We learned all the fine combinations of electrical appliances that, when run at the same time, would pop a circuit breaker. It was a daily adventure for us. The rule of thumb basically came to "Don't run more than one thing at once."
Mary and I decided that we couldn't go another winter without updating the electrical in our old house.
So we got together with a friend and we are taking the plunge on Tuesday. We got the permit required, got the new circuit breaker box and breakers, and all the wire we could possible use. I must say, we are both very excited to have updated electrical.
But that's not why we're masochists. We're masochists because yesterday we decided on a whim to rip out all the lathe and plaster on the walls in the back room where the breaker is. We really didn't need or want to do it, but we figured this would be the baby's room when the time comes and we've been told babies don't like drafty rooms. ;) Plus, doing it now has its benefits. Having the room torn down to the studs will make the electrical work much easier. We will now have complete unobstructed access to the old breaker, the new breaker, and several plugs in the bedroom and kitchen, including to the stove and fridge.
So now that we're down a room, it's just like we are living in a two bedroom apartment again! Ugggh.
And now for some pictures....
This is just one of me being goofy. Demolition is my favorite part of home improvement. Especially when I'm tearing out old crappiness that has cause us much grief in the past.
I must say, tearing out lathe and plaster is quite therapeutic and fun. It really allows one to release all that stored up frustration and stress.
Behold, the lovely circuit breaker that I'm pretty sure came from the 50's. Side note, the wires in the top right of this picture are the old old nob and tube wiring from the 20's. It looks like when they took out the fuse box and put in the breaker, they didn't bother to remove the nob and tube wiring. (It's actually pretty hard to do, so I can't blame them).
We filled Mary's truck with all the debris. It's amazing how much lathe and plaster you can pull off of two walls. We also had a nice thin layer of dust all over the whole house as well.
That is all for now. We'll update everyone when we can again say that we live in a three bedroom apartment.
