During the winter of 2019, an exceptionally long cold front passed the hill country. The deck on the east side suffered some damage; a few boards had frozen up and lost their structural integrity.
These boards have been replaced and after a new coat of stain should last years and keep the deck safe.
Today I picked up some more plumbing material, and forgot my caliper (schuifmaat in Dutch) so it was another guessing game, which I lost; there’s several sizes pipes and connectors which are almost the same diameter.
I did get the correct size to connect the toilet exhaust, but the parts I got to continue to the shower on the right were too large.
Next time I will take a piece of the pipes with me so I can fit them in the store.
The Pex line I got was correct, so the connection to the cold water supply is almost in. I still need some T connectors to finish it.
The last remaining paper wasp nest openings were under the roof at the front of the house.
Today soffit boards were installed to close off these gaps.
The paper wasps were definitely looking for their front door. I have seen many in a state of confusion finding what used to be their front door is now blocked by the soffit.
Any small gaps were filled with transparent silicon (now showing white as it’s still drying)
I almost got stung by a paper wasp, but managed to make my way down the scaffolding before it could sting.
With all likely nest spots filled, Ozuye should no longer have a wasp issue.
The last unfinished room is the upstairs en-suite bathroom. This one has some practical challenges, as it’s on a single layer wooden floor with the kitchen beneath it. Obviously I don’t want sewage pipes showing over the stove. So I opted for a toilet that can be built into the wall. The toilet exhaust will go down at an angle, then straight for a bit, before going vertically down to the main sewage pipe under the house.
This pipe goes through the log wall, which is solid and thick, but with some long drills, chisels and reciprocal saw I managed to get a pipe through the wall.
All pipes here are temporary and unglued, as I also need to connect the shower pan to this pipe. The shower will be to the right of the toilet.
To prevent toilet water going to the shower pan, the pan will be elevated from the floor, which is also needed to be able to add a water lock to prevent sewage smells coming into the bathroom through the shower pan.
Since the top two boards of the west side were already put in with the help of my friends, I could now easily and safely finish the lower boards on that side. Just in time, as I could see 3 paper wasps looking for the front door which I had just blocked with boards.
As they landed, I could shoot them with the anti-wasp spray. Vengeance is mine 🐝🤠
For those of you unfamiliar with paper wasps; above is a picture of one, with a 9V battery for size reference. They’re roughly twice the size of European wasps. Everything is bigger in Texas.
It’s not an easy job, as it’s two stories up, but thanks to the help of my friends, the first soffit (the area under the roof on the outside of the home) is now in place
On the other side, the top two boards are in, so the rest will be reachable from the scaffolding without a ladder. We took as many safety measures as possible; fixing the scaffolding to the wall and a bracket around the ladder to prevent it from tipping over. Climbing gear and rope ensured that in the unlikely case of a fall, it would not lead to injuries.
Other than for staining, I won’t have to go up the ladder on the scaffolding anymore.
The roof still needs a finishing touch so we are making preparations to do this safely; a mounting point for a rope is installed at the top.
Safety first when working at high altitudes.
This week, three of my friends from the MTS (Middle Technical School) and myself will spend a week at Ozuye
This is a trip that was postponed due to COVID
It’s great fun to finally be able to make this trip.
Eating outside sometimes means no table and holding up the plate you eat from with one hand, trying to eat with the other hand.
The Adirondack chairs function as a table too; my plate is on the left arm rest and my beer on the right, and I can still put my arms on the arm rests.
All the good things in life in one chair 🤠
Not sure if I disturbed them, but they seemed to be enjoying the hot tub deck 😊
