she has left when I die - she will make a run on him :-)  He certainly could not do any worse than that last one. 

Lulu took this picture of Macca and Me at the Olympics last year. 

House Day 45 - The Windows Arrived at 10 AM - and Were Installed by 2 PM

The columns are in place - 24 windows installed. It is starting to look like a home.



Windows were delivered by this little fork lift. You will notice the guy in the blue shirt walking around - that is the city building inspector. He approved the complete electrical rough-in today. 

Henry Ford was a master of having materials arriving at just the right time and place on the assembly line. It is why he could sell Fords for $300 when everyone else was charging $2000 for their cars. This morning while Joe and Gary Wayne were wrapping the house - the windows supplier arrived with 28 windows - all the same size - shape - color - and style. As our crew was finishing up the house wrap - the delivery crew carried each window to its designated spot. Certain windows were made of tempered glass when they are near the showers or bathtubs.

Shakedown Cruise of Our New 2002 Roadtrek

Lulu gave a background talk about much of Jean's work

Lulu and I love to travel. Many of our trips were made from Pennsylvania to Florida in cars - buses - and campers. We recently bought a 2002 Roadtrek Class B Motorhome. So Friday - we had a chance to take it on an 800 mile shakedown cruise. First - I will talk about the trip - then second- I will review the camper.

We left home at 8 AM on Friday. We had the camper stocked with food - clothes - and bikes. We headed down the Interstate to Jensen Beach FL - about 400 miles away - just 100 miles short of Miami. Lulu wanted to be at an event to honor Jean Lowry - a world famous school library expert. Jean was 95 on Friday and she has been an icon for the profession. To give you some idea of the length of her career - Lulu will be 60 next year and Jean was the president of the American Association of School Librarians the year that Lulu was born - 1954. So Florida State University had this event in Jean's honor.

Mafe Brooks - Kathy Burnett - and Lulu - all FSU faculty pose with Jean. Jean gave a talk that reviewed the profession for the last 70 years. 

After the party at Jensen Beach FL - Lulu and I enjoyed some sunset time - beautiful waves - wonderful colors - and no one else on the beach. Then we drove to Melbourne and stayed our first night in the camper. 

Saturday morning we drove to Disneyworld. The campground was full - but at the gate they waved us through and told us to park and go to the desk at Fort Wilderness hoping for some no-show space. We had no luck - but since our camper was safely inside Disneyworld - we took the bikes out of the coach -  and went for a ride to Wilderness Lodge. We then went to Epcot - Hollywood Studios - and Boardwalk. When we returned to our camper - we drove to The Grand Floridian Hotel for supper and fireworks. Again - they waved us right into the parking lot - free. We had supper at 8 - fireworks were to start at 9. After the fireworks - we turned the camper north. 

Lulu's favorite hotel is the Wilderness Lodge. It reminds us of Yellowstone Park and the Grand Canyon. They even have a replica geyser that fires off faithfully.

While riding our bikes back to Fort Wilderness - we came across about a dozen deer that were not bashful. Disney has some great bike paths where you do not have to fight cars.

Lulu is easy to please. Just get her cotton candy - a candy apple - and fireworks and she is good for another 1000 miles. We watched the fireworks from the Grand Floridian Hotel. At 9:30 - we left and spent our second night in Clermont FL - about 30 miles up the road. 

On Sunday - we had lunch at Gainesville and shopped in the Oaks Mall. We did not buy anything but had a wonderful lunch and brew at BJ's Brewhouse. Ironically -- BJ's just built a new restaurant in Tallahassee this weekend - about one mile from our home. But we had our first sample in Gainesville. Lulu is expressing her displeasure with a Florida Gator Store.

Our camper gave us two free nights of lodging. It went 800 miles - and got 14 MPG. Inside and out - it looks new. Not bad for 11 years old and 28000 miles. Some people brag about getting 20 miles per gallon in their Trek. I am guessing they   cruise at 50 miles per hour. We set the cruise for 62 MPH and most of those miles were on I-75 in the right lane.

Live TV going down the road. We use an iPhone hooked directly to the AV ports on the TV. The iPhone is receiving the programming directly from our home TV using the iPhone app - Slingbox.

While I drove - Lulu kept up with the Florida State Volleyball Team. They beat Pittsburgh in 3 games straight on Sunday afternoon.

Our Roadtrek is special. Although it is 11 years old - it only has 28000 miles on it. A local doctor owned it and used it for traveling - not camping. The camper seats 6+. It sleeps 4. It has a full bathroom with hot shower - full kitchen with microwave and gas stove. 

It has a Dodge 318 V8 engine. I swear the automatic transmission shifts 5 times. We put new Michelin tires on its beautiful chrome steel wheels. In the back is a full bed - and the front the seats turn into two single beds. The windows are tinted limo black for complete privacy. It also has a full set of curtains. The center of the unit folds to make a patented bathroom with a full standup shower. Nothing like a nice hot shower to refresh a worn out tourist.

The Roadtrek is made in Canada. They are famous for being insulated for winter travel. They have a gas furnace with thermostat - two air conditioners - and a 120 volt generator. The refrigerator runs on gas or electricity. 

We added something to its LED television and DVD player. Using our iPhone - Slingbox - and Internet - we can watch the programming from our home TV. You can watch live programming - like football games - or watch shows that you recorded while you are away from home. Both Lulu and I enjoyed watching TV at bedtime and also going down the road. 

We got home at 4:30 on Sunday - relaxed - and Lulu prepared for a 6 day trip to Washington on Tuesday. Most of her trip is business - she will fly - but the weekend will be spent at Drew's home in Richmond. The Everhart 8 will watch the Clemson/FSU game together - including me. 

Tour of House - at Day 44

Friday - Lulu and I took our camper to Southern Florida. The carpenters were busy leveling the 12 columns. The electricians completed the rough wiring. Next they must close in the gables - then wrap the house in plastic - and finally shingle the roof.

After that comes the windows - the doors - the insulation - and the drywall.

We returned Sunday evening and I did this little tour. I hope you like it.

Columns and Wires - and Josh Came To Visit - House Day 43

Josh Wells dropped by to show us his purple heart. He took a bullet for the company. Josh says he will return to work next week. Someone said they heard a rumor that Josh was trying to steal nails - one at a time. 

Thursday - Two carpenters and three electricians worked a long day today. Joe Shiver and Gary Wayne Shiver set the columns in place. The columns arrived in the morning and the two did not stop until all of them were in place. Garry Wayne was afraid someone would walk off with a column or two. The columns are made of fiberglas and resins. They are super heavy - I am guessing 200 pounds each. They are hollow - but the state building code requires a steel strap to go down inside the center of each column. The strap is about 3 inches wide and is bolted to the concrete floor and the overhead beam. The columns do carry the load of the porch and a portion of the roof. The columns are placed so that no window or door has an obstructed view. They did the back porch first so that is how I got that  picture first. Although the columns are nearly perfect in placement - tomorrow they will take the level and plumb to them. 

The house is built in 10's. It is 40 x 60 - with porches 60 x 60. The ceilings are 10 feet high. The porches are 10 x 10 x 60. The columns are 10 x 10 x 10 - that is 10 inches by 10 inches by 10 feet. Each column had to be sawed to fit. Face masks were required. Usually I vacuum after the day's work -  but this time they requested I do not stir up this dust. 

This view shows how the back porch would be a perfect carport - 10 x 10 x 60 - drive in one end and out the other. The columns look like they are hanging over the edge - but remember the entire porch base will be surrounded by brick.

Florida has really become very particular about the hurricane laws passed after Andrew. There are 12 columns holding up the porch. Each one has a thick wide steel ribbon inside. 

Each of the 12 columns had to be cut. You need a special saw blade to cut the fiberglass columns. Fiberglass breaks into fine dust that gets into the lungs - similar to miners' black lung asthma - except it is white lung.

The electricians are pulling 1000's of feet of wire for outlets - lights - switches - television - internet. All the TV wires come together in a media box. The DirecTV feed and the Comcast Internet feed will join here and be fed throughout the house. The wires are color coded. TV cable is black. 14 gauge wire mostly for outlets is white. 12 gauge wire for heavier draws are yellow. 

Day 42 - Completed Attic Knee Walls - Planed Attic Studs For Drywall

Using a long level and a power planer - Gary was planing each wall stud in the attic. This way when the drywall is installed - the wall will not be wavy. I am surprised at all the detail work that goes even into an attic. 

Wednesday - Gary and Joe built the knees walls for the attic steps. Another client came by to see our home. He was considering hiring Gary to build his million dollar mansion on Lake Talquin. He had his plans with him that showed 7000 square feet inside plus another 4000 feet of porches. It will be on a bluff overlooking a 20 mile long lake just west of town. I launched into my little talk about the quality work that Gary is doing for us. I pointed out many of the exclusive features in our home. After I left - Gary said he hoped to land that big job. He also told me that the guy was really impressed with how neat and clean the job site was. There has never been a vacuum clean I did not like - every day I spend an hour cleaning up after the workmen leave. It is like Santa's workshop - they leave with stuff all over the place - in the morning everything is neat and tidy. 

Day 41 - More Electrical Work

Tuesday - This is the first day that Gary and Joe did not work on the site. Two electricians were there installing wiring and also wiring ceiling fixtures. Gary and Joe were finishing up the other house that is almost ready to be occupied.

The weather was good the whole day. The plumber installed a hose bib for me so that I could use the hose to wash off the porches.

The fireplace installer came by to inspect the chimney installation.

Van Windows Tinted Limo Black Today

2002 Roadtrek with Limo Black Window Tint

There is a little shop down the Woodville highway that does a great job tinting windows. The last white van we had was tinted there - no bubbles - no waves - no knicks.

House Day 40 - Electricity and Gas

Kevin will built our cabinets from scratch. Here Kevin - Lulu - and Gary are planning the 10 feet high kitchen cabinets. They are standing where the kitchen island will be. 

Monday - In Tallahassee - they city owns the power company and gas company. Every month you get a bill from the city that includes - electricity - gas - garbage - water - sewage - fire protection  - and storm water runoff. When planning a new home - the city offers incentives to encourage you to use energy efficient appliances and abundant insulation. If you install a tankless water water you get a rebate of $675. If you install insulation - the city will pick up to 80% of the tab. 

In our new home we will have a tankless gas water heater - a gas fireplace - a gas range - a gas outdoor grill - and a gas fire pit. We will have 46 recessed ceiling lights featuring LED bulbs that use 80% less electricity than incandescent bulb. The entire home is going to be encapsulated with open cell foam insulation - the kind they spray install and it bubbles up and seals every crack. The windows will have energy efficient glass. If you add up all the 20% - 50% - 80% savings - it seems that the city will owe us money every month. 

When we prepared the building site - we removed many tall pine trees. This was done first to protect the house from falling pine tree - a very common thing in Tallahassee - but also it will take advantage of the Florida sunshine for our garden - our fruit trees - and for solar heating of the pool. 

The guy from Bubba Plumbing is also installing the gas system. Here they are installing the black steel gas lines to the fireplace. The large silver pipe behind him is the double wall chimney that will ventilated the gas fireplace. 

With the flick of a switch the gas logs will ignite and really heat the home. The fireplace will open on two sides to the living room and dining room. This is Lulu's creation. Since the fire is surrounded by glass - no heated room air will be drawn up the chimney. The heated glass will radiate throughout the home. Fresh air will be drawn into the fireplace through a separate duct. Also with the fire covered by glass - there is no chance of flame or fumes escaping into the room. 

The gas fireplace will be turned on by a switch. Flame height will be controlled by a rheostat. There will be no standing pilot light. 

46 recessed cans were installed in the ceilings yesterday. Each can will be filled with an LED 7 watt light bulb. The LED bulbs are not the swirly kind of bulb - they look normal and can be dimmed. They will be installed in standard sockets - easy to screw in and out. Supposed these LED bulbs last 20 years - and they are cool to the touch.

Highlights of FSU Over Maryland

See all 9 touchdowns here.

FSU also has a freshman kicker who through 5 games has not missed a field goal or extra point.

The only question in Tallahassee is when Winston will leave us and go pro.

Seminoles Bury Maryland 63-0

Osceola rides in on Renegade and plants the ceremonial spear. Of course the NCAA would like to end that. Now even the President is commenting about using the R-word.

Highway robbery - $57 - for a 4 hour college football game. They wonder why they can't fill the stadium. With HDTV - for me - I think you see it better on TV. Section 30 is the 10 yard line. We paid $10.

We invited neighbors George and Joel to go along with us to the game in our camper. Daytime games at Tallahassee are really hot - and yesterday was no exception. 

House Day 39 - Electricians Were Pulling Wires Most of the Day

2000 Feet of Wire So Far.

Friday - Over 2000 feet of wire was installed today. All this goes into the walls before the insulation is added. 46 recessed ceiling lights - tons of outlet receptacles - switches - circuit breakers. 

Also in the afternoon - William Reynolds - the residential appraiser paid a visit. He measured the house and was very helpful on telling me some of the rules for appraisal. 

Gary and Joe continued framing the interior. 

Sputnik Day - October 4 - 1957

Sputnik was a projectile about the size of a 23-inch beach ball. It had a radio in it that sent a simple "beep" signal back to earth. It scared the daylights out of everyone. The radio battery died quickly - the satellite eventually fell to earth burning up in the atmosphere.

Thanks to the Soviet Union launching Sputnik on this day in 1957 - the United States dumped a whole lot of money into studying Earth and Space Science. The National Defense Education Act provided funds to study the sciences and the whole space race intrigued a whole generation of kids to study about Outer Space. I went to Kutztown State Teachers College - and quickly transferred from being a math major to earn a teaching license in Earth and Space Science. 

House Day 38 - Lots of Hardware Installed

What a mess! Wood chips all over the place. Today Nick and the electricians did a lot of drilling and wire pulling. 

The HVAC men were putting in the kitchen and bathroom vents. The kitchen range hood and motor are restaurant size and quality. It could drain the house of smoke and stale air in seconds. 

All the vents are designed to exit under the eaves. There will be no vent holes in the roof - keeping all sight lines clear. This will also prevent roof leaks and also avoid staining from debris and electrolysis. 

This is the range vent system. It has an 8 inch pipe and a remote motor to keep the sound out of the house. Lulu will have to be careful or it will suck her up and out. 

Josh is Recovering Well

Josh is already doing physical therapy. He will be at TMH a few days. 

The 3.5 inch nail was firmly planted into the bone. It is considered a bone fracture.

Josh is one of the four men building our new home. He is 21 and one mountain of a man. He took one for the team - he took one for me. 

Josh was using a nail gun to frame the porch ceiling. He was working overhead - the ceiling is 10 feet high. As he was going up the ladder - he rested the nail gun on his leg. That pushed the safety guide down - when he hit the trigger - it was like a gun with the safety off.