Archives for November 2014

We erected a Rohn 25G communications tower this weekend. This is a 30′ tower which we can use for mounting any number of communication apparatus including a television antenna or satellite dish, weather station, wireless radios, or even an IP video camera. Amber thinks it would also work for Christmas decorations, but that is strictly prohibited according to the manufacturer’s specs…I think.

The tower has a 4 ft. hinged base which we set in concrete. Having a hinged base makes this tower much easier to lay down and work on things. The tower is grounded using three 5/8″ x 8′ copper-clad ground rods which ground each leg of the tower independently. The three grounds are then bonded together with 4 gauge copper and then everything is bonded to the house electrical ground using 4 gauge copper as well.

Our granite countertops were installed today! We went with New Venetian Gold granite and we actually picked out the slabs directly from Midwest Tile, Marble & Granite in Lincoln. We tried to select a set of slabs that had veining to add some character, especially since the island is such a large surface. The island has 12″ overhangs on three sides, so there’s plenty of room to slide up with stools. The granite itself is supported by a piece of 1/4″ plate steel to help bear the weight without needing corbels (brackets).

For our kitchen sink we chose a Blanco Diamond Silgranit II in the color Biscotti. This is an undermount sink that is also composed of granite so it has all the same benefits of heat and scratch resistance as well.

All of the interior doors are hung and base trim and casing are going up quickly! For interior doors we went with raised 6-panel oak doors throughout. These are a solid core door from Bayer Built and are pre-finished in a Chestnut color. For trim we went with a 4″ oak base with corner blocks, and for casing we selected 3 1/4″ oak with rosette corners, all pre-finished in a Chestnut color to match the doors.