yia yia's waggon

List List List

I took the big ugly list I had posted before and sorted it out into several. These are notes to self, but if you see something obviously crazy. please feel free to contact me through that little contact form at the right or the comments form below the entry. Ditto for questions, comments, whatever.

BTW, if I’ve seemed really vague and spacey lately, it’s because ALL THIS is hanging out in my brain all the time. On top of that, I’m in an intensive course of training in my new career, so half my brain is full of that stuff too. And I still have my day job. So I’m overwhelmed. My responsibilities with scouts, church, support groups, and CERT are suffering. I am truly sorry.

Wow that turned into a vent and an apology.

I love when I get to meditate.

To-do List

  • Take exhaust fan back to Home Depot. check!
  • Find out how the rest of the accessories will arrive – shipping or with trailer and kit. Pending. check!
  • Check in with provider about legalities of trailer – temporary California registration, VIN, title or certificate of origin. Did find out trailer will have VIN and where it’s located. check!
  • Friday I get to find out from the storage unit provider whether any warehouse sized units are available, and in what sizes. If it goes as I hope, I can secure one and move in Saturday. check!
  • Pre-pickup prep
    • Move all items from current storage to bigger unit. in progress
    • Clean up and cancel rental on old unit.
    • Finish cleaning up windows and doors.
    • Set up sawhorses for the backpriming project. check!
    • Backprime all the siding.
    • Learn learn learn!
  • Organize all the materials out of the way for the assembly phase.
  • Continue to obtain and store materials.
  • Pick-up day – go to Dixon to pick up April 29!
  • Verify load.
  • Secure load.
  • Park load in the work area. Prep for assembly.
  • Assembly day, May 7 – assemble! Hoping to have several friends helping with this.
  • Roof coat.
  • Electrical rough-in, to include switch and wiring for water pump, which comes after Jamboree.
  • House wrap – need an extra pair of hands here.
  • Furring strips.
  • Windows and door – need an extra pair of hands for this.
  • Rough in the tongue box and whatever services will be housed there.
  • Siding.
  • Exterior trim.
  • Paneling.
  • Finish electrical.
  • Arrange for electrical inspection.
  • Interior trim.

Shopping List

  • Shop table for miter saw and scroll saw check!
  • Dust bag for miter saw check!
  • FlexWrap and StraightFlash flashing for windows and door check!
  • Hard rubber roller check!
  • Vinyl or metal drip cap / Z flashing check!
  • Tyvek and corresponding tape
  • Order marker lamps per Federal Lighting Equipment Location Requirements check!
    • Items 1-4a
    • Items 6-8
    • Wiring for same
  • Breakers for PD4045 check!
  • Fuses for PD4045 check!
  • Heavy gauge wire for mains and battery
  • #18 wire for USB power and 12v lights check!
  • #14 Romex for water pump and some outlets check!
  • #12 Romex for some outlets and fan check!
  • 12v lights check!
  • Switches, if not mounted on lights check!
  • USB power outlets check!
  • GFCI AC power outlets check!
  • Regular AC power outlets check!
  • Boxes for switches and outlets
  • Switch for water pump
  • Battery
  • Battery box – build or buy
  • Hurricane straps – 10
  • AC/DC adapter for Canon Powershot

Borrow List

  • Fish rod set – it doesn’t have to glow in the dark.
  • Multimeter
  • 1 1/8″ or 1 3/16″ drill bit or hole saw to make the hole for USB sockets
  • 2 7/8″ hole saw for power inlet

Research List

  • Finish electrical audit It’s as finished as it’s gonna get.
  • Z flashing for door – what is it and do I need it? check!
  • Five of my six windows have no nailing flanges. Several of my windows already have their trim attached to them. How the heck do I flash those? check!
  • Fastening the Tyvek – lots of people, including pros, use staples; wrap cap nails or screws recommended. Which way do I go?
  • Do I need to use a sealant behind my furring strips so that when I screw them in, there’s a seal at the screw?
  • Still need weensy screws for paneling, may need to wait until after kit arrives to confirm OSB depth. I want to attach paneling but not do too much penetrating of the substrate.
  • Do I need a make-up air inlet? Can I open a window instead? Will I always remember to open a window before I turn on the fan? What if I install a cat door? Can enough air get in through it?  check!
  • Exterior trim – what to get?
  • Interior trim – what to get?
  • Need to plan out precise eventual locations of:
    • Electrical panel
    • Battery box with battery
    • Propane tank
    • Fresh water tank and pump
    • Gray water tank
  • Plan electrical layout – may need to wait until PD4045 arrives and I can confirm how many AC breakers it can handle.
    • 1 main breaker
    • 1 breaker to converter
    • How many branch circuits? Up to 6 if tandems used in all poles.
  • Find out how to add marker lamps to trailer electric from tow vehicle.
  • Special ​flashing for the top edges of the end fascia boards, possibly also side fascia.
  • The wheel wells are a location for thermal bridging, as well as standing water seepage from the outside. What to do? Found out trailer comes with a flange over the wheel wells, so that much at least I can flash the same way as a flanged window. Just have to be sure to use sealant inside the flange when the panel goes in.
  • Revisit the water heater question.
  • Figure out water inlets.

Things Checked off the Last List (So I get to feel accomplished, and also to remember these items even existed.)

  • Inventory accessories shipped against the invoice. I’m sure there’s no mastic and fairly sure there’s no 12″ screws. Not sure what else hasn’t arrived yet.  check!
  • Need to scan all physical receipts and print all digital ones.  check!
  • Surge protector with voltage protection  check!
  • Polarity/voltage tester  check!

I am not using nails anywhere I can use screws. This is meant to be a highly mobile structure and I’ve already seen in others how nails and staples wiggle loose over time. Not having it.

Would really rather hold off on plumbing, both water and gas, until after Jamboree in August. If so, I need to prep areas and hold the space for the items. I may lay the wiring for the water pump but keep it capped off. If it’s okay to install gas on-demand water heater in the tongue box, I’ll reserve space for it. Partially, that depends on what else is going into the tongue box. Some things don’t play well together.

What prompted me to accelerate my electrical plans?

  • I saved a lot of money on siding, which freed up funds to do it sooner.
  • With SIPs, it’s a lot easier to get the electric in before siding and paneling go on. The chases have to be sealed. To install electric around a corner, a 4-inch access hole has to be created, which then needs to get closed again – there’s a dance of dependencies.
  • Installing a ventilation fan requires penetrating a wall – again easier without the paneling and siding. SIPs are essentially airtight, so the fan is a requirement, both for oxygenation and moisture removal. With the fan comes the electricity to run it.