Ahh the joys of home ownership…
We had an electrical problem. So, we went off to Lowe’s today. Granted, the first people we encountered as helpful staff were telling us where the boxes of sanity were located, as well as asking what exactly it was…and my too-patient-for-words husband finally gave in and told them that it was just a joke…but that didn’t deter us from our mission.
It was electrical supplies today. Testers, fishing line, and whatever other mysterious objects were purchased by my still-patient husband to accomplish the repairs. All I know is that it did not include the wire itself, which shocked me at the price. We left with two small bags, and almost another $100 invested in the house’s renovations.
250′ is going to cost around $70.
Now while 250′ SOUNDS like a lot of wire, when you start calculating wire…it doesn’t take long to use it all up. I suspect that we’ll use at least 100′ per circuit, and we’ll need at least a total of 4 circuits re-wired. Certain circuits, such as the one for the dryer, stove, and oven, have already been rewired with appropriate wiring.
We already have the new outlets, but we’re also going to have to replace a large number of switches, as well as at least 2 ceiling fan fixtures, and possibly one wall light fixture. We also need to add at least 3 exterior outlets, plus 4 exterior light fixtures. I’d also like to have 3 motion detector lights installed for security. We’ll need the appropriate outlets installed in the bathroom, as well as in the kitchen too. Then, the single-light-bulb fixture in the kitchen, with its inadequate light, needs to also be replaced with something that is both illuminating and energy efficient. Oh, and a ventilation fan needs to be installed in the bathroom too.
We also need to have a new electrical box installed by a licensed electrician. I have no idea what THAT is going to cost, plus we will have to have the electric company change the feed into the house, which will undoubtedly mean even more money.
I have no idea where we are going to get it at the moment, nor even how much money we’re talking about. At this point, we’re forced to do some repairs. One circuit is likely to get its new wiring, which, of course, is a start. One properly grounded modern circuit is not much on the scale of things, but it is one more step towards getting the job done, and it’s an important one too–it supplies the juice for our refrigerator and our air conditioning unit. Probably, for our next project, we’ll rewire the rest of the kitchen and install the appropriate outlets over the counter tops. As it stands, we don’t have GFI outlets there either. The bathroom only has a single plug in on the light fixture, circa 1948, when there were no blow dryers and apparently not many electric razors.
So…Greg is calling on the skills he learned and perfected from years of doing remodeling and repair work for other people in our own home, and we’re working around his restrictions after his heart attack and while he is trying to get his medication adjusted to do its job with minimal side effects. It’s been interesting, as well as forcing us to be creative and take things slowly. Even lawn mowing–it was raining today, hardly a good time to try and mow with a heavy push mower (think heavy to push as well). We can’t even get the entire lawn mowed in one session, which is part of the reason I’m interested in eliminating most, if not all, of the lawn. Why work so very hard, as well as increase our carbon footprint while we do so, if we can avoid it? My current “plan” is to replace the lawn everywhere except a possible drive that would cover where we drive through to the side street when we do pull up into the yard, to allow a truck to get near the back door, as well as cope with the giant-sized travel trailer currently parked in the yard. (30′)
Life goes on. Summer is coming, and I want an air conditioner!
