The common theme of this project has been to get the underground utility service work done early. This means when construction progresses to inside work, I can provide the environment for all the trades to work effectively. The surest way to alienate your crew is to have them arrive to a jobsite that isn't ready, and from insulation onward some heat is essential.

Natural gas connection takes months to apply for, dig underground into the lane, and install the meter (the final step).  The meter will not be released until the plumbing inspection is passed.  So the gas connection can't be made to the furnace until house passes all the inspections required at the pre board phase, this is a huge amount of work. 

The gas service provider may offer a temporary heat setup that allows access to gas early.  I don't bother with this because I can get my furnace running soon enough to avoid the fees of a winter heat hookup. Thus far we've had a terrible winter but my site hasn't really needed heat until this week (it isn't possible to heat a house that is not insulated).  We started this project in November (basement work), so it has taken until March to be ready for gas - and everything has gone smoothly except for weather delays.  This is where the less experienced builder will run into trouble.  It I hadn't already done the preliminary work to get gas, we could be weeks or months away.  

A few small hurdles remain to have the furnace operate.  We need power to our electrical panel (we are relying on the pole near the  lane for power). The furnace is hard wired to the panel. It can't be connected to an extension cord without some effort. We have a plan for this and hopefully tomorrow it will be done (or the next day).  The furnace condensate line needs connected into the floor drain, and a temporary thermostat supplied. If this isn't done the condensate will spill all over the basement floor in a large puddle. I've got the mechanical contractor booked to do this tomorrow.  

The taping crew will be pleased to see heat inside - this will ensure they prioritize my job over other projects.  Often the trades will preview a few sites and select the project that looks most ready.  By being the most reliable contractor in terms of delivering these services, you can get to the top of the list.  While I claim to be the person in charge of the schedule, the trades often prioritize their own business needs over the builder - so the most attractive site gets the best service.  

So now that I have shared a few more secrets about inner city project management, we can look ahead to some warm and happy trades finishing my inside work.  This is the stage of the process where a large amount of funds is needed to keep moving ahead.  I have to pay the major part of the bills for the plumbing, electrical, exterior work, insulation, drywall, and deposits on finishing material.  Over the next month the cash burn rate will exceed $100k.  

Atco is a very reliable contractor.  While they are a huge bureaucracy to navigate at times, they stick to the schedule.  There is actually some really important information contained in the photo about setbacks between the gas meter and a combustion source. Our fireplace exhaust is just to the left of the photo.  The vent on the regulator needs to be one meter from the fireplace exhaust. This one was cutting it a little close, but ok.  These are the paranoia inducing moments you don't think about when you have houses under construction because changes from this point on are really painful.