a-MAZE-ing

Two things are amazing to me this week. One is the lovely PNW (Pacific Northwest for all of you Easterners) weather we have been having. Isn't it gourgeous? You can see the completely clear blue sky showing behind our house. If you look REALLY close to the dirt next to the tree trunk in the rock surround, you can also see the crocuses poking up their leaves all ready. This brief spring like weather in February has been so wonderful! Spoiling us. So unlike the weather happening back east with my family, huh? or even for those in the North central area of the US?

The other amazing thing is this MAZE of copper happening under our stairs. I haven't a clue what it all means. I only know it took a lot of brain power to figure it out as well as a lot of "sweating" ( a plumbing term which means joining one copper piece to another, I think). I think it also took a lot of regular sweating since it required high heat and a soldering gun. But these are the connections that make up our radiant heat under the joists and will serve to heat our home. Everything else happening is resting on the completion of this step. Once it is heating, our flooring will dry sufficiently for installation and then our cabinets can be installed. We are hoping and praying to finally fire it all up this evening.
I guess I should have said FOUR amazing things cause this is one of two amazing guys/friends who have helped us with both our radiant heat and our electricity. Both are electricians and this one did radiant heat in his home too. He has been out numerous Saturdays and/or Sundays to help get this up and running to be stalled with our lack of some tool or some part not done. He has been amazingly patient. Today the other came as well to get the thermostat working for us. I just didn't get his picture. You might remember him from an earlier post in which I called him Electrician Extraordinaire.

Other things happening include the installation of our bathroom sconces as seen below. I wasn't sure I liked them at first. Our lighting specialist recommended them. She said it was important to have white shades near the bathroom mirror. They have grown on me and I like them now.
These sconces frame our entry into the livingroom. I love them because they match our other lighting fixtures. However, due to their height or length, I wasn't sure they would work framing the doorway as the holes for them are more centered and high than close and lower as i imagined they should be. Does that make any sense? I looked and looked for replacements, but couldn't find anything I liked half as much. We decided to go ahead and order them, hold them up and make a decision. That is what we did and I told Bob, after consulting my design and color consultant, The Scribbler, that I think they would be fine. They will look better once the trim is on too.
This is the entryway light which matches the sconces and the chandelier yet to be installed.

And......this is our chimney hood. It's NOT white, but stainless. Bob was installing it and said to me, "I thought you ordered a stainless one?" I had a moment of panic until he told me it was just a protective cover. It looks kind of awkward with the duct work showing. We had an issue with our joist being in the way so he had to bump it out. The chimney is actually supposed to go straight up and into the ceiling and out. However, in order to make this work we are going to have to add a soffett of drywall or some sort of covering with our cabinet wood. We are still pondering this..... I am kind of bummed because either way it will really take away from having this type of chimney hood in the first place! We also finally ordered our dishwasher and refrigerator, both of which will be delivered on or about the 8th. They all have to be on site in order for the counter top template to be made.
So, that is what is happening in our neck of the woods. We are getting closer and closer, but not nearly fast enough! It's really getting down to the wire......
Good night, Lori~
PS The radiant heat did not get turned on Sunday as anticipated (when I started this post) as it sprung a leak in one of the connections. However, Bob did "re-sweat it" and by 1 PM on Monday everything was running well. Today, Tuesday, our house is toasty at a warm 65 degrees. :)