49. Stuff

No, I didn't go to Daytona today.  I stuck it out and stayed home.  I got a lovely phone call this morning from Don however, that I was in big trouble, a-gain.  They got the garage door torn out, and all ready to install the new door and it didn't fit.  I'd swear it did... my tape measure must have been faulty or something.  Anyway it was an inch and a half too high, so they continued with the framing out of the wall but closed up the door with a piece of plywood in the mean time.

The good news is I got right on the phone to Dave who said, and I quote:  "no problem at all".  He will get a fiberglass door cut to fit and install it in that very jamb so when I take it back to Don it should fit purrfectly.  Fiberglass will be better than a metal door anyway, considering the salt air.  Somehow things all work out, don't they?  I guess I'll have to treat him to lunch again.  Man, this is getting complicated!!

I also wanted to take today to sort through my latest 'finds' and get them on the books.  I will admit right away that I splurged and paid $49 for this rocking chair.  It is beautiful, and probably worth $100 - doesn't need paint, a single screw, or anything!  It has a rush seat and back and I love it.  It might go right in the living room, forget the front porch.  And make sure you see the model posing with the chair:  that's my sweet Rufus (Roo-Bear) who hasn't yet made one appearance in the blog.  Roscoe is a camera hog (I'll be nice) and I had to hold him back to get this shot.

This table/desk and chair I picked up last weekend for $5.  It's solid, but the top is scratched up a bit, which doesn't bother me because I'm going to paint it anyway.  I'll use this for a desk in my Park Place guest room.  I think that makes up for what I blew on the rocker.

Some more misc kitchen stuff - lots of plastic drinking glasses, stainless steel bowls, glass pot lids (love those) and wire baskets for the cabinets that roll out.  The turquoise mugs on the left have water in them so they can be frozen.  This is an essential item for Florida living.  Last but not least, notice the burger-flipping spatula, a must-have for the avid barbecue queen.

A big giant round basket with two very nice bed pillows and some more tab-top curtains here.  I'm not a big fan of round baskets, I like the square ones because they fit together on shelves for a better use of space.  But this one came with all those plastic glasses in it for $5 so I grabbed it.

Last but not least, I found a really nice little baby life jacket for $5 - nice for visiting beach goers to have to keep their babies above water.  Oh and there was one other thing - a nice big lamp, which I forgot to take a picture of.

I am busy preparing for next week's first sleepover!!  Coffee Pot.  Check.  Bedding.  Check.  Shotgun.  Just kidding.  Oh yeah, I'll be sleeping on the couch.  I'm actually not sure how to get a bed upstairs... I haven't dared to measure yet.  I'll have both dogs with me so please don't worry, but you'll have to wait for updates because there is no internet service there!

Balance Forward:  $134

$87  miscellaneous

Remainder:  $47 

48. Le A/C: Fait Acompli!!

No I am not going to bring up the subject of the burned out building again.  You'll find out when it happens, but I promise not to mention it again until there is some video for you.

Big news is:  The AC system and hot water heater are in and functioning!  That's it, done - amazing huh?  I was standing in the kitchen when they first cranked it up and I thought - man that breeze is nice today.  Wait a minute - that's no ocean breeze, and it's DRY!!  Ahhh, so refreshing.  Then we shut it off because somebody didn't have a 16" x 20" filter.  It's ok, I didn't want it on anyway, as dirty as the house is, and as many huge wafty gaping cracks I have around some of the windows.   I think I may try a sleepover next week though - I think it will be nice enough at night that the AC won't have to work to hard to make it sleepable.  I'm anxious to start working two or three days at a time and then having the rest of the week at home - saving on gas and my own energy.

Here's what the return in the stairwell looks like.  The wind was really whipping through there today.  Love it.

And I am left with a challenging but not impossible situation in the second bedroom (especially since it's nice and cool in here now).  I'm thinking of blocking all that duct work in, and leaving just enough room on the right for a few shelves for square baskets or storage crates.  What do you think? Nice place for a full length mirror on the left, maybe.

I am shamefully remiss about taking enough pictures of Don and Sean finishing the fence.  This is one of the last panels, and it is cut and installed so beautifully to match a concrete step-down along side the neighbor's building.  I will get a better picture of it next time I promise - something distracted me from doing so today - what else is new?  They will be back Saturday to finish up the last of the fence, the gate, and install the door in the basement.  I don't know if I will be there - it is so hard to stay away but I'm getting sick of that drive!!

Here's some stuff I worked on inside - you can't really make it out but I framed up the inside of the pantry so it will be ready for the bead board paneling I'm going to use in there.  Made a ceiling and a place for the little recessed light.  Somebody suggested I put a humidor in there - I thought about a little wine fridge, but cigars?  I haven't smoked one of those in years!  (hah- just kidding).

I also finished the tongue-in-groove paneling for the half wall between the kitchen and dining room. I'm working my way around all the wood projects, because the next step will be drywall.  Then a whole lot of caulk and PAINT!  Which is my favorite part, sort of the culmination of construction.  Then it's on to the fun stuff - decorating and furnishing.

It's nice now to be done with some of the bigger expenses, so things can slow down a little.  I think with two or three days a week there, I can personally get a lot done.  I'll still need a bit of help here and there, especially when it comes to the exterior of the house, but the first big push is now over.

47. Slow And Steady Wins The Race

I have to admit, I am a little disgruntled.  I had expected a lot of excitement this week revolving around the building next door being torn down.  Not only having the view, and the neighborhood substantially improved, but I was hoping to get the big scooper to take away some of my concrete chunks and also to salvage some of the landscaping rocks from the front yard.  A little patience - I can't get used to EVERYTHING GOING MY WAY ALL THE TIME can I?  That's just not the nature of life.

So I shall focus on what did get done.  I'll start with the work that the AC guys are doing.  One of the main things that had to be done to improve the system in the house was to run duct work to the upstairs bedrooms.  Really, how can you have an air conditioning system for just the first floor of the house?  After analyzing the layout of the whole house, it seemed that right next to the chimney was the best place to run duct work to the second floor. 

This photo shows the holes in the bottom of the little bench to the left of the fireplace. Below you can see the basement and the side of the chimney where the no-longer-existing ash pit would have been emptied out.

Here's a shot through the ceiling right over the holes I just mentioned. You can see Greg's hands as he explains something to his helper, and above that the hole that will carry the ducting in to the ceiling of the second bedroom.

Here you see the completed ducting in the living room.  The one on the left is the 'return' which will suck air through a vent in the stairwell wall, vastly improving the circulation upstairs.  The duct on the right is the one that will carry cool air up through the attic and down into each bedroom and the hallway.

Here's the aforementioned duct work as it appears right now upstairs in the bedroom.  The cut out in the wall is where the 'return' register will be - you can see the staircase balusters on the other side.  Have no fear - both these ducts and the ones in the living room are going to get framed in and finished nicely, you'll never even know there are there.  Except the fact that you will have comfortable cool or warm air in the bedrooms depending on the season.  Kind of important, I thought.

And lastly, the cutout in the stairwell from the other side, with my comic relief doing his part for your viewing pleasure.

The AC guys will be back on Friday to finish up. I hope.

Meanwhile, I carried on with various projects.  The ceiling fan in the living room is finally up off the floor.  The lamps are cleaned and the thing actually works.  The drywall will be mudded in when I do the drywall finishing in the kitchen - no point in doing that one little piece right now.  I'm not sure if I'm going to reinstall that decorative medallion again - there were some issues that I'm going to try to address, but it may stay just like that.

Here is the peek-a-boo breezeway in the stairwell before I started ...

And here it is after I installed the paneling.  You have to imagine the finish molding on there, and it all painted nicely... but I like the fact that you can stand in front of the hole and feel a breeze blowing right through, as planned.  I suppose if I ever have a cat it could get up on the kitchen counter through there, but I don't think there's much of a chance of that, do you?

I've spent three days there already this week and back on Friday.  The fence looks beautiful and is so close to finished...  Don and another guy will be back on Saturday to finish that AND to replace the one garage door with a "man door".  What are the odds that I can be patient and wait to see that on Monday?  Don't bet on it.