Saturday - Update
(5/May): I'm not going to day-by-day all this stuff. There's just too much of it.
We did buy a new commode for the bathroom, the old tan unit was leaky
and permanently stained, so we found a new unit at Home Depot that fit.
Kevin pulled out the remaining old bathroom tile, and we came up with a
game plan for new tile around the window. The cast iron tub we left, it
was just too big and heavy and expensive to replace. Maybe next time.
The wall seemed damp, so we put a heater/fan on it to try to dry it out
before painting/texturing.
Friday 15 April
2011
Friday
-
Thursday 14 April 2011
Thursday
-
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Wednesday -
Tuesday
12 April 2011
Tuesday
- One big task was to get all the carpet out. It's old, dirty and
smelly, and my fathers' incontinent dog had left her mark in a number
of spots. Indeed, stuff we thought was "dried out" wasn't, as we
discovered when we pulled the carpet and pad up. Yuck. My brother Bob
showed up and helped with a lot of it. We cut the carpet and pad into
six foot widths, rolled them up, and tossed them on top of the garage
from the front porch. Fortunately for us it has a strong roof! Front
room, master and second bedroom and hallway carpets. The carpet removed
from the dining room, last year, is still there in the side yard. Sigh. We'll have to get somebody to haul it all off.
To get up the numerous carpet staples left in the plank floor we used a
flat shovel, then pliers and hammers for the 5-10% that the shovel
didn't get up. That shovel was Kevin's idea, he knows his stuff.
Monday
11
April 2011
Monday
- Update
(5/May): Kevin has arrived, and we went through the house, and talked about what's to be done. There is a lot. I sent a list earlier, but nothing beats seeing the mess with your own eyes.
Sunday
10 April 2011
Sunday
- on the road, up in Martinez. This is going to be the big push to get
the house ready for occupancy. I've done about as much as I can inside,
without spending real money, but now it's time to make an effort.
Since there are a lot of tasks that need to be done correctly - for
safety and livability - I've called in the "pro from Dover", Kevin, a
good friends' brother, who actually knows about this stuff. I'll be his helper.
I'm leaving him the back room, which is quieter and more private, since
he'll be staying for at least a couple of weeks, perhaps three.
I'll use Mom's old hospital bed in the master bedroom. It's a warmer
and noisier room, but also closer to the bathroom (nice for those of
us with fifty year old bladders).
Light or non-existent blogging for the near future!
Update
(5/May): traffic was OK. I decided not to take the trailer, so I
was able to maintain freeway speeds all the way. My brother has a
ladder and Kevin has his own tools, so I just brought a few things since a great many of my tools are already up there.
Impressions upon arrival:
(1) The grass and weeds in the front yard were shoulder high. This was
extremely dispiriting, it took days of work just to clear last year,
and days more to put in the retaining wall blocks and some solar lights. Now it looks like an
abandoned house again. It would take so little to maintain, a few minutes a week, and yet my
siblings will not. I honestly don't understand it.
The front yard, upon arrival.
The yard, as I left it.
(2) My brothers did some work in the bathroom, and it's
looking much better. A new tub surround, new paint, new floor tile and
a new vanity. There is work to be done yet, but it looks 100% better
than it did.
