Week one without the kids is over. While we miss the boys, it has been nice to not have to meet their every need, demand and want. Sleeping in is a nice benefit. We haven't done much grocery shopping - eating out a few times and eating up what we have in the house.
Tina cleaned up the rec room. The toy bins are back in their normal spot and the toys organized. She did an amazing job with Corbin's room. Won't go into the grisly details of what she found in his room - let's just say that OCD is a pain in the ass. The room looks good. A lot of stuff was taken out and things were given a home on the shelves.
We did some minor shopping on Saturday. Looked at some washer and dryers at Lowes. They have a pair on clearance. Will have to act fast.
We tackled Jeremy's room on Sunday. We moved the filing cabinet downstairs to the Everything Room (had to remove some things to get it fit) and relocated Jeremy's dresser to where the filing cabinet was. This made the room look roomier and more like a bedroom and less like an office (part of our plan to move the office out of his room).
There was plenty of dust and crap everywhere. I gave the room a good wipe down and vacuum. I think Jeremy will be happy with the additional space.
Later, Tina and I went through a whack of file folders and tossed a bunch of stuff. I still have to go through our financial folders.
The house is looking good. Just need to work on our bedroom, the fish tank and just clean, dust and vacuum the rest of house before tackling the great outdoors.
One project I hope to get started before the boys return, is tilling part of the rear yard lawn, levelling the soil and sowing new grass. I'll also be relocating our patio as part of this project. If the lawn turns out, then I'll do the rest during the fall.
We have less than a week left without children. We hope to maximize our work and relaxation time before mayhem (aka Corbin and Jeremy) returns on Saturday.
Posted by Adam
Showing posts with label Maintenance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maintenance. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Monday, 1 June 2009
Electricity Can Be Fun
Just before Jeremy's soccer game, I noticed that the lights in the house were doing 'unusual' things like dimming, flickering and all sorts of good things. Oh oh.
Tried some other switches and the same thing. Hmmmm.
Went downstairs and no breakers were tripped. Aye carumba.
I decided that I had to stay home and do something (rant, rave, worry, cry, laugh and anything else that made me look like an idiot). I told Jeremy to get out of his soccer uniform. He wasn't too impressed but rolled along.
The boys were getting anxious, so Bev took them outside. I called Tina to let her know what was going on. She was busy with her works Annual General Meeting. She called Pam & Chris to see if Chris (an electrician by training) could figure out the problem.
Tina came home and shortly after, Chris and Pam showed up. Chris checked the panel and discovered that one of the two phases into our house was dead. That explains why the lights were flickering. I thanked Chris and Pam for stopping by and immediately called the after hours line at Enwin Utilities.
About 30 or so minutes later, Enwin appeared. He took off the meter and told me the good news - the problem was with their line. His plan was to connect a temporary cable between the meter on my house and the meter on the house next door. A few minutes later another Enwin employee stopped by with the cable. It wasn't a complicated procedure and would take all of five minutes to complete.
Well, five minutes took three hours. Seems the neighbour next door wasn't buying any of it. Her husband was not home and there was a language barrier. The Enwin employee identified himself and even had the lady call dispatch. No go. Time to get the on-call supervisor out here.
About 30 or so minutes later, Val comes by and speaks with the neighbour. The answer remained a resounding "NO" and this time she called the police. Fun.
The Enwin employees and supervisor thought of alternatives. About two hours, I told the supervisor, I could wait until the morning for a new cable to be installed - I had partial power to the house (including the fridge) and it wasn't hot or humid (it got cold and windy). The supervisor thanked me for my patience and left.
As the other two Enwin guys were about to leave, the police showed up. They chatted and the police relayed the neighbours concerns to us. In the name of neighbourhood peace, I said I had no problem with waiting till the next day for a fix. So the police talked to the neighbour again and this time she capitulated.
Enwin guys looked at me and I said "I'm not going to turn down full power". So they got the equipment about 10 minutes later were done and we had full power.
My thanks for the Val and the afternoon emergency guys for their patience.
Now I just have to wait for the yard to be dug up. Exciting times.
Posted by Adam
P.S. A huge "THANK YOU" to Tina. You are awesome.
Tried some other switches and the same thing. Hmmmm.
Went downstairs and no breakers were tripped. Aye carumba.
I decided that I had to stay home and do something (rant, rave, worry, cry, laugh and anything else that made me look like an idiot). I told Jeremy to get out of his soccer uniform. He wasn't too impressed but rolled along.
The boys were getting anxious, so Bev took them outside. I called Tina to let her know what was going on. She was busy with her works Annual General Meeting. She called Pam & Chris to see if Chris (an electrician by training) could figure out the problem.
Tina came home and shortly after, Chris and Pam showed up. Chris checked the panel and discovered that one of the two phases into our house was dead. That explains why the lights were flickering. I thanked Chris and Pam for stopping by and immediately called the after hours line at Enwin Utilities.
About 30 or so minutes later, Enwin appeared. He took off the meter and told me the good news - the problem was with their line. His plan was to connect a temporary cable between the meter on my house and the meter on the house next door. A few minutes later another Enwin employee stopped by with the cable. It wasn't a complicated procedure and would take all of five minutes to complete.
Well, five minutes took three hours. Seems the neighbour next door wasn't buying any of it. Her husband was not home and there was a language barrier. The Enwin employee identified himself and even had the lady call dispatch. No go. Time to get the on-call supervisor out here.
About 30 or so minutes later, Val comes by and speaks with the neighbour. The answer remained a resounding "NO" and this time she called the police. Fun.
The Enwin employees and supervisor thought of alternatives. About two hours, I told the supervisor, I could wait until the morning for a new cable to be installed - I had partial power to the house (including the fridge) and it wasn't hot or humid (it got cold and windy). The supervisor thanked me for my patience and left.
As the other two Enwin guys were about to leave, the police showed up. They chatted and the police relayed the neighbours concerns to us. In the name of neighbourhood peace, I said I had no problem with waiting till the next day for a fix. So the police talked to the neighbour again and this time she capitulated.
Enwin guys looked at me and I said "I'm not going to turn down full power". So they got the equipment about 10 minutes later were done and we had full power.
My thanks for the Val and the afternoon emergency guys for their patience.
Now I just have to wait for the yard to be dug up. Exciting times.
Posted by Adam
P.S. A huge "THANK YOU" to Tina. You are awesome.
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Feels Nice To Do Some Outdoor Work
With Corbin's help I unloaded the van and had him help me with a few chores. I had him bring out the indoor plants into the garage.
In the garage, I asked Corbin to sit on a milk crate and hang out with me for a few minutes. He turned on the radio and I emptied a bag of potting soil into the new wheelbarrow. Took it over to the hose and with Corbin's help, I moistened the soil.
I then began re-potting the plants with Corbin's help. Even got him to shove his hands into the new soil. No complaints. After a little while Corbin got bored, and asked if he could water his tree (a Rose of Sharon). I said sure, after which is hung out in the backyard for a while. I continued my re-potting.
I decided that a Coffee Tree plant would not come back inside and planted it outdoors. I still have to re-pot my Yucca Tree plant but that requires some hacking - maybe next weekend. I washed the old pots and let them dry in the warm sun. I also hosed down the easel so Tina could use it with Jeremy.
Back in the house, I worked on replacing the old thermostat with the new one I purchased. Installation was simple and straightforward. The packaging says 15 minutes or less for installation and it took less than 15 minutes. There is an error on the packaging in that it says you need two AAA batteries. You need three.
With that work done, I relaxed and enjoyed the warm and sunny weather.
Posted by Adam
In the garage, I asked Corbin to sit on a milk crate and hang out with me for a few minutes. He turned on the radio and I emptied a bag of potting soil into the new wheelbarrow. Took it over to the hose and with Corbin's help, I moistened the soil.
I then began re-potting the plants with Corbin's help. Even got him to shove his hands into the new soil. No complaints. After a little while Corbin got bored, and asked if he could water his tree (a Rose of Sharon). I said sure, after which is hung out in the backyard for a while. I continued my re-potting.
I decided that a Coffee Tree plant would not come back inside and planted it outdoors. I still have to re-pot my Yucca Tree plant but that requires some hacking - maybe next weekend. I washed the old pots and let them dry in the warm sun. I also hosed down the easel so Tina could use it with Jeremy.
Back in the house, I worked on replacing the old thermostat with the new one I purchased. Installation was simple and straightforward. The packaging says 15 minutes or less for installation and it took less than 15 minutes. There is an error on the packaging in that it says you need two AAA batteries. You need three.
With that work done, I relaxed and enjoyed the warm and sunny weather.
Posted by Adam
Sunday, 31 August 2008
Corbin and I
Tina had to head up to Goderich to get her mom and bring her back for some more medical appointments. She was going to take both boys, but really only wanted to take one. I said, 'take Jeremy - ask Corbin if he wants to go'.
Much to our surprise, Corbin chose to stay in Windsor. That is a first.
So, Corbin spent the weekend home with me. I was not going to be much fun since my main task for the weekend was painting. I don't mind painting - it's all the prep work that I mind. I wanted to repaint the trim in the hallway, paint the patch by the front door (where a shelf used to be) and finishing painting the basement.
While I painted, Corbin watched some TV, played Playstation, spent some time on the computer and even painted a bit. I managed to squeeze in some Playstation time with Corbin.
At one point I had to do some shopping at Shoppers and get some additional paint supplies. Corbin helped with the shopping cart at Shoppers. We got a few supplies at Home Depot and then drove over to A&W to grab some burgers at home.
We watched the James Bond film Casino Royale on the Movie Network - I went back to painting after finishing my burger. After the movie was done, it was bed time for Corbin and I did some more painting in the basement.
All in all it was a good weekend with Corbin. I'm glad he didn't go up to Goderich because he didn't need to get all worked up before going to school.
Posted by Adam
Much to our surprise, Corbin chose to stay in Windsor. That is a first.
So, Corbin spent the weekend home with me. I was not going to be much fun since my main task for the weekend was painting. I don't mind painting - it's all the prep work that I mind. I wanted to repaint the trim in the hallway, paint the patch by the front door (where a shelf used to be) and finishing painting the basement.
While I painted, Corbin watched some TV, played Playstation, spent some time on the computer and even painted a bit. I managed to squeeze in some Playstation time with Corbin.
At one point I had to do some shopping at Shoppers and get some additional paint supplies. Corbin helped with the shopping cart at Shoppers. We got a few supplies at Home Depot and then drove over to A&W to grab some burgers at home.
We watched the James Bond film Casino Royale on the Movie Network - I went back to painting after finishing my burger. After the movie was done, it was bed time for Corbin and I did some more painting in the basement.
All in all it was a good weekend with Corbin. I'm glad he didn't go up to Goderich because he didn't need to get all worked up before going to school.
Posted by Adam
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Canada Day
Happy Canada Day.
We spent the day cleaning out the garage. Tina went through her stuff and cleared up a bunch of space in the garage.
I helped the boys go through their outside toys. Jeremy had no problem getting rid of stuff. Corbin had a few issues. We told them that we would be getting some new outside toys to replace the old and worn or broken toys.
I swept the garage and took down two shelves at the back of the garage (a place where I hope to hang the hockey net during the summer and the bikes during the winter). I moved some things around - bringing back some ´order' to the garage. There were eight bags of garbage by the end of the day. It was all good.
Tina barbecued some chicken and made some spinach ravioli with tomato sauce. It was an excellent meal and an excellent way to end the day.
Posted by Adam
We spent the day cleaning out the garage. Tina went through her stuff and cleared up a bunch of space in the garage.
I helped the boys go through their outside toys. Jeremy had no problem getting rid of stuff. Corbin had a few issues. We told them that we would be getting some new outside toys to replace the old and worn or broken toys.
I swept the garage and took down two shelves at the back of the garage (a place where I hope to hang the hockey net during the summer and the bikes during the winter). I moved some things around - bringing back some ´order' to the garage. There were eight bags of garbage by the end of the day. It was all good.
Tina barbecued some chicken and made some spinach ravioli with tomato sauce. It was an excellent meal and an excellent way to end the day.
Posted by Adam
Saturday, 26 April 2008
That's A Lot of Parts
After cooking up a breakfast for Tina, Bev and myself (scrambled eggs with cut up bacon and home fries - with Tina's assistance), it was time for Tina, Bev and Corbin to head to Goderich. Bev was going back home.
That left me with an empty house. That meant it was time to assemble the Mail Center Armoire I had purchased a week or so ago.
The box was heavy. There was lots of styrofoam to protect the various pieces of wood. I pulled each part out and checked it against the list - a very long list. All the parts were there. So began the long process of assembly. I wasn't in a hurry so I took my time.
Assembling the unit was similar to assembling IKEA furniture accept that they wanted you to glue the wood dowels. I thought about that and said to myself "well that makes sense - it makes the unit stronger". Did I mention there were over 40 wood dowels. So I inserted the dowels, screws, bolts and whatever else into the various components. I took a break. I assembled some more. Another break.
After an hour or so, I had the various shelves into one of the sideboards. Attaching the opposite sideboard was tricky but I managed to line up everything. I made one mistake inserting a dowel into a hole it did not belong in.
With the unit upright - it is heavy - I attached the hardware and doors. That was an easy task to do with all the pre-drilled pilot holes. The final task was attaching the back boards. This particular product used screws instead of nails to hold the back board. While a tedious job - 40 screws - it does make for a better quality product, especially since the back board was broken up into several pieces, minimizing the possibility of warping. There were holes for wires and such.
I moved the unit into it's resting place and admired it. It sits well with our furniture and matches the fish tank stand we have. I took break, but was on a roll. It was time to demo the shelf by the front door.
A few bangs and a pull here and there and the shelf was detached from the wall. It is amazing how much larger the front area feels. Of course now I have to patch up the floor and paint the wall, but that is a project for next weekend.
Posted by Adam
That left me with an empty house. That meant it was time to assemble the Mail Center Armoire I had purchased a week or so ago.
The box was heavy. There was lots of styrofoam to protect the various pieces of wood. I pulled each part out and checked it against the list - a very long list. All the parts were there. So began the long process of assembly. I wasn't in a hurry so I took my time.
Assembling the unit was similar to assembling IKEA furniture accept that they wanted you to glue the wood dowels. I thought about that and said to myself "well that makes sense - it makes the unit stronger". Did I mention there were over 40 wood dowels. So I inserted the dowels, screws, bolts and whatever else into the various components. I took a break. I assembled some more. Another break.
After an hour or so, I had the various shelves into one of the sideboards. Attaching the opposite sideboard was tricky but I managed to line up everything. I made one mistake inserting a dowel into a hole it did not belong in.
With the unit upright - it is heavy - I attached the hardware and doors. That was an easy task to do with all the pre-drilled pilot holes. The final task was attaching the back boards. This particular product used screws instead of nails to hold the back board. While a tedious job - 40 screws - it does make for a better quality product, especially since the back board was broken up into several pieces, minimizing the possibility of warping. There were holes for wires and such.
I moved the unit into it's resting place and admired it. It sits well with our furniture and matches the fish tank stand we have. I took break, but was on a roll. It was time to demo the shelf by the front door.
A few bangs and a pull here and there and the shelf was detached from the wall. It is amazing how much larger the front area feels. Of course now I have to patch up the floor and paint the wall, but that is a project for next weekend.
Posted by Adam
Monday, 7 January 2008
41 Year Old Toilet and More
After about three or four changes to our appointment time, the plumber (actually a plumber and a co-op student from St. Clair College) from Plumbing Now came and went. In about 2 or so hours, they replaced the toilet (and flange and shut-off valve), the shower tap and cartridge, shut-off valves and hoses to the washer, removed and capped a cold water tap and repaired a very slow leak in the copper pipe.
Our 41 year old toilet was replaced with a Kohler Cimmaron (elongated bowl with a soft close seat). The bowl looks wonderful and operates efficiently - and no longer wobbles when you sit on it. It only uses 1.6 gallons per flush, so our water bill should be reduced.
The shower tap no longer leaks when you have a shower which should improve water pressure at the shower head and should also reduce our water bill.
The old hot and cold water shut-off valves for the washer were replaced with quarter-turn valves. The old valves wouldn't close. The rubber hoses - no idea how old they were - were replaced with braided hoses.
The leak in the copper tubing was fixed - the plumber removed some plumbing and replaced it with new copper. And the water tap that Jeremy recently discovered is gone - so no more water streams on the floor.
According to Tina, the plumbers were courteous and efficient. All the work is guaranteed. Given that most of the plumbing in the house is original, we signed up for a premium service that gives priority when calling a plumber for a monthly fee. During the first 30 months the monthly fee is applies against any work we have done. With our varying work schedules, it's a small price to pay for some piece of mind - especially for Tina.
Posted by Adam
Our 41 year old toilet was replaced with a Kohler Cimmaron (elongated bowl with a soft close seat). The bowl looks wonderful and operates efficiently - and no longer wobbles when you sit on it. It only uses 1.6 gallons per flush, so our water bill should be reduced.
The shower tap no longer leaks when you have a shower which should improve water pressure at the shower head and should also reduce our water bill.
The old hot and cold water shut-off valves for the washer were replaced with quarter-turn valves. The old valves wouldn't close. The rubber hoses - no idea how old they were - were replaced with braided hoses.
The leak in the copper tubing was fixed - the plumber removed some plumbing and replaced it with new copper. And the water tap that Jeremy recently discovered is gone - so no more water streams on the floor.
According to Tina, the plumbers were courteous and efficient. All the work is guaranteed. Given that most of the plumbing in the house is original, we signed up for a premium service that gives priority when calling a plumber for a monthly fee. During the first 30 months the monthly fee is applies against any work we have done. With our varying work schedules, it's a small price to pay for some piece of mind - especially for Tina.
Posted by Adam
Saturday, 5 January 2008
Call The Plumber
Okay, I finally did it. I called a plumber. We have had a 'situation' with our one and only toilet for some months now and I was going to eventually call a plumber to rectify it (can you tell I've been procrastinating?).
Anyways, a small leak had developed that necessitated turning the shut-off valve. This had to be corrected as soon as possible. So I finally arranged for a plumber to come and replace the toilet - powder blue is not in anymore, right?
It was a tough call for me to make. My dad was a fixer - though I do recall that he did call people once in a while to repair things - so I felt some burden to fix the situation. Now, I'm no plumber and given some training, I'm sure I could fix basic plumbing issues. But the situation with the toilet is little more complicated.
The bolts holding the toilet have partially corroded. Now the solution could be as simple as replacing the bolts or could be as complex as replacing the flange. I could easily get in over my head. What an ugly place that could be?
A further complication is that we only have one bathroom (a situation I hope to rectify this year by adding a second bathroom with a shower in the basement). If the one and only bathroom is out of order for an extended period of time, it could be a problem, especially when your 9-year old is yelling "poo emergency".
So I did it. I called a plumber. I added a few other things that need to be repaired and replaced. Yes, it may have been cheaper for me to do some of the work, but it's not worth the therapy I would need if things didn't go right. It's time to stop worrying or getting angry and time to start calling the professionals (someone has to help the local economy).
I look at this as my first step at finally getting this house up to 2008 standards. The new windows and new fence a few years back were a good step, but then I stopped. It's as if that was a good enough. Well, it's not.
The interior doors, trim and floors are worn and need to be replaced. The laundry room needs a complete upgrade. The electrical systems needs an upgrade (the receptacles in our basement are on one circuit - so forget about ironing, watching TV and running the washer at the same time). That second bathroom would be a god send in a house with four people (three of them males). A new floor would be nice to get read of the squeaking. The list goes on - and if you have renovated your home you know what I am talking about.
By the end of 2009 or 2010, the entire house will hopefully have been redone top to bottom, inside to outside. Let the fun times begin.
Posted by Adam
Anyways, a small leak had developed that necessitated turning the shut-off valve. This had to be corrected as soon as possible. So I finally arranged for a plumber to come and replace the toilet - powder blue is not in anymore, right?
It was a tough call for me to make. My dad was a fixer - though I do recall that he did call people once in a while to repair things - so I felt some burden to fix the situation. Now, I'm no plumber and given some training, I'm sure I could fix basic plumbing issues. But the situation with the toilet is little more complicated.
The bolts holding the toilet have partially corroded. Now the solution could be as simple as replacing the bolts or could be as complex as replacing the flange. I could easily get in over my head. What an ugly place that could be?
A further complication is that we only have one bathroom (a situation I hope to rectify this year by adding a second bathroom with a shower in the basement). If the one and only bathroom is out of order for an extended period of time, it could be a problem, especially when your 9-year old is yelling "poo emergency".
So I did it. I called a plumber. I added a few other things that need to be repaired and replaced. Yes, it may have been cheaper for me to do some of the work, but it's not worth the therapy I would need if things didn't go right. It's time to stop worrying or getting angry and time to start calling the professionals (someone has to help the local economy).
I look at this as my first step at finally getting this house up to 2008 standards. The new windows and new fence a few years back were a good step, but then I stopped. It's as if that was a good enough. Well, it's not.
The interior doors, trim and floors are worn and need to be replaced. The laundry room needs a complete upgrade. The electrical systems needs an upgrade (the receptacles in our basement are on one circuit - so forget about ironing, watching TV and running the washer at the same time). That second bathroom would be a god send in a house with four people (three of them males). A new floor would be nice to get read of the squeaking. The list goes on - and if you have renovated your home you know what I am talking about.
By the end of 2009 or 2010, the entire house will hopefully have been redone top to bottom, inside to outside. Let the fun times begin.
Posted by Adam
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