Last night, surprise surprise – we went to Lowes and picked up more plumbing stuff. Hardware shopping is a dirty job. Getting home after dark makes outside showering not so much fun!
We are onto the fresh water delivery pipes now. So that brought to my attention how we are doing old school building. There are many things that makes our house a little different than most new construction today. A few I can think of right off the bat are 1) We used plywood and not OSB boards, 2) We used cement blocks for the foundation and not a poured foundation, and 3) We are using copper water lines and not PEX. This really was brought to my attention because of what happened while we were in the Lowes cashier line. A gentleman in the next line is constantly staring at our cart loaded with copper pipes. Finally. I see he can’t take it anymore and he has to say something to Steve. He looks at Steve and says have you ever used PEX. Steve says no. We’ll Steve has never used and does not like PEX. He is old school I guess. The gentleman just keeps shaking his head and says, “it is so much better and easier to use. Also, if it freezes the pipes do not break. We proceed to pay and head to the truck. Steve looks at me and says, ” I am so tired of people making me look like a fool. PEX is garbage as far as I am concerned”. OK, now I have a mission. I get home and start internet researching PEX versus copper water lines. This is what I found. 1) Copper is more expensive than PEX, 2) Copper water lines lasts 20 years longer on the average than PEX, 3) The taste of water never changes in copper lines. The best tasting water is through copper, 4) Copper in a well insulated home or newer home does not freeze. In older poor insulated homes it can. We have never had our pipes freeze in any home Steve built. These homes were in NJ and PA. Very cold areas, and 5) Copper requires a plumber or knowledge of pipe soldering. PEX is good for the homeowner who wants to repair or do plumbing themselves. So YES, we are old school, but I really feel good that we are building a quality home and that our water will be delivered through copper to our faucets.
Steve spent this morning working on leveling and grading the ground in the back of the house. He is preparing the area for putting the back deck on.
He only worked for a few hours and the hydraulic hose that goes from the dozer blade broke on the excavator. He needed for me to operate the bucket for him to find the exact hose that was leaking.
So for the next few hours he worked on getting a new hose made and installed it,
while I went shopping, got a hair cut, returned some siding material, and picked up the special order shutters. Can’t wait to see them up tomorrow
Today’s product recommendations are for keeping aware of your surroundings: 1) Love this indoor outdoor thermometer, and 2) We own and love this five camera Blink Outdoor camera system with the Echo Show. Here’s the “(paid link)” links to these products:
To view the complete daily diary click here: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count