The First Day of 2025
So, here we are on the first day of 2025.
For the world outside our little bubble, I dread this year.
However, for me, for Marisa, our house, our cats, I think this could be a good year as long as we are vigilant about spending money!
Yesterday evening I found and fixed a problem in our kitchen. The trash can tracks simply caused the problem by pushing onto the sink drain pipe every time we shoved in the cans. The pipe was made of plastic and that pipe fractured.
Meanwhile, upstairs in my office I had this plastic pipe I never used for a repair job in the bathroom sink drain. It just rolled around on a stack of boxes, sometimes rolling off and requiring me to pick it up and put it back. Why did I keep this item I never used?
Turns out, this replacement part was needed for our kitchen drain pipe. It was the same size and it was new. It just needed to be cut to size and then reinstalled. I got a hack saw and did a terrible cut, adjusted it enough to work, then pulled off the washer and two plastic nuts from the fractured pipe, cleaned them and then put them onto the new piece and screwed it in.
I tested the water flow...no leaks. Just to be sure, I put a tub under the pipe to collect any water that might leak. We ran the dishwasher overnight. The tub was bone dry. Problem solved!
This will happen again. The track mounted cans will either loosen the nuts or fracture the pipe, causing drain water to get onto the bottom of the cabinet. So I need to remove and discard the track system for now...and shop for a replacement that won't cause this problem!
Next week I will deal with problems occuring to Marisa's car, the Ford Focus. On Monday I will take it in to have the left turn signal lamp replaced. The following week I have an appointment to fix the instrument panel lights (I suspect it is a faulty slider switch rather than the individual light bulbs). Expenses over and above what is budgeted, but we will find a way to save.
Zac may very well finish the basement stair railing. I have seen no sign he plans to not finish. Just hope he finishes quickly but also well...then we can pay him and move on.
Moving on:
* cleaning, sanding, staining, sealing the basement stair, basement "platform", and treads leading there from the laundry room.
* fixing, painting the laundry room.
* fixing inside of the dry wall in the dining room.
* fixing fire wall in the dining room.
* fixing the electric box in the dining room.
* adding the non-electric box in the dining room.
* sealing cracks and adding solid insulation in the corner in the dining room.
* buying rock wool to fill all cavities.
* removing remaining drywall at corners in the dining room.
* cutting and nailing lath where needed.
* adding drywall over areas that don't have lath using removed pieces, perhaps newly purchased pieces.
* plastering lath.
* mudding drywall and plaster for a consistant look.
Less detailed tasks:
* dining room floor.
* kitchen/dining room ceiling patches.
* foyer floor.
* living room floor.
* metal grates to replace plastic ones in laundry room.
* dryer vent.
* heat register.
* clean cellar.
* clean basement.
* clean front room.
For the world outside our little bubble, I dread this year.
However, for me, for Marisa, our house, our cats, I think this could be a good year as long as we are vigilant about spending money!
Yesterday evening I found and fixed a problem in our kitchen. The trash can tracks simply caused the problem by pushing onto the sink drain pipe every time we shoved in the cans. The pipe was made of plastic and that pipe fractured.
Meanwhile, upstairs in my office I had this plastic pipe I never used for a repair job in the bathroom sink drain. It just rolled around on a stack of boxes, sometimes rolling off and requiring me to pick it up and put it back. Why did I keep this item I never used?
Turns out, this replacement part was needed for our kitchen drain pipe. It was the same size and it was new. It just needed to be cut to size and then reinstalled. I got a hack saw and did a terrible cut, adjusted it enough to work, then pulled off the washer and two plastic nuts from the fractured pipe, cleaned them and then put them onto the new piece and screwed it in.
I tested the water flow...no leaks. Just to be sure, I put a tub under the pipe to collect any water that might leak. We ran the dishwasher overnight. The tub was bone dry. Problem solved!
This will happen again. The track mounted cans will either loosen the nuts or fracture the pipe, causing drain water to get onto the bottom of the cabinet. So I need to remove and discard the track system for now...and shop for a replacement that won't cause this problem!
Next week I will deal with problems occuring to Marisa's car, the Ford Focus. On Monday I will take it in to have the left turn signal lamp replaced. The following week I have an appointment to fix the instrument panel lights (I suspect it is a faulty slider switch rather than the individual light bulbs). Expenses over and above what is budgeted, but we will find a way to save.
Zac may very well finish the basement stair railing. I have seen no sign he plans to not finish. Just hope he finishes quickly but also well...then we can pay him and move on.
Moving on:
* cleaning, sanding, staining, sealing the basement stair, basement "platform", and treads leading there from the laundry room.
* fixing, painting the laundry room.
* fixing inside of the dry wall in the dining room.
* fixing fire wall in the dining room.
* fixing the electric box in the dining room.
* adding the non-electric box in the dining room.
* sealing cracks and adding solid insulation in the corner in the dining room.
* buying rock wool to fill all cavities.
* removing remaining drywall at corners in the dining room.
* cutting and nailing lath where needed.
* adding drywall over areas that don't have lath using removed pieces, perhaps newly purchased pieces.
* plastering lath.
* mudding drywall and plaster for a consistant look.
Less detailed tasks:
* dining room floor.
* kitchen/dining room ceiling patches.
* foyer floor.
* living room floor.
* metal grates to replace plastic ones in laundry room.
* dryer vent.
* heat register.
* clean cellar.
* clean basement.
* clean front room.