So... What are YOU doing? - Part 6

[tango]

My newly reconnected radiator is working admirably, and getting warmer than I expected. That means I can redeploy the electric heater I'd put into that space, to stop part of my work area getting too cold. The forecast is for it to be much colder for a few days, so it's good to have something I feel confident in leaving unattended to just take the worst of the chill off. What I'm quite possibly also going to do is drain all the water out of the work area so there's no chance of pipes freezing. I'll need to figure the best way to do it that doesn't leave me with hanging pipes and a big job to reconnect it all - although I'm not expecting to need to mix any more cement over there I'd rather not take away the water source, just in case.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

Getting ready to watch Patriots and Chiefs. GO KC!

 

[Lamb]

Playing in the CH Arcade and beating some high scores :whoo:

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

WHICH high scores??? :scared:

 

[tango]

I just got to tape up a window. The window is only six years old but has cold air seeping around it. I had them installed by someone who was supposed to know what he was doing but frankly I think I might as well have hired an ape to do the work.

 

[Lamb]

WHICH high scores??? :scared:

Whichever ones I can beat LOL Not all the games are loading for me and some aren't keeping my score. I asked Romanos if he could uninstall and reinstall some of those defective games.

 

[Lamb]

I just got to tape up a window. The window is only six years old but has cold air seeping around it. I had them installed by someone who was supposed to know what he was doing but frankly I think I might as well have hired an ape to do the work.

Was insulation shoved inside during the install?

 

[NewCreation435]

I have been doing a study on the Gospel of John and going in a little while to the gym. Off from work today. My new job starts February 6

 

[tango]

Was insulation shoved inside during the install?

He put fiberglass between the window frame and the window cavity, although left a few patches with no fiberglass. No sign of any sealant used anywhere. So I've got these lovely new windows, with cold air seeping around them. When it's warmer I'm going to take them out completely, shim the spaces so they fit properly and are straight, put sealant in, basically do the job I already paid him to do.

He didn't even bother to put sealant around the windows once he had fitted them. It's really quite remarkable how he can stay in business doing shoddy work like this. It's not like I'm the only one, since I had them put in I've found a couple of friends from church have had similar experiences with him.

 

[Lamb]

He put fiberglass between the window frame and the window cavity, although left a few patches with no fiberglass. No sign of any sealant used anywhere. So I've got these lovely new windows, with cold air seeping around them. When it's warmer I'm going to take them out completely, shim the spaces so they fit properly and are straight, put sealant in, basically do the job I already paid him to do.

He didn't even bother to put sealant around the windows once he had fitted them. It's really quite remarkable how he can stay in business doing shoddy work like this. It's not like I'm the only one, since I had them put in I've found a couple of friends from church have had similar experiences with him.

We have builder grade windows that are awful and there was no caulking at all so that was the first thing I did when we moved in! Caulk everywhere! It helped a lot but we still get air coming around the area where the windows open and nothing can be helped except to replace the windows.

 

[tango]

Just to make life interesting, because the old windows had weights there were spaces for the weights to go. So I've also got issues with cold coming in through those spaces. That's not the window fitter's fault, just something else I get to fix...

 

[tango]

Since it's so cold (dropped to 41 degrees in the unheated rooms) I figured it was a good time to get out with the thermal camera and see what I could see. And even though I thought I'd nailed all the drafts I found another three. These were small (but much more noticable in the cold) and tucked behind wall studs making them hard to spot. Deploying a can of foam did the trick. I also found a couple of other very small issues where I think there's a very tiny crack in the brick that lets a little air seep in slowly, so put cement over the top of that. Then cut a few more insulation panels to size.

I should probably clean up the area around my table saw. Life would be easier with a second shop vac, just not sure I want to tie up the extra cash on one. It was interesting when the saw caught the edge of an offcut of insulation foam - a neat circular gash in the side of it as it flew across the room. Thankfully I was able to salvage some of it so it wasn't completely lost.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

Waiting to go home. Last day of this block. Lots of laundry to look forward to. YAY!

 

[psalms 91]

Trying to stay warm

 

[Lamb]

Going out in the freezing cold to get the groceries. At least I'll get to park up close since not many people will want to be shopping today.

 

[NewCreation435]

Waiting for the installation guy to get here to install our new dishwasher.

 

[tango]

Just contemplating what to do with the day. I've got a couple of computer bits I want to do and there's the ever-present need to get insulation panels cut and fitted. Maybe I'll do some of the panels, then clean up and do the computer stuff.

The rooms I've all but abandoned to the cold were a tropical 43 degrees this morning. Not very warm but better than yesterday when they were 41 degrees. I'll need my long sleeves to work in there. I'd love to know just how cold it would have been in there had I pulled the wall down and not fixed all the gaps. It's remarkable to stand in there with the temperature in the low-to-mid 40s and it not feel breezy, whereas before the work at 70 degrees it felt cold and drafty.

Hopefully before long I'll be in a place where I can get some drywall installed. It's annoying that I'm going to have to look into removing and reinstalling the windows. Having paid someone to fit them it's pretty pathetic that it looks like I'm going to have to take them out and fit them properly. But the way I seem to have endless trouble with cold air seeping around them it's obvious they need some attention. I'm hoping it will be as simple as taking the frames out, putting some shims in place to make sure it's properly aligned, adding some sealant and a little fiberglass to fill the last few spaces. As things stand one of the windows is about 1/2" smaller than the space, so there's a lot of fiberglass stuffed into really unacceptably large gaps, with no sealant around the windows to stop the wind blowing through the gaps. The window trim goes some way towards stopping the cold but it's pretty lame to have a new double-glazed window and end up with a small strip of wood providing the insulation.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

Waiting for the installation guy to get here to install our new dishwasher.

That's one of the home repairs I actually learned to do myself. It took me a bit, but finally got it. I almost never attempt things like that so it was quite the big deal that it worked! Not a handy-man in the least

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

Laundry day! Since I didn't do any the last days I had off, I have quite the mound staring at me. I need to talk to the landlord about putting up an adjoining laundry room between my suite and the house. The machine is just on the other side of the common door.

 

[tango]

That's one of the home repairs I actually learned to do myself. It took me a bit, but finally got it. I almost never attempt things like that so it was quite the big deal that it worked! Not a handy-man in the least

A couple of years back I wouldn't have called myself a handyman in the least. But when I started this house project, with no idea of just how big a project it was going to become, I figured I'd learn as I went. I was expecting to just pull the walls down and put drywall up, but regular readers will know it turned into so much more than that. And of course with losing time to seasons and trying to figure stuff out as I go, it's been a very long project so far. Hopefully when I fix up other rooms it will be much quicker, now I've got a better idea of what I'm letting myself in for.