Week ending 8/31/12

On Sunday, we went to see some family who just moved into the area.  We got to celebrate one nephew's birthday and meet the other one for the first time.

The tub still isn't in, which is fine because they want it picked up fast and my contractor is on vacation.  It means we probably won't start the project until the week of the 10th though.  We had all (us and the contractor) hoped to start on Tue 9/4.

On Wednesday, we started another project on the short list.  We still have holes in the walls all over the house from the phone and internet wiring that we did when the walls were open.  We just never got to finish the project and cover all the holes with plates and outlets.  We did an inventory of all the supplies we'll need - plate covers, screws, internet jacks, etc.  We'll have to compare that to what we have on hand, go out and buy what we need and then install it all.

I also got a quote on a custom grab bar which I can order once the tub deck height is final.  It's from a company that actually makes grab bars, so it will be nice to have something heavy duty and made for this purpose.

Week ending 8/24/12

This week, we were pretty much stalled on the bathtub.  Early  in the week was all about the dogs.  Later. we had the electrician come to handle two jobs for us, which is great.

On Monday, I gave Calvin a nice short trim.  It's been really hot, and it stays hot into October so he really needed it.  He's so good, he sits still the entire time and even gave me kisses during the shave.  At about the hour mark, he gets bored and wants to bolt but that's not too bad.

Here I am after he's had a break - I'm cleaning him up with the Furminator.

Unfortunately, we found a hot spot on Danny's cheek necessitating that he wears the collar so he doesn't scratch it.  We also put a boot on his foot to keep him from scratching.  We ended up having to put him in a full cone which sucks.

The electrician came on Tuesday and finished on Friday.

First we had him install 3 track lights.  We actually purchased the lights back in February and it took this long to get them installed.  We've had crappy lighting for the last 6 years we've lived here.  I needed fixtures to pass final inspection and so I went to Ikea and bought $4 fixtures just to get us past inspection.  They have never been very good at lighting a room so they all have to be replaced.  We also have ceiling fans in all the bedrooms, and they aren't as bad for lighting but they are still nowhere near adequate.

The office is so dark that you can't fill out a form at night.  We've had no place to read in the entire house except the bed and who wants to lay in bed in the middle of the day?  I sometimes don't sweep or vacuum at night because it's so dark I can't see well enough to do it.

We had the electrician install one track in the den over the loveseat with a dimmer switch by the door.  The other two tracks went into the office.  We didn't have the proper bulbs, so we can't really see much but we did have one bulb for each room and it's already better!  The office ended up being wired to a switch that was originally for the closet lights which the city made us tear out since they weren't far enough from the top shelf.  Strangely, they didn't make us tear out the switch so it was perfect for the office track lights.

We also had the electrician wire an internet jack near the kitchen table for me to use.  We've been stringing a cable across the entrance to the kitchen and it's dangerous and annoying.  Now that C is working from home, he has the office and I'm working from the kitchen table so it will be really nice to have no wire across the entrance.

Week ending 8/17/12

On Saturday, we went to the bathroom place where I had gotten a quote from for the tub.  I had called Friday morning to make an appointment and let the sales rep know I was coming in.  He never called back, and when I asked for him at the reception desk, I was told to sign in and that it would be at least an hour before anyone could talk to me.

Seriously, you want me to wait an hour to plunk down my credit card?  Are you insane?  I get that they are busy, and that's great, but to not bother to return a call from an eager buyer and then tell the person they have to wait an hour pay?  Um, not in this lifetime.

I informed the receptionist loudly enough for everyone waiting to hear that not only would we not wait but that the only way we would ever set foot in their store again was if we could not find anyplace else to buy this particular tub.

The funny thing is this is the place that directed me to get the wrong tub in the first place.  I told them I wanted to make a shower out of it, and they sold me a tub that could not be enclosed for a shower.  I only went back to them because the contractor had worked with one of the sales reps in the past.  Well, the sales rep spent over an hour helping us pick a tub out, and someone else got the sale.

We ended up going home where I spent some time researching local suppliers and found another one nearby.  We went in, were helped almost immediately and got the tub ordered.  Yay!

Here's a fun shot of the dogs laying in the living room that C took.

On Monday, I went and picked up the glass tile.  We're marching ever closer.

Week ending 8/10/12

This week I spent some time researching grab bars and grab posts.  The tub will have a high step-over, and we don't want anyone to grab the glass panel for support when they step in or out.  The contractor actually told me to investigate stripper poles, which is one of the things I did this week.  I talked to one company and when I told the woman that it was for a bathtub grab post, she suggested a product from Home Depot.  We'll see.

Week ending 8/3/12

We didn't get much work done on our house this week.  We had some plans over the weekend and then on Monday I shaved Danny the dog.  It's a big deal in the summer - the dogs shed so much hair and it's a constant mess in the house.  A clean floor lasts less than a day.  It's also really hot for them in fur coats, so we keep them shaved for the hottest part of the year.  Here are three shots of me shaving Danny:

You can see how white he is in the last shot.  His fur is black but he has a white undercoat so he lightens up a lot when he gets his summer 'do.

On Thursday we helped supervise the crew installing the carpet at C's mom's house.  Here I am inspecting the floor after they tore the old carpet up:

Finally, on Friday we had the plumber over to clean out and adjust the bathroom vanity drain.  I don't know what our problem with drains is!  The tub drain has never worked right and this drain needs to be serviced by the plumber every year or so.  It just gets slower and slower and the plunger stops going up high enough to let the water out.  No wonder I can't get ahead!