PG&E is turning on gas tomorrow. Finally will have heat. They give a four hour window so I am packing folding chair, book, electric teapot, tea.
Roof is done. They said they found some problems and will do supplemental inspection tomorrow. I hope nothing too horrible. I might have to pick and choose most crucial and put off others. Get cheaper draperies. Maybe fewer colors. I wish I had more handy woman skills. I can do garden but putting in flooring and fixing plumbing is beyond me.
Plumbing is pretty easy, depending on the set up of your new house. If pipes are accessible, versus hidden in walls. I was intimidated when I first started playing around at my old house, but there's so many you tube videos out there to help with almost every problem. I bet we have a few posters here that could troubleshoot as well.
Three steps forward, 1 step back. Installed counter-tops, some of the vanity handles, new window, new door and mirror. Our new one piece toilet has a curve that prohibits us from installing the Toto bidet, so we will need to go to a 2 piece toilet instead (not as sleek, a little harder to clean) for the bidet installation. So, now need to find and purchase a replacement toilet before we can continue. Also, for some reason, the Wemo switches are not setting up properly - which means I can not connect them to have the fan run automatically after a shower yet, but I will figure it out.
Linoleum under sinks worn. I told contractor get remnant or whatever is cheapest since it won't show. Also tomorrow will swab out garden sheds. They are pretty grubby. Bringing mop, soap, bleach. Got three bigs bags soil conditioner. Oi vey, inflation has hit garden supplies. Can't believe price of rose bushes.
Guys working on house said they found more problems and scheduled supplemental inspection this morning. Turns out another $5000. Not great but I was worrying it would be $20,000 or somesuch. Swabbed out grubby sheds with soap and bleach. Floors are raw wood, but previous owner had a great love of paving stones in garden. When yard crew takes them out tomorrow morning they will be new shed flooring. Kitchen shelves and cabinets have a rough surface which is hard to really clean so I started lining with contact paper, very unprofessionally. After it stuck to everything but what it was supposed to, I ordered four rolls of adhesive free shelf liner from Amazon. Got home and cleaned up and feel better. PG&E turned on gas so now have heat & hot water, neither of which I really need at the moment but good to have. Installed toilet paper holder in large bathroom. Small victories!
Buy a used copy of this book. https://www.google.com/search?gs_ss...2j0i512l4.15275j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 This shows and explains everything very well. With this you can diagnose a problem and decide from there if you want to try the repair yourself. Even if you decide not to try to repair something yourself you'll have a better idea of what the problem is and know the right questions to ask if you're hiring someone else to fix the problem.
I can't get a larger kitchen sink. There are drawers on one side and dishwasher on other. Would have to rip the whole thing out which would cost too much. I suppose with a dishwasher, if it works, I can get by with smaller sink. Washed dishes by hand my entire life.
Turned on dishwasher just to see if it works. Apparently does. The previous owner left two plastic spoons and a Tupperware I might have been able to use had I not stepped on it. Non adhesive shelf liner easier to deal with than contact paper but doesn't stay put. My brilliant idea was to cut strips of contact paper and use them to tape down shelf liners. To call it inelegant is a vast understatement but once dishes and pans are in cupboards it won't show, and I have clean surfaces. Yard got cleared of junk. I will go there on a day they are not hammering on my house to start new garden. Most light bulbs burned out. Got home tired and grubby with two broken fingernails and my braid unwinding, found Lucia sleek and elegant waking up from morning nap. What a life.
Construction nearly done. I asked to have it painted and company said I need to get paint. What??? I told her my knowledge of exterior house painting is exactly zero. I have no idea how to match color, what kind or how much paint to buy, do I need to also buy brushes and/or rollers, is primer needed, finishing coat? If they give me a very precise list of what is needed I can go to store.
Start here - https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/condemo/paint Portland has something similar and it's great!
For all practical purposes the "remodel" is done. Still need to install vanity handles and move all our bathroom stuff + pictures etc... back, but no more people working here. Last piece was the toilet + Toto bidet, it's been several months since it was ordered - and I did not remember it - but apparently it comes with a remote and more buttons than I know what to do with. I guess I have always wanted a toilet with a remote? Apparently, it includes a seat warmer, heated water and a deodorizer. What the heck have we done, a toilet that requires a manual...
At the start of the pandemic I installed a simple bidet seat I bought from Amazon in our guest bathroom. It is a very simple affair with 2 buttons and we like it a lot (the wife really loves it) - so I did not realize just how many functions there are on this TOTO. I guess I will find time to RTFM this weekend...
I am sticking with plain old toilet. Outside basically done. Still working on painting. Getting another deck repair bid. Looks like inside stuff can start Monday. I will be getting yard prepped ready for new plants.
