Mistake

I discovered on Friday that a mistake had been made on the electrical in the basement.  I had asked them to wire two of the  outlets to be on a switch so that my laptop (stored and to be plugged in above a shelf over the desk) and my monitors, (plugged in below the desk) can't drain any power at all while powered off.

I could have continued to use the power bar that I use now, but I would rather not have the clutter around the desk.  On Friday, I discovered that only the outlet above the shelf was put on the switch.  So, now, I have to have the power bar for the monitors AND use the switch to power on/off the laptop.

The alternative would be to have them cut out the drywall and fix the outlets, which then means that the drywall would have to be fixed and repainted as well.  Lord only knows how long this will take.  Considering that all they've accomplished in three months is the framing, electrical and drywall, I don't have high hopes for a quick turn around.

I'm pissed, is about the only was to sum it up.  This six week job really doesn't need any more delays, but it doesn't  make sense to pay extra for something that not only doesn't do what I want, it complicates what I had in the first place.

Incognito

Experiment

At the nursery this year, I was wowed - and oh so tempted - by big beautiful bougainvillea plants.  They aren't at all common around here, but the red blooms were just absolutely lovely.  I didn't get one because they wouldn't survive more than a season here in our weather and they cost $150.   As pretty as they are, I just couldn't justify a splurge like that.

This fall, I found little starter bougainvillea plants at home depot.  They were short, and stumpy, and I really didn't know how they'd do, but they only cost $15.  (Which, thinking about it, isn't cheap for a plant but in comparison to what the nursery wanted this spring, it's pretty fantastic.)

Anywho, I brought the bougainvillea home and gave it a place in one of my sunnier rooms.   I haven't taken the best care of it... I left it in a tiny starter pot, watered it when it was bone dry, and haven't even thought about fertilizer.  Even so, it grew quite a bit and then this happened:

It's pink, instead of the red I really loved, but it's still pretty darned nice if you ask me.

So, now I need to figure out what to do with it.  It's going to need a more perminant home in a different location (I wonder if it would get enough light in my new basement room?)  and a much bigger pot.   And maybe, I should figure out how to properly take care of it.

Let there be Light

Painting is now done, and the electrical was (supposedly) finished up in the basement.  It's progress, but there are a few issues.

There are lots of LED pots, which I am very happy with.

The semi-flush to the left - the one that is not turned on - was a surprise, because when I ordered it, I thought it used normal light bulbs (that I could replace with LEDs)... turns out it only takes teeny tiny Christmas light sized bulbs.  I'll be out tonight looking for LED bulbs that come that small... really won't be happy if I have to end up using incandescents.

And finally, you might notice the lonely pendant light hanging at the back/centre of the room.  There were two of those pendants.  Those were my splurges for the lighting, and were ordered from the US. One has been broken.    I'm awaiting word from the vendor to see if they'll replace it.

This picture isn't hugely important, other than to show you the bank of switches to turn the many lights on and off.  You might notice that none of those switches are dimmers... two are supposed to be.

You might also notice the gaping hole around the electrical panel.  There should be a whole-home surge protector in there, but it was forgotten.  Ditto for the intercom to the front door so that I don't have to run upstairs to tell people No, I don't want to buy their magazine, sponsor their trip to Europe or otherwise give them money I don't have.  I think the surge protector will be installed next week... I suspect I'll give up on the idea of the wired intercom, and may pick up something wireless on my own.

Something else that you don't see are the tv or internet outlets.  Wire was run for those, but a plate was slapped over where the outlets would/should go.  The electricians tell me it's the responsibility of the internet/tv provider to do this.  The internet/tv provider tells me it's the electrician's job.    I'm thinking I'll just avoid the fight and offer to buy beer & pizza for a friend of mine who does networking as a career.

A lady arrived today to measure for the tile installation, but had no idea when the work would actually be done.

At this rate, there's a good chance this 6 week job that started in August might be done before Christmas.  I've decided that'll have to be good enough.

Snip

My little man-dog, who had just returned from the vet where he made the Big Sacrifice in the name of social responsibility, immediately went outside and pointedly sat in the snow.

He's ok, though...  a little wobbly but mobile and none too pleased.

Echo

Something I didn't expect during this construction project is the echos in the house.  Ever since the basement was opened up to the main floor, noises echo throughout.  This is especially bad when the dogs start playing/barking and it sounds like there's a whole dog pack in here.  Suddenly, I'm a single person - very used to peace and quiet - living in a very noisy environment.

When the work is done, there will be a wall of books, rugs on the floor and upholstered furniture to absorb the sound; the echos will be gone.    I want that.

This six week job started in August.  Three months later, it's only half way finished.  I'm impatient for this job to be finished for a whole lot of reasons, but lately the echo is the biggest reason I want this done.

Whew

My built-in vacuum has been broken for about a month.  Although I haven't vacuumed the construction area, that dust is hard to contain and is pretty much all over.  So, when it started to be really quiet and lost suction, I figured the construction dust had done it in.   I tried replacing the filter and a bunch of other things, but had no luck.

So, I rolled up the area rugs and went old school for a few weeks with a dust mop and a broom.  It does the trick, I guess; but just doesn't work nearly as well.  I really didn't (don't) want to have to buy a new vacuum but it was getting to the point that I figured I wouldn't have a choice and was deciding what part of the basement project could be postponed until after the vacuum repair/replacement was paid off.

Then, I had an aha moment while at work Friday, and remembered a connection that had been taken apart a while back to make room for the drywall.  I ran downstairs and checked it out, and sure enough, it hadn't been put back together yet.  I put everything back and tested it out; thank gawd it's working again.

You won't hear me say this often, but what a relief to be able to be able to vacuum again.  The dust bunnies and cat hair tumble weeds had gotten so bad, I was starting to think I was camping.