Ward Plumbing Tuesday, September 22, 2015

8:23 AM 9/23/2015

Zee's Home Repair

Ben Ziogas 217 572 2908

Found on Thumbtack and he wanted to 'snake' the drain when it backed up Su 9/20. I went with Ward Plumbing.

Ward Plumbing and Heating
http://www.wardplumbingheating.com/

They arrived 9am, Tuesday morning. Called from my driveway, and I had just gone into the bathroom. They snaked the drain, but went back to the shop to get a more slender snake. Said that the drain DOES have a trap, and this is clogged. That's why I'm getting the smell and why the water doesn't drain.

Bigger problems! It appeared the washer drain was clear, but it wasn't. Then, the kitchen sink backed up the same drain. The bathroom is OK, but something is clogging washer/kitchen drain. Their 'ace' plumber arrived 1045am. He is sick with bad intestinal flu.

The new eel that they brought wasn't strong enough, so they went to the rental place on MacArthur and Jefferson to get a more powerful one. This worked. They took the caps off of both vertical black pipes, and ran the snake and hose through both of them.

The plumber and helper left at 1pm and I'm waiting for Bill to come back to clean up. I ran a load of wash but I can't run any water because it will leak because No Caps. Just after 2pm I had dialed the number to Ward plumbing, and Bill pulled into the driveway. He had two ingenious covers for the vertical drains. The machine edges were so degraded that I thought it would be impossible to get any form of 'screw cap' to work. However, these caps had kind of expandable edges. You push them on the whole and then there is a butterfly bolt that you turn to screw them to seal. Very good idea.

I had talked to him about getting a 'Fall Tune Up' on the furnace. Not so much that I think there is anything wrong with the system, but more so that I can learn how to use it. I don't know a thing abut the Humidity Controls or even what it's supposed to do. He said that he would set something up in the next few weeks, and it wouldn't run more than $65. I think it's well worth the piece of mind.

(In the mail was a check for $931 which was reimbursement for what I paid on the crown at Westside Dental in late July. With this money I should be able to pay of the Citi card and Penney's).

As "In" as I'll Every Be.....

Email to Janny, Thursday morning, 9/17

Hey, Hey....The Wild and Wooly move to Westview is finally behind me-- The Future Begins Now!

I began looking for a new house in mid June, closed on July 9th (and, late on the morning of the closing, I realized that the renovation must take place before I moved in...(When you first experience the renovated area, you'll see why).

I began living on Westview on August 10th, the draperies were hung ten days ago, and yesterday the last two drapery panels were pressed and hung. And, now the posters and wall art are decoratively in place. 

What a long strange trip it's been and the entire complicated and elaborate rigmarole lasted nearly three months. Whew!!-- (For sanity's sake, I think of the sale of the condo as an entirely different can of Friskies)

So, the 'Open House' is officially on the record for you and Joe (or anyone else who might be interested).

Drop me a line when and where (I guess the 'where' is pretty obvious), and, if you'd like, I'll spring for a pizza.

Looking Back....

I'll never forget the first night that Buddy and I spent on Westview. He howled and cried the whole night, but now it would take dynamite to get him out of here. He spends so much time looking out the front door (and, front windowsills!!) that I think the neighbors would agree that we now have an authorized 'mayor of Westview Drive'.

seeya..kw

August 25th

This afternoon I was at the condo to pickup the two movie posters that I had left in the upstairs closet, and I noticed that the vertical control on the west side of the patio door is no longer operational. I know that when I left the condo, this worked! 

I think (hope!) that it has just come off the track, but it's going to take a visit to Lowes to find out how to get the magnet back in place. Tomorrow I'm tied up with The Book Club and lawn mowing, but later in the week I'll see if one of the clerks at Lowes can show me how to get it back on track. When Anderson Construction installed the door, it was missing a magnet, and when I called Pella Windows windows on Wabash they were absolutely No Help (they were the rudest nitwits I have ever talked to, and I would never buy anything from them). Lowes was aware of the 'missing magnets' because they told me that kids were stealing  them because they were such strong magnets.   

When I visited the condo today I also removed one of the standing lamps from downstairs. It wasn't even plugged in, and I need it back at the house. I'll leave the other standing lamp, but I can't see what one 60 watt bulb can do for 'the look' of that area since you have to turn on the lamp after the overheads are already on. 

Last weekend I took the welcome mat that was on the patio (I liked it), and today I replaced it with one that was in the garage on Westview (It'll do) . 

I have the number  of the Boys Club on the eastside I'm going to see if they want the exercise equipment that's still in the basement. I called last week but didn't get an answer. If they don't take donations, I'll call Goodwill, but if they will take it, I think it must be on the ground floor, and I think I can drag all of it up to the patio, but I think we are a long way from worrying about what is in that basement recess.

But, the patio door is a major selling point, and I want it to work just as well as it did when I left the place.    seeya..kw 

Joe Brandenburg

We had a realtor from the group show it Monday evening Im waiting to hear back from them. I will ask about the door.                      

Final Inspection on the renovation

Meeting set for 830am, Fr8/21/15

Beautiful sunny morning with temperatures barely in the 70's. Highly unusual for the last weekend of the Illinois State Fair.

Eric arrived at 820am and two inspectors from the city arrived at 830am on the dot. The man that checked the electrical was the same guy that surprised me several weeks ago, but he seemed OK today.

We went downstairs and spent about ten minutes talking about music, and the frame guy just said 'fine job' about the remodeling work, and the electrical inspector only tested to make sure that the arc-breakers were in the new addition (I'm not even sure that he was aware that there are old breakers in the bedrooms and I didn't bring it up). 

The inspectors were gone in ten minutes, and Eric stayed a bit longer and filled in some details about his problems with the city. It began several years ago when he was undercutting other city roofers prices. As a general contractor he is technically allowed to bid on any job, he just can't do the work, and they never actually caught him doing the work. Eric was the focus of a 'sting' operation and sued by the city, but he was able to have the lawsuit dismissed because they couldn't prove that he had actually done any of the work. 

Thankfully, the paperwork is now gone from my front window, and it will be stored in my safe. 

Now I can begin the serious work of moving into the renovated area, and I hope the arc fault breakers work flawlessly. But, Lucas said not to hesitate to give him a call if they give me any problems. 

By Sunday I had all of the books in the new room. The stereo was connected and the PC was hooked up. All of the shorter free-standing bookshelves have been used, and the bookcase that sat next to my bed at the condo works perfectly as the lampstand in the living room.

Washer Fiasco Tuesday, 8/15

Lucas and Justin arrived after work, about 4pm on Tuesday to finish up the electrical work on the renovated area of the basement. Since they were going to set up the dryer,  I wanted to have a load of washing finished so that we could test the dryer.

As Justin was working on the electrical box, dirty water started to shoot out of the vertical drain to the washer. This produced a bad smell and brackish water. Lucas called a friend who was a plumber, and the guy was going to come over later that evening, but changed the appointment to Wednesday, 4pm.

I hoped that the drain was clogged because that particular drain had not been used in almost a year. The Rapps have lived in their new home for at least a half year, and the washer and dryer has been gone since then.

Brian Flemming showed up at 330pm on Wednesday, and I didn't get back from the FitClub until 340pm. He stayed a little over an hour, and snaked the drain. Everything seems to be OK, and he charged (only?) $50.00.

An Email to Joe on August 11, 2015

Hey,

  

 I jogged over to the condo around 2pm this afternoon and talked to Ernie while he was painting. He said that you were over around 11am to do a 'walk thru'. Did you make it down to the basement to see the leak? That might cause a real problem because I don't think that we can convince anyone that the leak will 'go away' once they hook up their washer and dryer. However, maybe someone can make those 'caps' hold back the tide. That leak has to have been my blackest moment since I closed on the house.

I really wish that I had just left the old appliances in the condo, and I know I wouldn't have gotten the full value back, but at least I wouldn't be paying for plumbing issues that are going to be like throwing money out the window. I could have left the old stuff in place, and then upgraded. And, I'm sure that you read the email that I sent to Janny about the issues that I have with the shutoff valve in my unit and the problems with our building shutoff in unit #33.

 If you feel that the carpet in the upstairs bedrooms, hallway, and staircase are salvageable, I think I will schedule Stanley Steemer to do the job. There's no way that I could do an adequate job, and it would only be about $150, and I think that the professionals would make it look as good as can be expected.  

I won't have phone service until early afternoon on Thursday, but shoot me an email as to what you think about where we are about putting #43 on the market. 

And, I would like to just paint over the 'anchor damage' caused by the hanging cassette cases in the downstairs at the condo. I spoke to Ernie about it, but I think he wants to put too much effort and time into it (MONEY!!). I just want to gloss it over because most people don't relate to the '70's popcorn/stucco' anyway, but I think that Ernie will do a great job on the living room/kitchen areas.

Ernie might not be up to Lloyd's standards of meticulousness, but he's certainly in the ballpark..

Send me a note because I won't have phone service until Thursday, and  I'd like to contract the job with Stanley Steemer if you feel that this is the way to go. 

seeya...kw   (PS....still no answers on the Jenn Air Induction foolishness).    

7/12/15- An Email I sent to Janny before their trip west

Sent July 12, 2015

I'm sure that you're looking forward to your trip to Phoenix next Sunday, but he seemed a bit hazy on the details. He knew that you and Joe were coming, and he thought it was an excellent idea, but he didn't seem to realize that it was next Sunday.

These days he's a much better listener rather than an instigator of hardheaded biases and points of view, and I have to say that I like him tons more now than I did thirty years ago. 

Today I mowed my first lawn in over twenty years. Last night I bought a dynamite, $158 lawn mower from Walmart, and I gave it the acid test around noon today. I thought that there was no way that I could just take it out of the box, add oil and gas, and the thing would work, but it did! The engine kicked over on the third pull, and I was off and running (literally). The front and back lawn took just over an hour at a ferocious pace. That back lawn is by far, the biggest yard that I've ever mowed, but almost a third of the back lawn is in shade, and it's covered in clover so it will be easy to keep up. Numerous flowerbeds and weird natural grasses will probably force me to consult a landscaping nursery to find out the best way I can keep all the plants going. But, I think I can wait until next year for this, but I'm committed to keeping the 'wildlife going'. 

I signed the contract with Anderson Construction on Friday evening and he'll begin work tomorrow morning. I had some problems with the lock from the breezeway into the kitchen so I bought a new one when I purchased the mower on Saturday. He'll start with replacing this lock, and then remove the living room and hall carpets. I hope we don''t find anything bad under those carpets, but I'm committed to the 'hardwood look'. If it takes sanding or whatever, Eric and the guys can handle it. 

I've moved three of the small bookcases from the condo (and the books) into the basement area at Westview, and I plan to get all of the things that I can move by Accord into the house by early next week. Then, I rent a van and move the seven large bookcases and books. At that time, I should be down to the barebones and I'll be able to realistically tell the movers what they can take. But, you'll probably be back from Phoenix before this occurs. 

I've hired a handyman from Waverly to paint the garage door and hang the new shutters. He wants at least two days of No Rain so that the paint can dry properly, and he says that Wednesday looks like the best window of opportunity. He's also going to hang the shelving from the condo when Eric completes the basement renovation at Westview. I'm also going to see if he can hang the TV in the living room and help me move the other 42 inch TV from the condo. This guy is an older man and reminds me of Lloyd, and he sounds like he cares about the quality of the work (I hope).

I haven't begun to delve into the massive problem of my new Internet connection. I want to keep the ATT discount but I don't know if I might be better off with cable and dropping all landlines. I don't even know if I can have ATT without the landline, but all I know is that I don't move until I have a secure and fast connection at the new house. On the bright side, this looks like the best time for me to make the jump to Smart Phones. But, for the time being, I'm more concerned about lugging a couple thousand 'old school' novels from the 60's and 70's a mile and a half away.

Enjoy the trip west....seeya kw