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.


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.


Fixed window sill.



Damaged window sill for the bedroom window.


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.