King of the Wilderness

They patiently thread rolls of NM-B armored cables of different colors that meet North American electrical standards through the conduits previously embedded in the log walls, and run them through the holes of the newly assembled light steel Dragon Bone framework.

They carefully guide the wiring out to each reserved location for switches, sockets, and light fixtures, leaving enough length, and place them into blue PVC junction boxes pre-fixed on the Dragon Bone.

”Look.”

Cody pointed to a reserved switch box and said, ”All wiring must be laid in place before the panel is sealed; once the gypsum board is up, making changes will be very troublesome.”

”Moreover, all connections must be completed within the junction boxes, which is the basic safety standard.”

The same goes for the hot and cold water PEX pipes connecting the kitchen, two bathrooms, and laundry room.

They are securely fixed at a reasonable slope using special ”Omega” pipe clamps within the wall frame and floor layers to ensure no shaking or noise.

As he operated a professional cordless hydraulic crimping tool, Cody explained.

”The advantage of PEX pipes is that they are somewhat flexible, can bend, reducing the number of connections, and they withstand high and low temperatures without easily freezing and cracking like copper pipes.”

He connected the PEX pipe to a brass tee and then attached the jaws of the crimping tool.

With a light mechanical hum, the tool automatically applied pressure, completing a hexagonal metallic seal.

After all the piping was laid, they conducted the critical pressure test.

Cody took out a manual pressure pump, connected it to the main water pipe, and pressurized the entire water system to three times its normal working pressure, 150 PSI.

Then, he marked a clear line on the gauge needle with a marker.

”Alright, now we let it rest for 24 hours.”

Cody clapped his hands: ”If, after 24 hours, the needle is still on this line, it proves all our connections are perfect, with not a single drop leaking from the walls.”

When the last wire was pulled into place and the water pipe pressure test passed perfectly, the home’s electrical and water pipelines were declared complete.

While setting up the electrical and water pipelines, Lin Yu’an began installing the ”second heart” of the house—a powerful hydronic heating system.

He transported the ”Warm Winter S-200” cast-iron heating furnace shipped from China into a specially designed separate equipment room on the ground floor.

”Lin, you already have a huge fireplace, why do you need this big guy?” David asked curiously.

”The fireplace provides radiant heat, quickly warming the living room area, and it’s more about ambiance and emergency heating.”

”But this device will use hot water circulation to provide continuous and stable background heating to every room in our home.”

Next, they began laying out the heating pipes, arranging pairs of insulated PEX heating pipes along the bottom of each exterior wall.

”Our warmth will be emitted through these things.” Lin Yu’an pulled out a long, skirting board-shaped metal device from the packaging box.

Cody chimed in, explaining to David: ”These are skirting board radiators; hot water flows through the dense copper pipes and aluminum heat exchangers inside.”

”It efficiently heats the air, creating convection that warms the entire room. This method is very popular in North American wooden houses, quick to install with great results.”

They gathered and connected each heating pipe’s start and end points to a complex manifold on the equipment room wall and ensured system sealing through pressure testing.

This job took the longest, combined with previous electrical and water pre-embedding, took nearly ten days.

When the last wire was pulled into position and all pipeline pressure tests passed perfectly, the pipelines were declared complete.

Before officially sealing with gypsum boards, there is one extremely important step that cannot be skipped—filling with insulation soundproofing material.

”Alright, now we’re going to put a coat on the walls,” Lin Yu’an said as he pulled out large bundles of rock wool wrapped in plastic film from the supply pile.

Lin Yu’an tore open the packaging and took out a thick, pale yellow board of wool, primarily used for soundproofing and fire prevention.

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

Using a long bread knife, they cut the rock wool into pieces that perfectly matched the spacing between the Dragon Bones, then easily fit them between two pieces of light steel Dragon Bone.

The rock wool relied on its own elasticity to fit perfectly inside, needing no extra securing.

While inserting the rock wool, Lin Yu’an explained to the camera: ”I want each bedroom and bathroom to be a relatively independent, quiet space.”

”Not disturbed by TV sounds from the living room or other room noises. The porous structure of rock wool can absorb a lot of sound, making its soundproofing effects much better than hollow walls.”

”Rock wool is made from natural rock melted at high temperatures; its melting point exceeds 1000 degrees Celsius, making it an A1 grade, completely non-combustible building material.”

”By filling it into each wall, it’s like building layers of firewalls, especially important in houses primarily made of wood.”