We’ve passed the framing, electrical, and HVAC inspections, so things are moving along. Below are some of the highlights from the past couple of weeks:
Insulation is in!
Even though spring is coming, our house just put on a warm wool sweater – insulation! While we didn’t specify the kind of BATT insulation, it ended up being one of Knauf’s ECOSE products, which they promote as being more green than traditional BATT due to using plant-based binders and fewer energy-intensive chemicals such as formaldehyde or phenol.
Front living room 
Doorway to basement 
Rear informal living, near kitchen
New basement window
As part of the HVAC inspect, the inspector required an additional window in the basement rec room area for ventilation reasons (?). I was worried this was going to be a huge deal, but our contractor said it wasn’t an issue and no additional cost for the labor, so the only extra cost would be for the actual window frame/glass. Having an extra window in the basement seems generally like a win, and actually allowed us to make the windows symmetrical in the rec room (previously there was only a single off-center window). Kripa and I were pleasantly surprised to see that our contractor matched the brick arch of the old windows on the new window, and used original bricks to match as well, so it looks great!
Skylights are in!
Three holes are cut in the room, and the new skylights have been installed! Two of them open/close via a solar-powered motor with wireless remote, and the third one remains closed. Once the scaffolding is removed we’ll post a photo of the view from the ground floor up to the skylights, and see how much light they add (fingers crossed!).
Plumbing inspection delayed…
In our last post, we mentioned that the main water shutoff was unexpectedly positioned at the end of the basement stairs and it has to remain accessible to meet code, so we figure that we’ll end up framing that out as a built-in bookcase. During the plumbing inspection, the inspector required drywall be placed behind the wall where the main is. Neither our contractor nor we understand why, but it’s now done – though that one note means we have to get another plumbing inspection, which might take weeks. We’re in a waiting game now since the drywall in the rest of the house can’t go up until plumbing gets a thumbs-up from the city.
Original safe relocated
The original safe has been reincorporated into the house – though the exact location must remain a carefully guarded secret.
[Kripa: Also a carefully guarded secret – where we wrote down the combination? That should be fun to try to relocate…]
What’s next?
Once we the plumbing re-inspection happens, drywall goes up – which from what we’ve seen on HGTV will mean the house will feel totally different. Rooms will feel more defined, and light won’t be pouring in from all sides through the framing so the impact of the choices we made about windows and lighting will now show more clearly. Gulp.
The rear addition/extension has also come down, so in the next post we’ll show what the rear of the house looks like without the addition, as well as the much improved natural lighting in the kitchen area.
You and that safe Brian, seriously XD