Electric Shock!

We were back in Edenton this past weekend with Nancy and Gary. Taking advantage of the talents and interests of our volunteers, we tackled a number of electrical projects, removed the vanity in the master bathroom, and wallpapered the lower portion of the family room walls.

Gary is clearly our team’s master electrician. Over the course of three days, he and Larry completed eight electrical projects:

• Removed the family room chandelier and installed a ceiling fan in its place
• Rewired and installed a vintage chandelier near the butler’s pantry
• Changed out the fixture in the butler’s pantry
• Removed the light fixture in the laundry room and readied it to receive a to be purchased fixture
• Rewired and assembled a vintage fixture to be placed over the desk in the kitchen

• Removed the wall sconces in the master bath, relocated the boxes, and installed new fixtures
• Installed a new chandelier in the master bath
• Replaced 4 electrical outlets in the family room that had been painted red

In most cases, there were no metal boxes housing the wires going into the old fixtures so this had to be corrected before the new fixtures could be installed. Likewise, many of the wires were cut way too short to allow for the easy replacement of fixtures. It seemed like every time I looked around, Gary and Larry were standing on a ladder with their arms over the head. I am happy to say all of this work occurred with only one shocking moment. Despite the power being turned off, we were all reminded how unpredictable electrical work can be. Thank goodness it was just a gentle reminder.

 

If Gary is the king of electrical, Nancy is the queen of wallpaper. Looking for a way to disguise some imperfections on the bottom portion of the family room walls, I came up with the idea of covering it with textured, paintable wall paper. Thicker than regular wallpaper with a look of plaster, I hoped it would help solve my issue. While the ceiling is 11 foot high, we were only papering the bottom 28 inches of the wall so we were able to work without ladders. First though, we had to paint the chair rail. Once it dried, we were able to tackle the papering. While I cut each piece, Nancy meticulously adhered it to the wall. Despite the first class installation, the imperfections are still visible. I decided, however, to move forward and paint the paper before making a final decision as to whether this diversion is going to be sufficient.

Since we want our volunteer crew members to keep returning, we do what we can to keep them happy. That includes good food, 5 star accommodations, and high quality tools. We even had tee-shirts made up with this logo for everyone who helps us out.

Saturday night we got introduced to the Steamers. No, we didn’t have clams for dinner. Edenton is home to a summer collegiate baseball team from the Coastal Plain League that covers North and South Carolina and Virginia. The team is known as the Edenton Steamers, and they first played in town during the 1940s and early 1950s. The franchise was reopened in 1998 and in 2011 they had their most successful season ranking seventh in the nation. Tickets are just $5 and it’s a great way to enjoy a summer evening. Unfortunately, a storm was on its way so we left just after the 5th inning.

 

A Unique Water Collection System

While we were able to beat the storm home, we did not outsmart it. Shortly after starting, we saw rain dripping from the ceiling of an area we call the “man cave”. Ice chests and an assortment of buckets collected the rain as it ran across the slopped ceiling. Monday, Larry was on the phone talking to a roofer. By next Monday, we expect to have a crew on the roof replacing the porch flashing. While we had not planned to scrap and paint the metal roof until next spring, we decided to accelerate that plan “since the crew would be here anyway”. Let’s hope this is our first and our last ceiling leak.