#8 - Plant-Based Heating Systems and Whatnot

I didn't intend to post only on Friday, it just seems to work out that way!
Here's what happened in the last 7 days, bullet style because it was a lot!  This is long.  Maybe read it in chunks over the weekend.

My window boxes are exploding!  This has nothing to do with anything except that these flowers are gorgeous and this is a prettier intro picture than plumbing pipes would be.

• We submitted a permit for radiant heat in the floors on Friday (and the county got more of our money.  Aren't they clever?)
• I actually am learning a lot, and I understand most of it.  However, going for this electrical permit was an "I'm just the messenger/secretary/'I'm here cuz my husband sent me' moment" because I was supposed to ask certain questions and answer certain questions and I'm there in my mom jeans and nice-but-it's-still-knit shirt feeling like a moron because I don't know the answer to the questions. (The questions aren't even pass/fail. She just wanted to know what type of permit I want to purchase.  This is an over-the-counter permit that comes along with an inspection, not one that has to be approved) I also normally don't mind being blonde, except when I have no clue what I'm talking about and then I feel like a stereotype and I do not like it.  So the question was something along the lines of, "Are you submitting for a rough-in or is this for final?" and the answer was that we needed an inspection for both the rough-in AND the final, but we only needed the rough-in now because the final is obviously not ready yet.  (Gosh it sounds simple when I type it, but because of the way it was worded on the form, and the way she asked it, and the way Matt told me what I was buying, it was confusing in the moment.  Maybe I just needed a pantsuit and heels and I would have felt stronger and more empowered in spite of my lack of expertise.) 
  
• I was awarded (given because I paid for it, but it felt like an award after all that) the permit, and the answers I gave her helped her to help me save money.  So, that's a win.
• I was also supposed to check the status of our radiant heat permit when I went in that morning.  Thankfully, I double checked with Matt via text on my way in:
• Me: Hydroponic is the right word, right?
• Him: No, hydronic.  But I got an email this morning that it was approved so no need to ask about that.
• Me: Ok, good!  Hydroponic is plants.  
• Yes, this is embarrassing to share how much I do not know, but I'm keepin' it real.
• So glad I didn't go in asking about our plans for a plant-based heating system.
• I found our TV remote control.  It was missing for 3 days and my life was VERY miserable in the 8-10 p.m. hours.  (not relevant.)
• On Tuesday, our plumber came back and finished all of his portions needed for the lower level of our addition, pressure tested the pipes and passed his inspection the following day.  His grandson comes to work with him sometimes and I LOVE that.  I LOVE seeing kids learn the ins and outs of how things work!

• Our electrician came to install the conduit for the electric, and the inspector came to talk things over with Matt and the electrician (this is called an Advice Inspection) to make sure that everything is heading in the right direction and all parties are following code.

  

  This grey conduit and the grey conduit attached to the house are connected, run under the slab and hold the main electrical wire for the addition.

• It was important to get all of that completed so the foundation crew could return and pour the remaining gravel.  A long time ago, I used to make cakes as a side gig.  Seems easy - to ice a cake nice and smooth, right? (It's not.)  Seems easy to bring some gravel and pour it into an area and spread it around - right?  (It's not) Jess the Novice assumed coming with the final load of gravel and pouring into the hole would be quick and painless.  HA!  They worked for hours!  In the hot sun!  There's no shade in that area during midday!  Shoveling and smoothing and tamping down with a vibratory plate compactor until it was a very solid, very smooth surface of gravel.  On top of that, they put plastic moisture barrier to prevent moisture from seeping from the ground into our floor.  It looked beautifully smooth.

Nice and smooth

• And then Matt came home and realized they forgot the dig a trench for the portion of the slab that will be load-bearing.  Oh my goodness.  My heart sank. If only I had KNOWN (I did know it would be there, but I don't know enough to watch what they are doing and realize it was missing.) I could've pointed it out.  Ugh.  To work all day long and then have to come undo what you've done is such a disappointment.  Thankfully, fixing it was not as big of a deal as I thought.  I was seriously ready to buy them donuts and serve them breakfast, lunch and dinner when they came back.  I thought they would have to come back and dig out all of the gravel and start over.  But only one guy had to come back this morning and he took care of it in about an hour or so.  He just had to dig a trench in the gravel (turns out, he said it was easier to do this way!), and run some rebar.  Since the concrete gets poured on this, the trench will have a deeper portion of concrete making it stronger, and that is where the wall dividing our family room and master bedroom will go!

• After that was fixed, our plan for today was to lay the tubing for the radiant heat.  We have all the supplies, we're ready to roll.  EXCEPT!!!  FACEPALM!!! WE FORGOT WE NEEDED TO SCHEDULE A TERMITE TREATMENT!  AGH!  We had already spoken with a company a while back and learned they needed a 1-2 day lead time.  Only, we need it done TODAY, like NOW, so that we can lay the radiant heat TODAY and tomorrow.  Matt works longer days and has every other Friday off work so the timing is perfect for us to lay the tubing today and tomorrow.  We HAVE to stay on schedule so the framers can come on Aug. 21 as planned. because if we do not, our project gets bumped behind a TWENTY-THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT NURSING HOME.  We HAVE to be ready by Aug. 21 for framing.
• We don't have termites.  We've never had termites.  But, termites are a real threat, and if we can prevent termites at this stage, we will!  So, this morning, I called several companies.  Some didn't answer, some cost too much, and some weren't available today. But, then I got a hold of a guy who said he could schedule us for Monday.  But, sometimes my ability to use too many words (including words such as scurry.  Geez.  When did I turn 80?) comes in handy and I said, "Ok, well...we're looking for same-day service.  It's completely our fault and oversight, but we're on such a tight schedule and trying to scurry, and ... " He cut me off and said, "Oh! You have concrete coming!" He totally got it, and he worked us in for 1:00.  He was so kind and so professional, and it was only 22 cents a square foot ($184 including tax compared to another quote for $560 + tax.) He came at 1 and the termite treatment is complete!  (Midwest Pest and Termite Control).
• And now -- (after one last water line project Matt is working on while I type) onto the Hydroponic/Bubonic/WhateverImJustTheMessanger radiant heat tubing!  We have the rest of today and all of tomorrow to work on it.  Once that's finished, they'll come back to pour the slab and we can call this portion of our building project complete and ready for framing! (And thank the Lord, finally get some cash in hand from the bank.  More on that some other time.)
  
• I have been telling everyone and their brother that we're laying the radiant tubing today - as a family.  I wasn't joking about that.  The kids things I'm nuts, but I think it's so good for them and they might appreciate it when they're 25.  So, I get a text this morning from a sweet friend that says, "Hey!  I'm bringing you drinks.  You all need a drink break from working so hard!"  And I respond, "Well, so many snags, we haven't even started working yet."  And she says, "well, you need a morale booster to keep you going!" and came anyway with slushies for the kids, a pop for Matt and a giant ice water in a foam cup (God bless the inventor of Styrofoam cups. I love the earth, but I really love Styrofoam cups.  It's a hard thing to reconcile.)

I think I'll post every day next week.  At the end of each day it seems like all it would say is, "The plumber was here today." so I don't post anything.   But, then - it's information overload.  Thanks for hanging til the end!
Happy weekend!