Just realized it was show and tell time. Yesterday I put the wood trim on the range hood and with that can offically declare the kitchen done. There are 3-4 things on my punch list but, it is close enough to call it good.
Looking good but wait, I am getting a sweat on. Where is the wine rack? There has to be a wine rack surely?
Of course. In the first picture you see a set of stairs. Go down half a flight and you come to the 'grotto' (Originally this house would have had a separate garage but in 1949 they built an apartment over the garage. At this point they joined house and garage and at the front of the house put the stairs up to the apartment and at the back to exit to the yard and the entrance to the garage.) We made this space more liveable a few years ago.
Very nice, whats the heating a blown warm air system?
Yes forced air natural gas. Originally it had a boiler (you can still see the outline on the basement floor) and as we have renovated we are still pulling out pipes.
Looking good but wait, I am getting a sweat on. Where is the wine rack? There has to be a wine rack surely?
Of course. In the first picture you see a set of stairs. Go down half a flight and you come to the 'grotto' (Originally this house would have had a separate garage but in 1949 they built an apartment over the garage. At this point they joined house and garage and at the front of the house put the stairs up to the apartment and at the back to exit to the yard and the entrance to the garage.) We made this space more liveable a few years ago.
That's a relief. Drinks storage is important. Lovely looking kitchen and dining area.
Very nice, whats the heating a blown warm air system?
Yes forced air natural gas. Originally it had a boiler (you can still see the outline on the basement floor) and as we have renovated we are still pulling out pipes.
A lot of places in the UK tried forced air heating in the 60s/70s but they could never really get it to work very well, most if not all of the systems got torn out and replaced with a wet system, the latest expensive white elephant is heat pumps so thats going to end well...
Yes forced air natural gas. Originally it had a boiler (you can still see the outline on the basement floor) and as we have renovated we are still pulling out pipes.
A lot of places in the UK tried forced air heating in the 60s/70s but they could never really get it to work very well, most if not all of the systems got torn out and replaced with a wet system, the latest expensive white elephant is heat pumps so thats going to end well...
Hmm - Heat pumps - wont be happening at Grumpy Towers without the government stumping up £50k to fully insulate a 150 year old building of local historical interest
Yes forced air natural gas. Originally it had a boiler (you can still see the outline on the basement floor) and as we have renovated we are still pulling out pipes.
A lot of places in the UK tried forced air heating in the 60s/70s but they could never really get it to work very well, most if not all of the systems got torn out and replaced with a wet system, the latest expensive white elephant is heat pumps so thats going to end well...
There are heat exchangers here but, it almost all ends up with forced air. The big issue here is not the heat, it is the AC which is harder in a wet system. There are still houses with radiators of course - but more things like churches and old schools etc.
A lot of places in the UK tried forced air heating in the 60s/70s but they could never really get it to work very well, most if not all of the systems got torn out and replaced with a wet system, the latest expensive white elephant is heat pumps so thats going to end well...
There are heat exchangers here but, it almost all ends up with forced air. The big issue here is not the heat, it is the AC which is harder in a wet system. There are still houses with radiators of course - but more things like churches and old schools etc.
I forgot you still get extremes of weather and need AC, when we get our 2 days of hot weather I just take me jumper off!
There are heat exchangers here but, it almost all ends up with forced air. The big issue here is not the heat, it is the AC which is harder in a wet system. There are still houses with radiators of course - but more things like churches and old schools etc.
I forgot you still get extremes of weather and need AC, when we get our 2 days of hot weather I just take me jumper off!
Time for a quick update. Finally getting warmish enough to go into the garage. Slowly it gets cleaner and soon I will be able to get the Midget back for her winter repose. A few months ago I bought a couple of cheap ceiling lights to illuminate the work bench, before my work was always in shadow. Not as bright or white as I expected but, the light is still better.
The sharp eyed among you will notice an addition - actually none of you will notice as none of you have seen it before, but, Today's victory was adding an outlet over the workbench.
This was a little more complicated than I thought it would be. There is one section of the garage where the ceiling is missing due to a water leak a mumble mumble number of years ago. Turns out the joists in that open section go north-south while the entire rest of the garage ceiling they go east-west. (I presume for the pumbing in the apartment above) - so, lots of fishing wire hither and yon, but, coming back to the outlet, this is the first time the right half of the garage has had power (other than the lights) since it was built in 1949. I also extended power to the north wall so, there will be 8 receptacles in the garage hopefully by the next week or two.
Of course this only means that finally having power, we will be moving soon. sensible offers accepted.
First prize is a week in Albany, Second Prize is two weeks....
SWMBO & I are heading to Newport Rhode Island for a week and decided to spend a night in Albany. Had a lovely drive and came to check into the prebooked hotel.
Spidey sense starts tingling when as I walk into the lobby, one woman is just leaving with the desk fellow saying, 'I'm sorry the hotel is full you can't change rooms' - and the young woman ahead of me wanting to talk to the manager.
Get to the room (this is suppertime) and the room has neither been cleaned or made up - and the ceiling looks like it is caving in.
Went back to the office - got another room
Made up yes, but no towels
went back to the office and got towels
Went back to the room, SWMBO pulls back the quilt - 'ummm honey, aren't we supposed to have sheets?'
back to the office to check out.
Went to supper had a lovely beer and a pulled pork sandwich - made a reservation for another (slightly more - OK a lot more pricey) hotel (hotels are expensive in Albany - why?) Finished supper, drove 15 minutes to new hotel only to find it was the right chain but the wrong hotel - drove back 15 minutes because, of course it was only on the same flippin' street as the first hotel.
SWMBO is happy, I am happy, don't need to come to Albany again and weirdly, the first hotel had very good reviews.
OTOH things can only go up - and no hospitals or police were involved in the telling of this story.
We recently spent 6 weeks living in the Novotel in Perth. Wife got us an upgrade to a suite with great views over the river. When we first got there the housekeeping was knocking every day but then she suddenly stopped coming. We went to reception and they said we're only doing it if you request it now. Thanks for telling us! Had it done then a few days later we asked and they said we've stopped doing it altogether now due to Covid numbers going up. Thanks for telling us again! Had to explain we were there for several weeks and were not going to wash our own towels and bedding. They eventually got the message.
Time for a quick update - a week or so ago I noticed that the passenger A pillar cover was cracked.
Yesterday I had an eye doctor appointment - and in the town they had a u pull wrecker with a 2013 Mini ripe for picking.
went there and, sure enough the pieces was there
$12 later and 15 minutes at home and Bob remains your mother's favourite brother.
So, what makes a job this simple even remotely interesting? Why the fact that 24 hours before we had a month's rain in 48 hours and, of course, the Mini was parked in the biggest flippin' puddle in the whole lot.
Took me longer to make the path than to pull the part.
Oh and I did do some work on the Midget - new air filter. Bought it last fall - made of the finest chinesium - bit me badly intalling it but if it doesn't draw blood it didn't happen right?
Not sure I like it - it touches the fender and the mesh is genuinely really really sharp.
Not an update but an observation - Mrs JP are slowly starting to look for a retirement home - saw a true 'fixer upper' today and when I checked Google Maps to see why I think I found out the priority. What do you think?
