Every year I started out with a list of priorities for the lake property. I start composing my list as soon as I leave the property for the winter. Sometimes I don't get everything on my list done, sometimes I add things, sometimes it reflects my dreams rather than my expectations, but at least it gives me a goal. For 1986, my priorities were "deck on cottage, electricity, plumbing, stain cottage, deck at top of stairs, grade around cottage and parking area, front door stoop, beach shed improvement, fireplace, dock, boat". The last part of the list became part of the list for other years. I call this the year of the "wet interior" because it's the year that I spent most of my time working on the part of the cottage that had water running to it - the kitchen, utility room, and bathroom.
I spent of lot of time during the winter planning the interior - window shopping, leafing through the Sears catalog, studying the material I picked up from Cooperative Extension about planning a kitchen. I bought box springs and a bed frame to go with the mattress. I bought a microwave and lighting fixtures when they went on sale. I used my scrolling saw to make plywood cut-outs of Canada Geese to decorate the cottage and pine cut-outs of ducks which I painted and topped with a sunbonnet. After pricing wallboard, flooring, and appliances, I was beginning to realize that the interior was going to cost more than the exterior. My original estimate of $10,000 for the exterior had turned out to be fairly accurate.
By the end of March the road was passable once more and I ordered vinyl flooring for the "wet interior" and a water heater. They were both delivered together in early April. Electricity was my first priority and I wanted to have the water heater ready for wiring by the electrician. I also wanted to have vinyl flooring covering the total "wet interior" before I started installing the water heater, cabinets, toilet, tub, and sinks. I had some interior walls to build also before an electrician could work. Once I got those done, I called for estimates for the electrical work based on requirements I had listed. I hadn't been entirely satisfied with the electrician I'd hired for the shed. He hadn't responded when I'd complained that the switches in the circuit breaker were loose; also the flood light shining on the beach had fallen down and the cables to the flood light and water pump were buried only about six inches deep and not enclosed in anything to protect them.
I found an electrician with whom I was happy. I had marked the preferred location of all of the lighting fixtures and outlets and had provided the lighting fixtures. The main electrical connection would now be to the cottage, but the shed would still need an electric source. The electrician specified a one foot deep trench from the cottage to the shed for electric cables enclosed in a conduit. He said I could dig it or he would (for a price). I dug. Code also required closet lights different than the bare ceramic pull-chain type I had bought so I replaced those. Looking to the future, I alternately called the utility room a "laundry room" and asked for an outlet for a clothes dryer. I wanted the circuit breaker in the kitchen since I planned to use it often; most of the winter the main circuit breaker could be turned off and in the summer, only the refrigerator and water pump (it never was completely leak-free) needed to be left on. He would be able to start as soon as the power company marked the location of the meter (they said within 5 days).
Once I was satisfied that the electrical work would soon be underway, I started on the deck that would extend across the lake side of the cottage and then about six feet further so that it could be reached by 5 steps from the road side or 11 steps from the lake side. Until the deck was done, the three patio doors would be useless; I was anxious to have a deck. I worked on the supports for the deck while the electrician worked inside. During bad weather I built a small bench in the sleeping loft where the floor had to give way to headroom for the stairs; it would make the loft seem larger and allow more room for the window. Although the weather might now influence the type of work I did at the lake, it was nice not to have to plan my trips to the lake around the weather - a definite change from the previous year when I kept one ear tuned for the weather.
I was now ready for a telephone. The electric work passed inspection except that a smoke detector had to be wired in upstairs. By June 10 both the electricity and the phone were installed. It wasn't the end of my communication with the telephone company, however. I had a "seasonal telephone service for customers who have cottages along the shores of Seneca and Cayuga lakes" which meant that I would be on a party line and my phone would be connected every April 1 and disconnected every October 31. Unfortunately, I received somebody else's calls and he couldn't receive his own calls and I couldn't receive mine; the explanation was "a bad storm which twisted the wires". Things went OK for a while until I and people calling me started getting recordings from a piano tuner. Other than those two incidents, we've had only the usual problems that always occur with a party line. One included a threatening letter from the phone company informing us that somebody on our line had left a phone off the hook leaving everyone without service.
I stained the cottage during the next month when the weather allowed. I also bought a refrigerator. I drove Cathy back to Buffalo where she was going to school and where she had a summer job. For some reason we stopped at the cottage on the way and pulled a little too far to one side of the road during a very wet week. We were happy that we weren't in too much of a hurry while we waited for the tow truck. The lake road is never in excellent condition. It is a right-of-way along the edge of a farm property. The cottagers are afraid to improve it too much for two reasons. Since we don't own it, the farmer can do anything he likes to it; one winter he dragged logs along it and it was a mess. I think it was the farmer who did most of the fixing that Spring, however. Second, people are afraid that we'll get sightseers and drivers going too fast if the road looks too good, but I think we could do without quite so many pot-holes. I think it's graded every year; sometimes more crushed stones are spread.
The deck was usable by late June and I had running water to the deck, but it was time to start thinking about real plumbing. I had laid the vinyl flooring, ordered counter tops for the kitchen, and bought most of the plumbing fixtures - sinks, toilet, tub, faucets, tub drain. I had originally planned to have a shower only and to have the closet that would open into both the bath and the living area, but I now decided to have the more versatile tub instead and eliminate the closet. The closet between the bedrooms would serve nicely as a linen closet. I compiled my list of plumbing requirements and called for estimates. I knew that the plumber would have to do part of his work, then wait for me to enclose walls, then return to complete the job. Again, as in the electrical work, I wanted connections for a clothes washer in the "laundry room". I found the plumber I wanted and he started at the beginning of August with his 17 year old son helping. I returned the tub drain I had bought since he preferred another type and it would be a major effort to replace it later.
Before the plumber started I had insulated and applied wallboard to the corner where the water heater would be located since I was afraid I would not have easy access to that corner again. It was my first experience with insulation and wallboard and gave me some idea of the work ahead. Although I had a waiver from the power company to allow me to omit the insulation, I would have to adhere to the requirement if I ever decided to heat or cool. I wanted to insulate all areas that I was finishing now so that the interior would never have to be torn down. While the plumber worked I assembled the kitchen cabinets that would have to be installed before he would be able to complete his job.
I had my job cut out for me after the plumber finished the first part of his job and before he returned again. I had to finish the walls where the sinks, tub, toilet, and washing machine would go, install the tub surrounds, install the cabinets and counter top where the sinks would go. I had anticipated well, however, and he was able to finish up at the beginning of September. It felt very civilized to have running water inside the cottage.
I had even managed to get a few other jobs done in August. Dave came out one day with his chain saw to cut down some dead trees. I mounted my Canada Geese cut-outs over the main door of the cottage now that they wouldn't be hidden by trees. I painted the main door white instead of its original gray. I ordered a range and found I had to move the outlet slightly once it was delivered. I ordered railroad ties to use as steps from the parking area down to the cottage.
After the plumbing was done, I felt in no rush. A door on the bathroom made a big difference to privacy; a door also went on the "laundry room". The first time I turned on the water heater, I found that the thermostat was defective so that had to be replaced. It was nice to be able to take a hot shower now that the weather was turning cooler. Now I could even get ready for work at the cottage. I finished the walls in the "wet interior" with joint compound and paint, put railings on the deck, and built the railroad tie steps. I had built similar steps at home so I already knew what was involved there, mostly carving a level area out of the dirt, rolling the railroad tie in place and repeating the process.
I didn't have long to enjoy the indoor plumbing. By late September, it's time to drain the pipes for the winter to prevent damage from freezing. I had waited until October 11 when the weatherman predicted low temperatures and, consequently, drained the pipes in the dark. I'd had the plumber install easy-to-reach drains for the system and he'd told me how much antifreeze to put in each of the interior drains so it wasn't a difficult job. But now I know enough to do it a couple of weeks earlier in the season.
The last job of 1986 was the removal of two trees that we'd recently noticed needed attention. Both were huge trees. One was on the cliff inside the "L" of the steps down to the lake. The earth had eroded under the roots; if it fell of its own accord it would damage the steps and probably the beach shed. The other tree was on the top of the cliff and looked as if it had been hit by lightening. It was bound to fall soon and might down the power lines. Both were removed professionally by December.