I've Got The Power

The Dilemma

About a month ago we were informed by our builder that the electrician who had started on our house by nailing a few outlet boxes here and there, was let go.  The reason --- apparently electricians in this part of the world are in crazy-high demand and as a result, his price doubled.

And our builder could not find anyone else to do the job.  In fact, no one was returning his calls.

The Solution

Husband is now our electrician and I am the assistant.  He and his dad wired our home 30 years ago, so with that limited experience, copious online research, questions to experts, frequent visits to a new home being wired nearby, and as little guesswork as possible, we have been hoisting, hauling, pulling, and stripping endless miles of wire.  Plus hammering nails, drilling holes, dragging heavy ladders from one end of the house to the other, and daily runs to Home Depot.  The homeowner, working on his own home, is the only non-licensed entity allowed to do such a thing, so our options were limited, to say the least.  At this point, we are nine days in and The Electrical Monster To Do List is growing mercifully shorter.

I texted this picture to our kids saying, "We found an affordable electrician and he's cute!" They didn't realize it was their dad.  (Hehehehe.)

As I said in a previous post, the original plan was to finish the house ourselves.  This meant flooring, paint, trim, hang cabinets, and pavers outside.  Or, in other words, the pretty stuff.  Stuff that, after a day's work, one could step back and admire the fruits of one's labor before collapsing into an exhausted heap.  Wiring, as essential as it is, is not pretty.  By five o'clock each day, when we are bone-weary and out of daylight, we don't have the reward of a pretty hardwood floor, a painted wall, or a trimmed window.  We have a tangle of unsightly wires going every direction within the stud walls that, a few months ago, were exciting to see but are now tiresome and in dire need of covering up .... with .... sheetrock .... please!  The upside is that from now on, when I plug in an appliance or turn on a light, I will know exactly where that blessed electricity came from and the route it took to get there.  Plus Yours Truly has earned her very own tool belt.

Needless to say, we were on ladders a LOT.  These 10 foot ceilings were certainly not MY idea.

Longtime Friend Dave, who happens to be an electrician as well as a very kind and sympathetic soul, and who lives in our previous hometown 3.5 hours away ..... is driving out tomorrow to spend a couple of days correcting our mistakes and finishing up, in hopes to placate the county inspector.  I told Husband I don't want to be there when Dave first arrives at the house and sees our work.  I'm too afraid of hearing ..... "Um, looks like we've got a problem." ... in stead of, "Looks good!  You guys don't need me!"

Update and The Result

Dave came bringing much wisdom and expertise and guided us to within sight of the finish line.  Turns out most of what had been done before he got there was okay.  Thank you, Dave!!!

I call that panel where all wires converge, the "Mother Ship".

'Twas another long day after Dave left to finish it all before The Inspection.  We felt like we were up against finals at the end of a long semester.

But as it turned out, the inspector was VERY nice and hardly looked at most of the details we were somewhat nervous about.  He almost seemed more interested our plumbing and happily offered a few tips about the bathtub.

And we passed!!!!!

Another hurdle cleared.

P.S. Much credit goes to Husband who puts in the bulk of the work and long hours, with much more to come.  I am reminded yet again, that he can do pretty much anything he puts his mind to.  And I deserve the credit for marrying well.