American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 142 Renovation Completed and Heating System

In mid-August, Lin Yu'an completed the sealing and filling work of all the walls by himself.

The previously ordered interior decoration materials were delivered to the entrance of Wood Forest in batches by several heavy trucks.

Rolls of cables, bundles of PEX water pipes, large quantities of light steel keel, gypsum board, wood flooring, and various bathroom fixtures were all transported into the huge wooden house.

Lin Yu'an announced to David and Mike as they returned, "Alright, everyone, the thirty-day extreme interior renovation challenge is now beginning!"

The first step in the renovation was to build the framework for all the non-load-bearing partition walls inside the spacious wooden house.

Lin Yu'an invited mechanic Cody to help, as he was a semi-expert in the field.

They chose light steel keel, which is more standardized, moisture-proof, and has superior fire resistance.

Cody brought a high-tech device this time: a three-dimensional laser leveling instrument from Bosch in Germany.

He placed it on a tripod in the center of the room, pressed the switch, and several bright red laser beams were instantly projected into the entire space.

An absolutely precise horizontal and vertical crosshair was formed on the floor, walls, and ceiling.

"Wow, what is this? A weapon from Star Wars?" David exclaimed in amazement at the incredible sight.

“It’s better than weapons.” Lin Yu’an smiled as well.

Cody said, "With it, we don't need to keep using a spirit level to measure."

“These lines are the absolute zero point of our entire interior decoration. All walls and ceilings will be based on them.”

Lin Yu'an took out a measuring tape and a chalk line, and together with Cody, meticulously followed the laser lines to mark the precise positioning lines for all the partition walls on the huge foundation platform and the second-floor slab.

Each ink line is clear and straight, with an error of no more than one millimeter.

"These are the positioning lines for the Heavenly Dragon Bone."

He pointed to the ink lines on the ground and explained the term to David and the audience: "These are the top and bottom guide rails of the wall frame. They are like two parallel rails that determine the final position of the wall."

Cody, on the other hand, was holding a professional light steel keel cutting machine, which looked like a small table saw, but the grinding wheel was specifically designed for cutting metal.

He put on goggles and gloves, and precisely cut the three-meter-long silver-white keel into the required lengths according to the dimensions provided by Lin Yu'an.

Amidst the ear-piercing cutting sounds and flying sparks, the scene is filled with industrial beauty!
The two worked together seamlessly. Lin Yu'an used a high-powered impact screwdriver to firmly fix the "heaven and earth keel," which served as the upper and lower guide rails, to the wooden beams of the ceiling and the concrete platform on the ground with special expansion screws.

Then, they inserted the vertical keels, which served as pillars, into the grooves of the top and bottom keels at standard intervals of 40 centimeters, initially clamped them with pliers, and finally fixed them with self-tapping screws.

In just two days, the framework of all the rooms on the first and second floors, as well as the partition walls of the bedrooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and storage rooms, were all completed.

These light steel frames, within the spacious interior of the wooden house, clearly outline the space for future living.

After the framework was completed, the panels were not immediately sealed. Instead, the most crucial and hidden work began: the pre-installation of water and electricity.

With his extensive practical experience in the oil field, Cody became the well-deserved chief hydroelectric engineer.

His first task was to address the entire house's sewage system. Cody took a thick, black ABS drain pipe and began gesturing at the designated spot in the bathroom.

As early as the foundation construction, Lin Yu'an had a huge fiberglass septic tank buried underground and laid a main sewage pipe with a diameter of 4 inches leading to the septic tank.

But the septic tank was not the end point. Downstream from the septic tank, he dug three parallel trenches, each twenty meters long and about one meter deep.

A professional drainage system was laid inside, with a thick layer of gravel at the bottom, perforated impregnation pipes in the middle, and the top layer covered with gravel and geotextile.

Only this drainage system can truly return sewage to the earth.

Now, Cody's job is to precisely connect the sewage branch pipes of all the water points in the house to this main trunk, like tree branches.

He used a specialized pipe cutter to cut the ABS pipe to the required length, and then used cleaning agents and glue to firmly bond the pipe to various tees and elbows.

At each connection, he used a slope bubble on a level to ensure the pipes had a precise angle of one-quarter of an inch per foot.

Cody explained, “The slope can’t be too steep or too shallow. If it’s too steep, the water will wash away the solids and leave them behind. If it’s too flat, nothing will flow.”

They installed 7.5-centimeter diameter pipes for the toilet, shower, and floor drain, and 5-centimeter diameter pipes for the sink and washing machine, eventually connecting them all to the main sewage pipe that emerged from the foundation.

He first took out a high-powered electric drill and a special "hole opener".

Holes for threading wires are drilled in the reserved positions on the light steel keel, and plastic protective rings are carefully put on the edges of each hole to prevent the sharp metal edges from cutting the insulation of the wires.

Then, they started by creating a huge "circuit network" radiating outwards from the location of the large electrical distribution box reserved in the storage room, extending throughout the entire house.

They patiently threaded rolls of NM-B armored cables of different colors, conforming to North American electrical standards, into the conduits previously embedded in the log walls, and then laid the cables along the holes in the newly erected light steel frame.

They carefully routed the wires to the designated locations for each switch, socket, and light fixture, leaving sufficient length before inserting them into blue PVC junction boxes pre-fixed to the keel.

"Look."

Cody pointed to a pre-installed switch box and said, "All the wiring must be laid before the drywall is sealed. Once the drywall is on, it will be very difficult to make any changes."

"Furthermore, all connections must be made inside the junction box; this is a basic safety standard."

Similarly, hot and cold water PEX pipes connect the kitchen, two bathrooms, and the laundry room.

They were all securely fixed to the wall frame and floor between the walls and floor with a reasonable slope and special "Omega" clamps to ensure that there would be no shaking or noise.

Cody explained as he operated the professional rechargeable hydraulic crimping tool.

"The advantage of PEX pipe is that it has a certain degree of flexibility, can be bent, reduces the number of joints, and is resistant to high and low temperatures, unlike copper pipe which is easily frozen and cracked."

He connected the PEX tube to a brass tee, and then put the jaws of the crimping tool on.

With a soft "hum", the tool automatically applied pressure, and a hexagonal sealing interface with a metallic luster was completed.

After all the pipelines were laid, they conducted the most critical pressure test.

Cody took out a hand-cranked pressure pump, connected it to the main water pipe, and pressurized the entire water supply system to 150 PSI, three times the normal operating water pressure.

Then, he used a marker to draw a clear mark on the position of the pressure gauge pointer.

"Okay, now let it sit for 24 hours."

Cody clapped his hands: "If the pointer is still on this line after 24 hours, it means that all our interfaces are perfect and not a single drop of water will leak out of the wall."

When the last electrical wire is pulled into place and the water supply pipe passes the pressure test perfectly, the water and electricity pipelines for the entire house are considered to be laid.

While laying power and water supply lines, Lin Yu'an began installing the "second heart" of the entire house—a powerful water heating system.

He transported the "Warm Winter S-200" cast iron heating stove, which had been shipped from China, into a specially designed separate equipment room on the first floor. "Lin, you already have a huge fireplace, why do you need this big thing?" David asked curiously.

"A fireplace provides radiant heat, which can quickly warm the living room area where it is located, and it is more of an atmosphere and an emergency heat source."

"And this thing will provide a continuous and stable background heating for every room in our house through hot water circulation."

Next, they began laying the heating pipes, using two PEX heating pipes wrapped in insulation, one going in and one going out, along the bottom of each exterior wall.

“Our heat will be dissipated through these things.” Lin Yu’an took out a long, metal device that looked like a baseboard from the packaging box.

Cody picked up the conversation and explained to David, "This is called a baseboard radiator. Hot water flows through a dense network of copper pipes and aluminum radiators inside."

"Then the air is heated efficiently to create thermal convection, which warms the entire room. This method is very popular in North American log cabins because it is quick to install and effective."

They connected the beginning and end points of each heating pipe to a complex manifold on the wall of the equipment room and ensured the system's airtightness through pressure testing.

This task took the longest, and together with the previous water and electricity pre-laying, it took them nearly ten days.

When the last wire is pulled into place and all the pipeline pressure tests pass perfectly, the pipeline installation is considered complete.

Before officially sealing the plasterboard, there is an extremely important and indispensable step: filling in thermal insulation and soundproofing materials.

"Alright, now we need to coat the walls with cotton." Lin Yu'an said, dragging out several large bundles of rock wool wrapped in plastic film from the pile of supplies.

Lin Yu'an tore open the packaging and took out a thick, light yellow, board-shaped piece of cotton, whose main functions were sound insulation and fireproofing.

He and Cody put on professional N95 masks and cut-resistant gloves because the fine fibers of rock wool can irritate the skin and respiratory tract.

Using a long bread knife, they cut pieces of rock wool into sizes that perfectly matched the spacing between the keel beams, and then easily inserted them between two light steel keel beams.

Rock wool, thanks to its own elasticity, fits perfectly inside without any additional fixation.

While stuffing the rock wool in, Lin Yu-an explained to the camera, "I want each bedroom and each bathroom to be a relatively independent and quiet space."

"Without being disturbed by the sound of the TV in the living room or noise from other rooms, the porous structure of rock wool can absorb a lot of sound, and its sound insulation effect is much better than that of hollow walls."

"Rock wool is made by melting natural rocks at high temperatures. Its melting point exceeds 1000 degrees Celsius. It is an A1-grade, completely non-combustible building material."

"Filling it into every wall is like building a series of firewalls, which is especially important in houses with a timber-based structure."

Over the next two days, they carefully filled the gaps in the keel frame of all the partition walls and ceilings with pieces of rock wool.

Once the internal organs—water and electricity pipes and insulation cotton—are all encased within the skeleton, the next step is to cover the skin and seal it with plasterboard.

Lin Yu'an carried stacks of heavy fireproof gypsum boards into the room.

He uses a T-shaped professional lifting tool to place the plasterboard on the bracket, and then cranks the handle. One person can easily lift the plasterboard to a three-meter-high ceiling for positioning.

Cody was holding a pneumatic screwdriver that could automatically feed screws, connected to an air compressor.

The sound of "tap tap tap..." was incessant as screws were quickly and precisely driven into the plasterboard, firmly fixing it to the keel.

After the plasterboard was sealed, the next step was to treat the joints and apply plaster. Lin Yu'an did it himself, showing extraordinary patience.

He first used a scraper to carefully fill the gaps between the plasterboards with professional caulking compound.

Then apply the paper seam tape, and use a scraper to press the paper tape completely into the sealant, scraping off the excess.

After the first coat dried completely, he used a wider scraper to apply a thinner layer of putty, perfectly smoothing the joint area and making the wall look seamless.

Finally, he connected a long-handled electric sander with a vacuum function and meticulously sanded all the walls and ceilings.

The white dust was instantly sucked away by the vacuum cleaner, without causing much pollution.

He didn't stop until all the walls and ceilings felt silky smooth to the touch.

After finishing all the interior walls, Lin Yu'an took out his high-pressure airless sprayer.

He poured the eco-friendly off-white latex paint that Arya had chosen into the machine, then held the spray gun and began spraying the ceiling and most of the walls.

In just one day, the interior of the entire house was transformed from a dark construction site into a bright, clean, and modern space.

In the living room on the first floor and the activity room on the second floor, the plasterboard walls are contrasted with the original wood style of the exterior.

He installed spruce wood wall panels, perfectly blending modernity and simplicity.

With the wall work completed, the entire project has entered the final and most visually appealing stage: the interior decoration phase.

Lin Yu-an and Cody were responsible for laying a large area of ​​click-lock oak composite flooring.

They first laid out a layer of soundproof mats with moisture-proof properties, and then started from the corners of the room.

The floorboards are joined together at specific angles with a "click," requiring almost no glue.

Eli, the helper hired by George, demonstrates his true skill as a carpenter.

He was in charge of installing the kitchen and all the wardrobes. He opened those huge crates and carried out the heavy solid wood cabinet components.

He doesn't use any pneumatic tools, but instead uses a spirit level and ink line on his workbench to make the most precise measurements and fine adjustments.

He would use a long hand plane to smooth the joint between the cabinet and the uneven wooden wall, creating a perfect curve to ensure a tight fit after installation.

For each cabinet door installation, he would use precision damping hinges and repeatedly adjust them until they were silent when closed.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu'an and Kedi are also installing the soft and hard furnishings.

Together, they carried the huge freestanding bathtub into the master bathroom and connected the hot and cold water pipes and drain according to the pre-installed piping.

Toilets, sinks, shower heads... were all installed by them.

Every room had its own large bed, small bed, and even a crib, all of which were installed.

After another two weeks of intense collaboration, when Eli installed the last wardrobe door, the interior decoration of the entire house was officially completed!

Thirty days passed in the blink of an eye.

This is no longer an empty, rough wooden shell, but a truly warm and exquisite home.

Bright lights, gleaming floors, cabinets exuding the scent of wood, and the enormous stone fireplace that has long been the heart of the living room.

(End of this chapter)