Progress on Drywall and Electrical Box

We now have a firm date from PG&E when they will come and start installing our 200 amp service. Trenching should occur on Feb. 23, when they will install the conduit and backfill. On Feb. 25, they will pull the new cable, connect it to the grid, and transfer the meter. In preparation, we now have a new breaker box on the side of the garage:

This box is considerably  larger than  our existing breaker box:

I think we are  going to need to paint the new one or something so that it isn't as visible.

Today we had the gardener come an clear out all the vegetation between the concrete box on the border between our property and our neighbor's, where the underground electrical service for both our houses comes in. We were warned by PG&E that we had to have all the vegetation out in a straight line between the breaker box and the concrete box or they would not dig the trench.

The drywall guys started this week in earnest. Paul convinced them to install the Thermablok on the south hallway wall studs, but, as you can see from the following picture, they didn't quite get the concept:

On this wall, there are a couple structural  members that consist of two 2x4 studs right next to each other, like the one in the middle of the picture. Rather than gluing two pieces of Thermablok on the studs, they glued one on going up the center. I guess they thought it was a standoff for the drywall or something. Anyway, we had them rip out the drywall that they had installed and redo it. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to check afterward whether they did it right the second time or not, so I don't know if they got it in. Paul called the owner and I put a message in Spanglish on the wall as to what they should do. The drywall is now up:

There are a couple places in the house where the studs have bent or warped a bit with age. Here you can  see that on the top right next to the steel strap:

These areas are going to require some planing to make them more even so that the drywall doesn't protrude. We have decided on a smooth texture to our drywall, so there is no room for hiding imperfections in the surface.

There are also some problems around the windows. We had the windows replaced in 2004 from the outside. Here you can see how they used nails to shim the window:

In other places, the caulking bead goes from an eighth inch on the top to a quarter inch on the bottom. Previously, we had a nice contemporary finish where the drywall wrapped into the windows and there was no molding. Now, we will need  some kind of wood trim to  hide the imperfections. We're planning on using a stained wood, which matches the wood in the downstairs windows.