So the window company didn't do any work to fix the rotten wood problem around the windows facing the street. They said that they don't have any carpentry skills. I knew that before I hired them but hired them anyway because they were a little cheaper than others. The window company owner told me to fix the external wood trim by myself by using wood filler. My father helped out with the living room window and I finished his work after he left. So we kind of rescued that window, although it wasn't as damaged as the bedroom window. Also, the living room window was easier to fix because it has a small balcony in front of it. The bedroom window trim is the one that is severely damaged.
After the new windows got installed, I asked the contractor to fix the damaged wood trims but he said they were too rotten to fix. So now this has turned into a larger project. He will come next Saturday and spend the whole day working on it. He will have to put scaffolding up to be able to work on the exterior area from outside since there is no balcony. He will have to remove the new window, fix the wood around the entire opening, and then reinstall the window and put one coat of primer on the new wood trim.
I made a mistake when picking the window company. I should have just bought the windows from a window company and I should have let my contractor do the entire installation. Sometimes, it's important to trust one's contractor and not be too much focused on the dollars. In the end, when trying to save too much, it ends up costing more.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Ikea closet finally assembled!
After over two months, finally now the Ikea closet is fully assembled. When I purchased it, I tried assembling it myself. A friend of mine also helped out once. I was able to assemble the two closets that go side by side, including adding shelves and drawers. However, the sliding doors were too daunting because there were too many screws and the instructions were a long list of pages and required drilling. Each door is made up of three pieces of frosted glass.
The contractor finally had time to come over and do it himself. It took him three hours. Not bad. I'm so happy that it's all done now and I can just put my clothes in and not worry about dusting it.
On this subject, I wanted to point out that the oddity in my apartment is that it has too many closets, except in the bedroom, where closets are mostly needed, it had only a tiny one. Now after this new closet is finished, it occurred to me that maybe the Ikea closet I got is too big. Since the bedroom already has a small closet, a medium-sized one would have been sufficient. The new closet is extra tall and almost reaches the ceiling. Plus, when I walk around in the apartment, I am surrounded by all the more closets. The dining room has two: one is large with a rod in it, and the second one adjacent to it is smaller and only has shelves. Next to it, is the pantry closet in the kitchen. Then in the entry way, there is a small closet with shelves as well. Wow, so many closets!! Everyone always asks what the closets are in the dining room. They intrigue people because they have doors.
I also have a storage room in the basement to store more stuff.
With all this storage space, I have to get creative to find ways to use these. Well, let's see, what can these be used for? I had an idea to open up the larger closet in the dining room and convert it to cabinets for plates and silverware, but I already have enough cabinet space in the kitchen. In the small closet, I already put liquor (including the ones I used for the house-warming party). The basement storage room has my bicycle and boxes. But there is still more room. Maybe I can create a wine cellar, although this requires having a guy in the household. As a woman living by myself, I don't consume that much alcohol and I don't host that many parties...
The contractor finally had time to come over and do it himself. It took him three hours. Not bad. I'm so happy that it's all done now and I can just put my clothes in and not worry about dusting it.
On this subject, I wanted to point out that the oddity in my apartment is that it has too many closets, except in the bedroom, where closets are mostly needed, it had only a tiny one. Now after this new closet is finished, it occurred to me that maybe the Ikea closet I got is too big. Since the bedroom already has a small closet, a medium-sized one would have been sufficient. The new closet is extra tall and almost reaches the ceiling. Plus, when I walk around in the apartment, I am surrounded by all the more closets. The dining room has two: one is large with a rod in it, and the second one adjacent to it is smaller and only has shelves. Next to it, is the pantry closet in the kitchen. Then in the entry way, there is a small closet with shelves as well. Wow, so many closets!! Everyone always asks what the closets are in the dining room. They intrigue people because they have doors.
I also have a storage room in the basement to store more stuff.
With all this storage space, I have to get creative to find ways to use these. Well, let's see, what can these be used for? I had an idea to open up the larger closet in the dining room and convert it to cabinets for plates and silverware, but I already have enough cabinet space in the kitchen. In the small closet, I already put liquor (including the ones I used for the house-warming party). The basement storage room has my bicycle and boxes. But there is still more room. Maybe I can create a wine cellar, although this requires having a guy in the household. As a woman living by myself, I don't consume that much alcohol and I don't host that many parties...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Fridge and Windows
Finally, now everything is done (with the exception of a few small details.) I was able to cancel my fridge order and got the same fridge from a local dealer in Daly City, who had it in stock in a warehouse in Arizona. I only had to wait one week to get this counter-depth fridge.
Getting the refund from the retailer for the canceled fridge was an adventure in and of itself. They were willing to refund but according to them, it was a mishap that I didn't get my refund. I finally got it after about 2.5 weeks. When the trust level becomes low, it's all the more frustrating to deal with issues like these. But I'm grateful that it was happy end!
This past Tuesday I got the microwave, which I had ordered online at HomeDepot's site. There was a delay also because they "couldn't track" my order... Anyway, after two calls to customer support, it got shipped. I had to order it online, instead of buying it from the store, because they have a limited number of microwaves on display, which don't have the dimensions that I need. I'm so glad I don't have to order any appliances anymore, hopefully for some time!
This past Wednesday the new windows were installed. There are still some extra wood pieces that need to be added to the exterior of the windows. The installer said it needs to be done by a carpenter. I will ask the contractor to do it.
Here are some pictures.
Fridge and microwave
New windows:
Getting the refund from the retailer for the canceled fridge was an adventure in and of itself. They were willing to refund but according to them, it was a mishap that I didn't get my refund. I finally got it after about 2.5 weeks. When the trust level becomes low, it's all the more frustrating to deal with issues like these. But I'm grateful that it was happy end!
This past Tuesday I got the microwave, which I had ordered online at HomeDepot's site. There was a delay also because they "couldn't track" my order... Anyway, after two calls to customer support, it got shipped. I had to order it online, instead of buying it from the store, because they have a limited number of microwaves on display, which don't have the dimensions that I need. I'm so glad I don't have to order any appliances anymore, hopefully for some time!
This past Wednesday the new windows were installed. There are still some extra wood pieces that need to be added to the exterior of the windows. The installer said it needs to be done by a carpenter. I will ask the contractor to do it.
Here are some pictures.
New windows:
Sunday, July 10, 2011
After My Parents' Visit And Still No Fridge
My parents left end of last week. They were here for a couple of weeks. They were pleased to see the remodeled apartment. They said they liked the hardwood floors, which is something that was done by the previous owner and we preserved it during the remodeling by covering the floors with cardboard.
My father, Mr. FixIt, immediately noticed the little things that needed to be fixed. I didn't want him to do any work on his vacation but he insisted. He fixed the cap of the bathtub. The chrome was damaged, probably due to contact with chemicals, so he sprayed it with chrome spray. He also fixed the exterior window sill of the living room window by repairing the damaged wood and sanding. He sanded the balcony railing. Etc.
We installed new curtains for the living room and added rings to the one in the bedroom so it is easier to open. Here are pictures:
Curtains installed and ironed in the living room.
Curtains in the bedroom, now with rings.
I ordered the new windows installation. They applied for a permit and got approved for fiberglass windows, which are more expensive than vinyl. But the city of San Francisco doesn't like vinyl windows for street-facing windows. So no choice here. It is whatever the city of San Francisco wants. For my building it shouldn't really matter though, because my building has a simple design. It has the mid-century modern architectural style. Most of the neighbors have old aluminium windows. The window restrictions make sense only for old buildings with special architectural styles like the Victorian buildings.
The custom windows need three weeks to be manufactured and then we can schedule installation. I expect them to be installed sometime beginning of August.
One outstanding issue with the windows is that the window sills are partly damaged. This building was probably never maintained and I have to now do all the work. We rescued the living room window sill, but the one in the bedroom, I checked yesterday and I scraped it, and while doing so I discovered a deep hole of rotten wood that can't be patched with wood filler. Either the whole sill needs to be replaced with a new one, or the rotten piece needs to be taken out and patched with a new piece. Either way, this is something I can't do myself, especially because this corner can't be reached as the window side in front of it doesn't slide. Unfortunatly, the window company said earlier that they don't fix window sills, which I think is odd, by the way. I have to ask them again and I might have to ask a contractor to fix it if they say no.
Fixed window sill.
Damaged window sill for the bedroom window.
The exterior of my building is in dire need of painting. The association president started getting estimates thankfully. So hopefully by the end of this year we can get it painted, if we have enough cash reserve in the association's account, that is. It looks a little ugly from the outside currently.
I spent some time doing some additional painting. I painted the landing in front of my door with the gray waterproof paint. Same paint as before I believe but the old one had some stains that didn't go away with cleaning. I spent the whole day yesterday finishing up the touch-up painting I had to do. One was around the outlets that the electrician updated to three-pronged outlets and new face plates. Other places were about fixing the ripped paint that was the result of removing painter's tape.
I am so tired now, I think I need a one year vacation! But no, it's all mental. Just listening to soothing music and relaxing mentally might do it. I should also restart my gym workout routine. I think it helps.
The fridge was supposed to be shipped last Tuesday, but it hasn't yet. I tried to cancel my order as I found a local company that can ship it to me within one week, but they lured me with a discount. They also guaranteed the shipping for this upcoming Tuesday, so I agreed to wait again. It has been two months since I placed the order. If by next Tuesday it won't be shipped, I will cancel it without any more compromises.
That's it for now. I'm playing my relaxation music CD now.
My father, Mr. FixIt, immediately noticed the little things that needed to be fixed. I didn't want him to do any work on his vacation but he insisted. He fixed the cap of the bathtub. The chrome was damaged, probably due to contact with chemicals, so he sprayed it with chrome spray. He also fixed the exterior window sill of the living room window by repairing the damaged wood and sanding. He sanded the balcony railing. Etc.
We installed new curtains for the living room and added rings to the one in the bedroom so it is easier to open. Here are pictures:
Windows
I ordered the new windows installation. They applied for a permit and got approved for fiberglass windows, which are more expensive than vinyl. But the city of San Francisco doesn't like vinyl windows for street-facing windows. So no choice here. It is whatever the city of San Francisco wants. For my building it shouldn't really matter though, because my building has a simple design. It has the mid-century modern architectural style. Most of the neighbors have old aluminium windows. The window restrictions make sense only for old buildings with special architectural styles like the Victorian buildings.
The custom windows need three weeks to be manufactured and then we can schedule installation. I expect them to be installed sometime beginning of August.
One outstanding issue with the windows is that the window sills are partly damaged. This building was probably never maintained and I have to now do all the work. We rescued the living room window sill, but the one in the bedroom, I checked yesterday and I scraped it, and while doing so I discovered a deep hole of rotten wood that can't be patched with wood filler. Either the whole sill needs to be replaced with a new one, or the rotten piece needs to be taken out and patched with a new piece. Either way, this is something I can't do myself, especially because this corner can't be reached as the window side in front of it doesn't slide. Unfortunatly, the window company said earlier that they don't fix window sills, which I think is odd, by the way. I have to ask them again and I might have to ask a contractor to fix it if they say no.
Exterior Building Painting And More
The exterior of my building is in dire need of painting. The association president started getting estimates thankfully. So hopefully by the end of this year we can get it painted, if we have enough cash reserve in the association's account, that is. It looks a little ugly from the outside currently.
I spent some time doing some additional painting. I painted the landing in front of my door with the gray waterproof paint. Same paint as before I believe but the old one had some stains that didn't go away with cleaning. I spent the whole day yesterday finishing up the touch-up painting I had to do. One was around the outlets that the electrician updated to three-pronged outlets and new face plates. Other places were about fixing the ripped paint that was the result of removing painter's tape.
I am so tired now, I think I need a one year vacation! But no, it's all mental. Just listening to soothing music and relaxing mentally might do it. I should also restart my gym workout routine. I think it helps.
Fridge, Oh Fridge
The fridge was supposed to be shipped last Tuesday, but it hasn't yet. I tried to cancel my order as I found a local company that can ship it to me within one week, but they lured me with a discount. They also guaranteed the shipping for this upcoming Tuesday, so I agreed to wait again. It has been two months since I placed the order. If by next Tuesday it won't be shipped, I will cancel it without any more compromises.
That's it for now. I'm playing my relaxation music CD now.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Week 9
The apartment is now livable, it looks now like a home and not a like a construction site anymore. The contractor removed all his tools and the paper floor coverings. He brought in cleaners who cleaned the whole place. This was of big help for me especially since the new kitchen cabinets were all full of dust on the edges of the drawers and inside some of the lazy susans and shelves. I really appreciated this since not all contractors clean up thoroughly after the work is done.
As for the inspections, the contractor said there were two inspections, one last Wednesday for plumbing, and one last Friday for electrical, but I haven't heard back from him, so I don't know what was the result.
We decided to install the towel bar right below the liner. There was really no other solution. I asked also the opinion of another friend who also said that I should use it for small towels.
I got furniture now. I got a sofabed for the living room so that it can be used as a bed when I have guests, which will be pretty soon since my parents are visiting.
I liked the dining room furniture when I saw it in the store but the chairs ended up being a little too bulky for the small dining room and the dark brown color doesn't match the kitchen cabinets. I have to find out if I can stain them with a different color.
One more thing for the kitchen is the space for the microwave. I think there is a plate at the bottom missing. It should extend out so I can place the microwave on it. I have to go back to the kitchen cabinet store to ask them about it.
Painting and more paiting...
I finally finished painting the kitchen walls and ceiling, 3 coats! I still have to do one coat of paint for the new half partition wall in the dining room. I painted all the dining room walls already once. In the living room, the touch up paint didn't succeed so well. I had the colors matched at the paint store, but it's not a 100% match. I will leave the painting of the entire living room as a future project.
Fridge Waiting Game
I had ordered a compact fridge from the internet, a Samsung counter-depth fridge with ice maker. This is the fridge that I thought was a good fit for my kitchen since it is compact in size, looked nice, and had the features I wanted. However, when I ordered it, it was on back order from the factory. They gave me a shipping date range of 5/26 - 6/2, which I found acceptable. But I checked again with them and they said it is still on back order and they have no control over it. It will be another 10 days before they expect to receive it. I paid another $75 for rush processing. Unfortunately, there is no rush delivery since it will have to transported on a truck from New York. So most likely we won't have a fridge during my parents' visit. Maybe that's better, so we will go out more!
As for the inspections, the contractor said there were two inspections, one last Wednesday for plumbing, and one last Friday for electrical, but I haven't heard back from him, so I don't know what was the result.
We decided to install the towel bar right below the liner. There was really no other solution. I asked also the opinion of another friend who also said that I should use it for small towels.
I got furniture now. I got a sofabed for the living room so that it can be used as a bed when I have guests, which will be pretty soon since my parents are visiting.
I liked the dining room furniture when I saw it in the store but the chairs ended up being a little too bulky for the small dining room and the dark brown color doesn't match the kitchen cabinets. I have to find out if I can stain them with a different color.
One more thing for the kitchen is the space for the microwave. I think there is a plate at the bottom missing. It should extend out so I can place the microwave on it. I have to go back to the kitchen cabinet store to ask them about it.
Painting and more paiting...
I finally finished painting the kitchen walls and ceiling, 3 coats! I still have to do one coat of paint for the new half partition wall in the dining room. I painted all the dining room walls already once. In the living room, the touch up paint didn't succeed so well. I had the colors matched at the paint store, but it's not a 100% match. I will leave the painting of the entire living room as a future project.
Fridge Waiting Game
I had ordered a compact fridge from the internet, a Samsung counter-depth fridge with ice maker. This is the fridge that I thought was a good fit for my kitchen since it is compact in size, looked nice, and had the features I wanted. However, when I ordered it, it was on back order from the factory. They gave me a shipping date range of 5/26 - 6/2, which I found acceptable. But I checked again with them and they said it is still on back order and they have no control over it. It will be another 10 days before they expect to receive it. I paid another $75 for rush processing. Unfortunately, there is no rush delivery since it will have to transported on a truck from New York. So most likely we won't have a fridge during my parents' visit. Maybe that's better, so we will go out more!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Inspection Is Tomorrow
This week they installed all appliances, except for the fridge, which is on back order and will be hopefully delivered in the next couple of weeks. The electrician also finished his work and now all the installed appliances are working and the kitchen has lights. Woohoo!
The kitchen is now ready for use, except for a few minor details to take care of. They told me that the kitchen sink faucet that I got had scratches on it but they installed it anyway. This faucet is the second one I bought. The first one didn't look as nice and I wasn't sure if it could be installed without the bottom plate. Now I cannot really exchange the second one since it's installed, so I have to buy a new one and when the plumber comes back one final time, he will replace it and then I can return the old one. However, I don't look forward to returning it because I already returned two other times at Home Depot, out of three total purchases. So now they will probably blacklist me. :) Besides, I am not sure they will accept returning the scratched faucet. How can I prove to them it was scratched before, as the contractor stated? Maybe I can ask if it was a return from before. If it wasn't, that means it must have been scratched during install, but I don't want to suspect my contractor so soon.
Here is a picture of the wall next to the bathroom door. The dilemma is where to install the towel bar. It should be installed right above the liner (mosaic line), but then it would cover up the nice mosaic. If it is installed below the liner, the bath towels would cover up the vent opening. Maybe install it onto the middle of the liner?
Where to put the towel bar: above or below the mosaic liner?
Tomorrow, Monday, the city inspectors are coming to inspect the work. The contractor will be with them. By the way, I asked for an additional estimate to convert all other electrical outlets to new outlets because the old ones have only two holes and no ground connection. This is potentially unsafe if there is lightning. I mentioned replacing the face plates before to the contractor but I hadn't paid attention that there were only two prongs until after I moved in. He gave me an estimate but then talked about all the risks involved. I think he just wants to get done with this project first. However, if I wait until a later time, they will have to apply for a new permit. I will talk to the contractor tomorrow. I think it's important to do this. But even if I do this extra project, I will still move my furniture in and clean up everything to have a "normal" household. The workers will just have to work around these.
The kitchen is now ready for use, except for a few minor details to take care of. They told me that the kitchen sink faucet that I got had scratches on it but they installed it anyway. This faucet is the second one I bought. The first one didn't look as nice and I wasn't sure if it could be installed without the bottom plate. Now I cannot really exchange the second one since it's installed, so I have to buy a new one and when the plumber comes back one final time, he will replace it and then I can return the old one. However, I don't look forward to returning it because I already returned two other times at Home Depot, out of three total purchases. So now they will probably blacklist me. :) Besides, I am not sure they will accept returning the scratched faucet. How can I prove to them it was scratched before, as the contractor stated? Maybe I can ask if it was a return from before. If it wasn't, that means it must have been scratched during install, but I don't want to suspect my contractor so soon.
Here is a picture of the wall next to the bathroom door. The dilemma is where to install the towel bar. It should be installed right above the liner (mosaic line), but then it would cover up the nice mosaic. If it is installed below the liner, the bath towels would cover up the vent opening. Maybe install it onto the middle of the liner?
Tomorrow, Monday, the city inspectors are coming to inspect the work. The contractor will be with them. By the way, I asked for an additional estimate to convert all other electrical outlets to new outlets because the old ones have only two holes and no ground connection. This is potentially unsafe if there is lightning. I mentioned replacing the face plates before to the contractor but I hadn't paid attention that there were only two prongs until after I moved in. He gave me an estimate but then talked about all the risks involved. I think he just wants to get done with this project first. However, if I wait until a later time, they will have to apply for a new permit. I will talk to the contractor tomorrow. I think it's important to do this. But even if I do this extra project, I will still move my furniture in and clean up everything to have a "normal" household. The workers will just have to work around these.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Kitchen is almost ready
... minus connecting the appliances, electrical work, and painting. These are small things though. The biggest items -- the tile work, countertops, and kitchen cabinets are already installed.
Here are some new pictures of the kitchen.
The tilers put the blue tape across. It looks like I had to inaugurate the kitchen by cutting the ribbon. :)
Here are some new pictures of the kitchen.
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