Another inspection done

The city building inspector came by the other day to look a insulation, vapour barrier and hvac. In my previous post I talked about insulation which was pretty easy. Vapour barrier was more difficult than I expected.

The 6 mil polystyrene roll that was on my original Home Depot order was 8 feet high. The issue is that I'm supposed to go up in between the floor joists which means I need to cut more than I wanted to in order to extend up.

But I got it done.

My building inspector recommended that I cut out underneath the blocking to allow for some air circulation. He is a super nice guy who provided quick turnaround on the inspection and showed up right on time.

Now it looks like a room

I just finished putting in all the insulation and putting in the cold air vent. The insulation was easy and it only took me a total of 7 hours over two nights. I followed the instructions on the bag and it went really smooth.

All four walls have insulation and I only used 5 of my 9 bags of insulation. That means I can bring 4 bags back and at $30 that will be a nice little refund.

Next I have to install the vapour barrier.

FYI I'm also toying with the idea of having someone install the drywall too. I'm a little behind schedule and it will help give me a little breathing room. The downside is that I've done absolutely everything to this point. I would like to continue if I can.

Asphalt Paper

It only took a couple of nights but I got the asphalt paper up. I wish I didn't have to put it up but my building inspector required it.

It doesn't look exciting but it means I can put in the insulation now.

Getting ready for insulation

After my framing inspection I knew I would have to block out the bottom to keep my insulation in place and at least one foot off the floor. Luckily I kept all the scrap wood and I will have enough to block everything off. Hopefully I can get this done this week and get my inspection done before I head to Hamilton for Christmas. I'm a little behind schedule for a couple of reasons: first the electrical work was harder than I thought and second I took a few days off for my birthday and to do some Christmas shopping.

The insulation pics should be more exciting so I'll post them as I go.

Got my rough-in inspection

Last Friday I took a personal day so I could do my rough-in inspection. Once again I have to complain about ESA. You have to take an open appointment which means the inspector could come by anytime between 9am - 5pm. He showed up at noon and took 5 minutes to look through my work and ask me a couple of questions. He told me to change some of the work in each outlet... basically everything listed as best practice in the Black and Decker book was wrong. He also snapped at me for leaving the cover off the panel... although on the ESA Web site it says they will want to see the neutrals and grounds connected in the panel. I asked him about recessed lights and he says I need a chain to hold them up... no mention of a bracket. Let me finish up my comments by saying this guy was unpleasant. I understand why people don't get permits... the process is un-friendly in every aspect. Thank god I only have the final inspection left.

Electrical work sucks

Drilling all these hole isn't easy. Pulling all this cable through sucks too... especially my super thick dryer cable. After many days off pulling 14-2, coax and network and after re-routing my existing wiring (up top) I was ready for my rough-in inspection.

Here you can see existing wire at the top and the new wire at the bottom.

Another view.

Yet another view.

Right by the panel you can see the convergence of wire.

Neatly stapled for the inspection.

I brought all the coax and network to the new door. I also brought the two new cables into the panel, wired the neutrals and inserted the new 2(15amp) breaker. The lights are on one circuit and the outlets are on the other.

Re-routing the existing wiring was a huge pain in the ass and I don't see any reason why I should have done it. I'm sure if I hired a professional they would have left it and done the minimum. To tell you the truth it put me behind my schedule.

I know I haven't been posting lately but wiring isn't existing and the progress pictures aren't very exciting.

Electrical permit and the ESA

Last week I filled out and faxed in my electrical permit application. All electrical permits and inspections in Ontario are done through the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). I must say that even though home owners can do their own electrical work, ESA makes it really challenging for anyone who isn't a certified electrician. To get the code books they are $75.00 and every single piece of literature they produce promotes consulting "a licensed electrical contractor or electrician". Even for something as simple as a basement rough-in.

There isn't a deluge of electrical inspection information on-line either. The little bit of knowledge I've acquired has been through the Black and Decker Guide to Wiring book.

The other thing I want to note is how inconvenient the permit administration is. There are no ESA offices to drop off the application... you can only fax it in. And I had to call to find out that I have my permit and who my inspector will be.

Even the application form itself is not user-friendly. I'm not a stupid guy but I had to call to find out what I needed to fill in.

My electrical needs

I've decided that I will be re-using my existing halogen lights in the storage room and the laundry room. This means I will be relocating some existing wiring and adding all new stuff for the rec room. I will be adding 9 outlets as per the code (one outlet for every 6' of usable wall space) and 18 recessed lights. I will also be adding 3 ports (one in each of the usable corners) with both one network and one cable connection. I am going to put a hub in my basement to connect all these things.

Costs

The electrical permit cost is based on a couple things: if you are a registered contractor and how many devices. FYI obviously I'm not registered and I plan on 27 new devices (9 outlets, 18 lights) therefore my cost for the permit is $168.00 (with GST already included... PST doesn't apply). My $168.00 will get me two inspections (usually a rough-in inspection and a final inspection).

On top of that, my electrical supplies are costing me a small fortune. All the little plastic cable staples, the wire, the marrettes, etc, ... don't forget the lights plus the bracket that isn't included in the kit. I'll post my final costs once I bought everything. My accountant (Tracy) is keeping track of my expenses.

My progress

It took me a few days to figure out exactly what I wanted to do and get my application in. It took me one night to run some network cable through the hot air vents to my bedroom and run cable to my living room. It also took me one night to nail in 9 device boxes and drill holes for the outlets and cat/coax wire. Another night to run most of the wire. I figure it will take me one more night to bring it to the panel and one more to re-route the existing wiring that you can see if my earlier pics. I would have finishing drilling all my holes but my 3/4" drill bit broke and my drill was really heating up.

I will probably take some pics tonight but there isn't much to show you.