Enter At Your Own Risk

gruntlabor said:
I just place small electric heaters turned on low in closed areas where the pipes might freeze (at anywhere below about 15 degrees F).
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Yes! I did that but with all of the water damage found, (none from leaking water pipes though) I am paranoid about that. What if? Anyway, the water lines in that area are now drained so that's a worry removed. Now I know how to do it and surprisingly, (I will brag a bit here) I made some suggestions to the guy doing it that worked. "Maybe turn off that valve there?" I'm glad it's done.

The propane company came yesterday and filled the tank so that's done. I have switched from using the propane heater to using the electric heaters. I like the propane heater better; it's infrared. This is my first experience with infrared and man-oh-man, it's Great! The new room doesn't have heat in it and am considering installing an electric infrared heater in there.

Today, I will probably head into town for paint and a few other things while there. It did snow a bit last night but not enough to make roads bad.
 
Managed to get to town, asked for exterior paint, and when I arrived home noticed that what I got was interior. Dang. Exterior paint may work better in this area due to temperature changes AND especially on the window sills in this room. The windows are aluminum framed and not very high quality so there is often a lot of condensation that drips down onto the sill; so exterior paint may be better there. Anyway, we received more snow since then so I probably won't go back to exchange it today. It's just white, no color mixing so they'll take it back. No worries, it'll get done.

More shoveling today. I don't mind doing it although my body does wake up and curse me. Go slow, take small bites with the shovel. Ibuprofen is my friend. God bless the person(s) who came up with that stuff. I hope they got filthy rich from it.
 
Very windy this morning so I extra-bundled up to shovel. There is a layer of ice beneath the snow so no going anywhere unless it melts off. There is truly a fine line between courage and stupidity.

Sprinkled the pet safe ice melt onto the sidewalk and ordered more from Chewy. One must really read the fine print in the descriptions. One had a name that suggested it was pet safe. Didn't list the ingredients. In the Q&A section, someone asked and sure enough, lots of salt. No wonder it was the cheapest one. Buyer beware, as another stated that if your pet ingests it, contact your vet.

Sun is shining brightly so if the roads melt, I may end up going to town. We shall see.
 
Didn't do much yesterday. It does appear the roads have melted and are now dry. Skies cleared and now it's 12F. So today I will go to town to exchange that gallon of paint and pick up a few more items. I also need to go to the county courthouse and renew my car registration, which is due this month, which means I have to go to the larger town 30 miles away. Sigh.

The other day when I went to the nearer smaller town (pop 2100), I was all the way there and realized I had forgotten my wallet! Drove back home and then back to town. Sheesh. Another time, I went to the local pharmacy to pick up a script and realized I had forgotten to put in my dentures. I carry masks in my glove box so I put on a mask and went inside. The clerk said, "Oh! You must be feeling really bad?" I said, "Oh, no, it's just allergies." So embarrassed.
 
Strange things yesterday. Early in the morning, I washed dishes, then decided to clean house. What??? Once I started, it was like I couldn't stop. Finished by 0830.

Went to the other areas to turn down the heat, since the water lines had been drained and blown out and the faucets left open. Surprise! Water is draining/dripping from those lines. Is the cut off valve to that area leaking? Tomorrow, I will call the plumber. Meanwhile, the heat will be maintained at normal levels to, hopefully, prevent freezing.

I did get to town, exchanged the paint, picked up a few things. WalMart did have the flood light bulbs for outdoor use. Wanted to cash a check at the credit union, thinking they were open on Saturdays. Nope. Not even the drive up window.

Today, I plan to replace those light bulbs, fix a spot on the wall, and a few other minor things.
 
Spent the last couple of days doing small things around the house. Installed a couple of light bars, the undercabinet type. I have never been a fan of motion-detecting lights. These light bars do have that feature, which can be turned off. However, I did turn that feature on in the bathroom and OMG, I do like it! Will take some getting used to; it's such a surprise right now when it comes on. I have these same lights to place in the stairwell when that is finished.

Went to town yesterday, bank and courthouse to renew auto registration. While there, I asked the clerk about Title Fraud alerts. She said they are working on a system now and it should be active in about three weeks. Unfortunately, all of the protective actions with title fraud occur AFTER the fact. It seems that most of these title thefts occur on vacant land, unoccupied houses, etc. It also seems it is more difficult for that to be done if there is a mortgage on the property.

I have been hitting my mortgage hard, trying to get it paid off. Now I wonder if that may be a mistake? Maybe I'll start a separate thread about this and see what others think.
 
The faucet drip in the bathroom where the water was cut off and the lines were drained was still dripping until yesterday morning when it stopped, then restarted, then stopped again. After much thought and analysis, I realized there must still be water in the lines even though the dripping had stopped. I am concerned that the reason it has stopped dripping is because the water in the lines has frozen. (Weather has been consistently below freezing this past week.) I called the plumber yesterday; he will try to get here tomorrow or Monday. He agreed with my assessment. We think the cut off valve isn't sealing as it should.

I have a space heater in there set pretty high (85F?). I am probably being a bit OCD about this since those lines have never frozen, so far as anybody knows. I do not use that bathroom unless there is an overnight visitor, a rare occurrence.

I think today I will get back to painting those baseboards. I also need to drag out a taller ladder to adjust the direction of front porch flood light. PITA. And I don't do well with heights. Screw up courage and get it done.
 
Plumber came yesterday. He somehow tested the lines and said the cut off valve doesn't leak. So he blew out the lines, in what seemed a very complicated way, and said all is well. Fingers crossed on that.

While the plumber was here, he mentioned he had seen my "buddy" just before coming here. When I asked who that was, he named my ex. The one who, 43 years ago, beat me up and strangled me. I survived only due to the intervention of a bystander. Without going into a lot of detail, let me say that it changed me, my children, and my life. I am always looking over my shoulder and I take what others may believe to be extreme security measures. (He lives just down the road from me.) Turns out the ex is not much longer for this world -- end stage prostate cancer with mets to bone.

In my mind, I was ecstatic! Outwardly, however, I responded with , "Oh, how sad", "that's too bad", and "sorry to hear this". (They are friends.) After the plumber left, I called my BFF, texted my siblings and my daughters, put my shoes on, grabbed my keys, and drove back to town (had just been there earlier), bought two bottles of champagne and a pizza. The champagne: one bottle (Andre, $13.00) for last night, and one (French champagne, $55.00) for after the SOB dies.

The store checkout person asked, "Didn't I just see you here earlier?" I replied, "Yes. But when I got home, I had some Very Good News, so I am celebrating." When she saw the price of that bottle of champagne, she said, "What a celebration!" I laughed and the man behind me in line smiled at me.

Upon arrival at home, I ditched the bra, turned the heat up to 70F !!!, then switched the TV/DVD player on (at 2:30 in the afternoon!!), watched The First Wives Club, Auntie Mame, and part of The Hobbit, all while sipping on that champagne. Left the pizza in the fridge, had fish, salad, and lemon pudding with chocolate chips for dinner. Left the dishes to do this morning.

I prayed to God to send him to Hell for the equivalent of 43 years. I prayed for his death to be a long, drawn-out agony. I prayed for forgiveness for these thoughts. If there is a funeral/memorial service, what could I do? Imagining revenge. All while doing a happy dance! It feels like Freedom! Now (or soon) it is (or will soon be) over. OVER. No more lock on the front gate. No more weapons in various rooms for self defense. No more flood lights, no need for adding cameras, no rush to finish the fence. No more scanning every person I see in town, in case he is there. I can't believe it. It's emancipation day!
 
After a day of jubilation, it occurred to me that the entire story of the ex's dying soon may not be exactly true. Is it just a way to get me to let down my guard? I know nobody who can confirm this story. Will keep security high and an eye on the obits. Hopefully, they will publish an obit when/if he does die. Argh!

Meanwhile, today I am going to do some minor things around the house, concentrating on the living room. Life goes on.
 
The flooring company called yesterday and said they are coming tomorrow to install the carpet in the bedrooms, the ex-hot tub room, stairs and hallway. That's the Good News. I am trying to figure out where we will put all that furniture and stuff while they work; this is a small house with small rooms that are already crowded. I am considering staying at the B&B across the road but the dogs complicate that and it's $250/night.

I hired a neighbor boy to come today to help me move all the small stuff, the underbed storage bins, lamps, etc. The floor guys will move the beds, which will probably have to be completely disassembled to get through the doorways, not an easy thing. Again, I don't know where we will put everything. Maybe in the garage where it would be subject to mice getting at it? Country living at its best.

Speaking of mice, caught one in the bathroom behind the washer. This happens every time workers come in; the plumber was here a few days ago and the door to the garage had to be left open for a while. A few more may find their way in while the floors are being done. Traps in every room.

It's just for a few days. I can do this, lol.
 
MarciKS said:
Can't they do one room at a time?
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I certainly hope so! They will have to. Last year when other areas were floored (with glue down vinyl tile), they moved everything to one end of a room, laid the tiles, then moved it to the other end and did that part. With this carpet, everything in that room has to be removed so the carpet can be stretched.

The young man came and we got everything done in two hours. He had some good ideas and was very helpful. He also helped me hang a picture in the new bathroom, which I have been postponing for over a year. It is glass and heavy so now it is up and looks great! I paid him extra. He has worked with me before and I like this kid (age 17 now). His entire family are a joy to know.
 
The carpet installers arrived after 10am. He said he wasn't sure exactly what this job entails so we walked through the rooms and I explained everything. They didn't even bring any carpet. He installed the tack strips, then left. Tomorrow they will return and he said he can get this all done in one day. That would be nice but I am a bit doubtful. We shall see. I will wait to call the baseboard/trim guy until it is finished. Everything always takes longer than expected.

I had stripped my bed, removed lamps, etc. Since they did nothing in that room, I had to remake it and replace one bedside lamp. A bit of a PITA but it will be nice if he is able to do it all tomorrow. Also, he mentioned that the price quote from the store did not include the charge for moving furniture. I wonder how much that will be?
 
MarciKS said:
Oh my God. That's probably where they're gonna stick it to ya for moving the furniture. I hope it won't be too much.
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Me, too. There wasn't that much to move and it didn't have to be moved far at all, just into a neighboring room.

They are back this morning and working now. Good thing because the guy who is going to place the baseboards is coming tomorrow.
 
Carpet laid. All is well. I was charged an additional $200 for furniture moving and for laying tiles (14 of them) where that old cabinet had been removed. I had kept the left over tiles from when this floor was laid two years ago. All floors, all done!

I do see a few small damaged areas on the newly painted walls. Will touch up paint them after the baseboards are laid, which should be today. This is the last of the interior projects, other than touching up paint here and there. Then a thorough deep cleaning is in order.

Now comes the fun part! When I moved here, I used the curtains I had, which mostly fit these windows. It's all such a mish mash, yuck. Furniture doesn't fit (too large), either. Nothing goes together. So I will replace some of the furniture (new dining table!), and do real decorating (window treatments, etc.). This will be fun. Can't wait to get started with that.

Once spring arrives, there will be outdoor projects to be done but for now, not going to worry about those.
 
GoodEnuff said:
Carpet laid. All is well. I was charged an additional $200 for furniture moving and for laying tiles (14 of them) where that old cabinet had been removed. I had kept the left over tiles from when this floor was laid two years ago. All floors, all done!

I do see a few small damaged areas on the newly painted walls. Will touch up paint them after the baseboards are laid, which should be today. This is the last of the interior projects, other than touching up paint here and there. Then a thorough deep cleaning is in order.

Now comes the fun part! When I moved here, I used the curtains I had, which mostly fit these windows. It's all such a mish mash, yuck. Furniture doesn't fit (too large), either. Nothing goes together. So I will replace some of the furniture (new dining table!), and do real decorating (window treatments, etc.). This will be fun. Can't wait to get started with that.

Once spring arrives, there will be outdoor projects to be done but for now, not going to worry about those.
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well that's gonna give you something to fill your time through the rest of winter into spring.. and it ll be lovely...:love:

Here too, they charge for furniture moving if there's more than 5 pieces in the room.....
 
The contractor came on Saturday and installed the baseboards where the new carpet had been laid. He found areas where it isn't laid properly and in one spot, there is actually a hole in the carpet. I called the store and they will send out the guy who laid it to fix it but not for at least another week or so. I am very disappointed and a bit angry. I had discussed the areas in question with the carpet man and he insisted on doing it his way. It's not working.

The contractor said he could probably find a way to address this issue. It's at the doorways where carpet meets hard floors. It's not staying down and the tacks are sticking up through the carpet. Today, I will head to town, go to that store and tell them I want a different installer to come fix this. Someone who can think more creatively, not stuck on one method that won't work. Anyway, one way or another it will get fixed.

The way this house was built, it requires someone who can think outside of the box. I also believe that when workers come here, they see it is old, small and modest and do not do their best job. The contractor/young man who has done most of the work is just the opposite. He is a perfectionist, listens closely, thinks about what he is doing, and is creative. Unfortunately, he does not do carpet. But he can probably design some kind of trim/transition that will work, if necessary.

Anyway, he almost finished that one area and will return Wednesday to do the living room where that cabinet was removed. I have the material, which was removed from another area and I saved it. These baseboards in that area are no longer manufactured. Before Wednesday, I must sand them down, fill the old nail holes, and get it ready for installation. If I have that much time. If I don't, he will do it but it will add more time to that part of this project, delays completion, and adds to the cost.
 
They are sending a different guy tomorrow morning. While at the store, the manager showed me a metal transition piece that may resolve all but one of the problems. I asked him why that wasn't done in the first place and he just shrugged. The difficult problem is a hole in the carpet that was made during installation. They may be able to patch it (it is close to a wall so won't be stepped on much, if at all). The store manager said sometimes the patch is stronger than the carpet itself.

However, they may have to replace that whole piece, which is the entire hall (with four doorways entering into it) and the top step of the stairs. That may not be easy because now the baseboards are installed, pretty tightly against the new carpet. He mentioned they may have to remove the baseboards and I told him no, they would just have to deal with it -- those baseboards will not be removed! Figure it out.

I managed to behave myself in a firm but nice way; for that I am proud because I am angry about this. I spoke with the original installer about all of this at the time and he basically ignored me and did it "his way". I am not a pro with floors but I could see potential problems with what he was doing. It's just common sense but many tradesmen tend to undermine and disrespect women. The problems in the installation can be fixed. The anger will linger for a while.
 
MarciKS said:
managed to behave yourself...lol! was it hard? ;)
i tend to lose my temper so i try to not speak to people in person.
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Was it hard? If I had gone on Saturday when the problems first appeared, it would have been very hard. I had two days to cool off and practice what I would say and how to say it. Plus the store manager is a very calm, nice man. They did the floors in the rest of the house two years ago. And he didn't try to blow me off, which would have resulted in an ugly scene. He really was trying to help.

They came this morning and fixed the problems. Some glue, re-stretching, and bending the tacks down in a certain way to avoid getting your feet poked. It seems to be all fixed. The thing about this is these are problems I discussed with the original carpet layer and he ignored me. I will not forget that.

So now, I can vacuum those rooms and move the furniture and other stuff back into them. Will get help for that. The contractor comes tomorrow to finish all the baseboards (most in a different area of the house). Then I will start painting. Fun stuff.
 
GoodEnuff said:
Was it hard? If I had gone on Saturday when the problems first appeared, it would have been very hard. I had two days to cool off and practice what I would say and how to say it. Plus the store manager is a very calm, nice man. They did the floors in the rest of the house two years ago. And he didn't try to blow me off, which would have resulted in an ugly scene. He really was trying to help.

They came this morning and fixed the problems. Some glue, re-stretching, and bending the tacks down in a certain way to avoid getting your feet poked. It seems to be all fixed. The thing about this is these are problems I discussed with the original carpet layer and he ignored me. I will not forget that.

So now, I can vacuum those rooms and move the furniture and other stuff back into them. Will get help for that. The contractor comes tomorrow to finish all the baseboards (most in a different area of the house). Then I will start painting. Fun stuff.
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That's like me...someone does me wrong in any way ...I never forget..... !
 
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