http://gregmaclellan.com/blog stuff about anything Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:45:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en With the help of my friend Matt, I finally started getting the drywall up. It's a nice change, things are actually starting to look like real rooms now, instead of just framing, wood and wires everywhere. I haven't done a lot of drywall (a couple of wall sections, and ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/drywall-part-1/ It's been a while since I posted, partly because I haven't gotten a lot done in the last few weeks until just recently. I did get all the media wiring installed, however. I'll be mounting an LCD TV to the wall, and so I put in a recessed media box to ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/media-wiring/ A bit of an offside from my usual topics, but Rick Mercer gave an absolutely great explanation of how Canadian government and parliament works that is worthwhile watching. http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/rick-mercer-canadian-government/ I took advantage of some nice weather a couple weeks ago to finally replace the back (laundry room) window. I replaced the front windows a couple of months ago. The back window was 40" x 24", and had a slider on the outside, with a hinged flip-up window on the ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/back-window/ While I'm doing the wiring in the basement, I decided to also fix something that really annoys me: my upstairs bathroom plug. As you can see, there are two sockets, and they're connected to the light switch. This means we usually have a wire all the way across the ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/new-bathroom-plugs/ I just wanted to make a small rant against UPS. Generally, UPS and most of the big shipping companies are known for their innovation and ever-lasting pursuit of efficiency. They have large computer networks to track shipments and deliveries and optimize routes.. fleets of hundreds of planes and thousands ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/ups-inefficiencies/ While I was getting ready for the insulation, I disconnected the dryer and noticed basically a very cold wind coming out of the end of the pipe. Upon closer inspection, there was actually frost on the pipe inside of the house, and when I took it apart, there was actual ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/dryer-vent/ The insulation was finally done, and it couldn't have been soon enough. It's amazing how expensive it is to heat a house with no insulation in the basement.. As I've mentioned before, I'm using a spray-in foam insulation (HeatLok, though I wasn't looking for a particular brand when finding a contractor ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/basement-insulation/ I have most of the wiring run, concentrating on the outside walls since it needs to be done before insulation. The laundry room has its own circuit (GFCI-protected), and there is also a light in the furnace room/closet. There are 8 plugs in the rec-room area (since I'll be using ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/wiring-and-the-mysterious-black-tape/ Since there is no window in the basement bathroom, I'm adding an exhaust vent to it. I'm using a 90 CFM fan which is rated at 0.5 somes (which is almost silent) - although I'm putting it through 3" duct instead of 4", which I believe drops the rating to ... http://gregmaclellan.com/blog/bathroom-vent/