Progress and Disappointment

First the progress.

"Our" Mike and Chris (electrician) arrived shortly after 7:00 am this morning. The first thing I did was to discuss the cupola exhaust fan situation. I explained to them what the original plan was and why the current set up did not satisfy that plan. After some discussion, Chris said that he could wire the fan to do what we wanted, not that he really liked the original plan. He subsequently did so and now the fan comes on, and the louver opens, when either the temperature or humidity exceeds their set points. As for the ability to select high or low speed on the fan, it seems we are just out of luck on that ability unless we opt to buy a different controller. The fan is set on high and will stay that way for now.

I showed Mike the warped board around the hot tub deck. He indicated he would look at it. I also asked him if he could make the wooden grill over the connecting porch louver so that we could remove it. This would allow it to be cleaned periodically and also we could, during the cold months, install a layer of insulation to cut down on drafts. He indicated he would do that.

I helped Mike gather up the excess Tiger wood decking and railing materials that can be returned to the lumber supplier for credit. Mike indicated the pick up would happen today.

Mike is re-installing (for the third time) the garage attic stairs. It will now be centered and hopefully usable. Chris is going to have to re-route some wiring to permit this relocation. Chris is also going to install three florescent light fixtures in the garage attic, along with a power outlet.

Chris finished and departed around 3:00 pm. The lights in the garage attic look good.

Mike finished the garage attic ladder, installed all the door stops and replaced the warped deck board. He did not address the wooden grill in the connecting porch, but we will take care of that ourselves. The lumber yard person did not show up but Mike said they would probably be here tomorrow.

This closes Mike portion of the project. It has taken much longer and cost much more than we thought it would, but we are happy with the final product. The quality of Mike's work has been outstanding.

Now the disappointment...the pond.

Per Todd's request, this morning I filled the pond up to the overflow line and put a mark on the inside of the skimmer box at 9:00 am. The initial level was great. The horizontal ledge on the east side of the pond was completely covered. I took some photos and sent them to John, telling him that if the pond level holds at this point, we would be very satisfied.

Level marked on inside of skimmer box at 0900 hours

Unfortunately, after only about 40 minutes, the level had already fallen over one inch.

Level at 0940 hours - HUGH DROP

Level marked at 1030 hours - A SMALLER DROP

Level at 1230 hours

Level at 1430 hours

Marked level at 1600 hours

By 4:00 pm, we have lost about 1-3/4", most of it within the first 30 minutes. But there is still a gradual drop. We'll check it again in the morning.