No white horses here. No knights in shining armor. Just well-meaning friends with not enough time on their hands and poor communication skills.
While having a new bathroom is great, it would be even greater if the ventilation system in said bathroom had been vented to the outside rather than spewing nearly a year's worth of humidity up into the unfinished attic. Second best would have been being told that the vent was not vented, and steps would have been taken to ensure that it was vented.
Instead, the scenario now is that nearly all of my personal possessions -- and yes, they are mine. I'm not going to apologize for hoarding, for owning things that are precious to me, or even to go down the path that borders on the materialistic. These things are mine; I've collected them for a reason, sometimes paying more than I should and I shouldn't have to apologize for that. The end result: weaving loom reeds that are now ruined by the damp. Yarns, fabric, clothes and knick-knacks indelibly littered by must.
All of this because mold and mildew has gained a foothold in my heretofore dry attic. Mold that now has to be scraped off the walls, and infected items thrown away.
Worse: the sicknesses this winter that kept me from working. Two separate cases, and in my case, no work equals no pay. Never mind the out of pocket expenses associated with antibiotics, doctor visits and inhalers. And major surgery which was delayed because of the illness.
Finally, the costs that will be associated with mold mitigation. On top of ruined goods that will have to be discarded and perhaps never replaced.
This is perhaps the final straw in the degradation process. Not caring about the personal possessions -- the total sum of my life packed away still in small boxes, now ruined. The loss of income, the further ruination of something I thought was being improved. And the potential loss of friendship. Not nice. At all.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Thursday, 8 March 2012
More than a series of frustrations
Well, the half-assed work from the contractors is beginning to rear its ugly head, in more ways than one. Here's just a few of the times left to contend with, at least those I can think of as of this moment.
Hole left in roof: Moving things in to the attic, accessible via a drop-down ladder, I could see frost on the inside of the roof, something I've never seen here in my nearly 2.5 years. Climbing further, it smelled a bit mildewy. I came closer to look to realize that there was mold, on the inside, and it had crystallized. Following the east side of the roof line down, I realized I could see the exterior shingles, via a roughly 18" square that had been a cutout for a vent or such.
This was a real shocker, as I hadn't been up in about six months or so. I would say that most of my personal possessions stored in the attic, unless they are in plastic tub boxes, are ruined.
The fix: cut out a respective piece of plywood, picture-frame it and then seal it from the inside.
Estimated time to complete: One to two hours
Front door not plumb: And leaking water, to boot, over the interior subfloor. I've leveled the floor, somewhat, with that concrete leveler stuff, and put down the cheap vinyl tiles over it. I haven't yet silicone kitted the tiles where the threshold is in under the door, figuring if I want someone to look at the floor, the tiles will be easily removed. But I have no idea if this will slow the water down or not. When contacted by email, the contractor basically said that they'd had a lot of trouble hanging the door, and basically this was the best I could expect. Oh yeah, the locket was used; the key handed to me said "Ace Hardware" on it. I wonder who has the original?
Solution: Rehang door
Estimated time: One hour, plus repairs to subfloor, etc.
2 x 4's left at 45 degree angle protuding over cellar stairs: A small closet was built in the entryway, over the cellar stairs. The vertical 2 x 4's were sawed off at a 45 degree angle and left so that anyone heading downstairs is sure to come into direct contact with it.
Solution: Saw off 2 x 4's.
Estimated time: 15 minutes
Guttering is useless: And has been noticed in some places to have deep slashes in it. Without getting up onto the roof, it's hard to tell if the slashes are all the way or only surface. The guttering also terminates at the house, allowing any runoff to go directly back into the cellar. The gutter over the front door allows water to pass through it and the house, also rendering the front landing useless.
Solution: Add extension pieces to front and back houses, allowing drainage to be moved further away from house. Check out guttering on roof. Over front door? No idea.
Estimated time: Tough one for me to say.
These are only the items I can think of at the moment. Then there's the old roof shingles that have been thrown over the side of the hill down onto the neighbor's property, the "fix" of the too small windows placed in frames, which is going to require more framing on the outside. The dryer that was left unvented in the cellar. The plastic ironing board rack that also holds an iron was not sized; I can't get the iron in it because there's not enough room between the base and the ceiling.
Phone calls have gone unreturned. I have several options: 1) small claims court, with a $75 filing fee. 2) Retain an attorney, with a fee of around $250. No contingency basis possible. 3) File a claim with the State Attorney General's office. Any mediation would be voluntary and non-binding. 4) Angie's list, with a negative review. 5) Publish names, amounts paid, transgressions and pictures. But then I'd probably get sued, right?
I do have to wonder if the person who referred these two idiots to me was getting a kickback. The two are also brother-in-laws, with two different dba's. Often the estimate/contract would be written on one company name, and a check written to the other.
Hole left in roof: Moving things in to the attic, accessible via a drop-down ladder, I could see frost on the inside of the roof, something I've never seen here in my nearly 2.5 years. Climbing further, it smelled a bit mildewy. I came closer to look to realize that there was mold, on the inside, and it had crystallized. Following the east side of the roof line down, I realized I could see the exterior shingles, via a roughly 18" square that had been a cutout for a vent or such.
This was a real shocker, as I hadn't been up in about six months or so. I would say that most of my personal possessions stored in the attic, unless they are in plastic tub boxes, are ruined.
The fix: cut out a respective piece of plywood, picture-frame it and then seal it from the inside.
Estimated time to complete: One to two hours
Front door not plumb: And leaking water, to boot, over the interior subfloor. I've leveled the floor, somewhat, with that concrete leveler stuff, and put down the cheap vinyl tiles over it. I haven't yet silicone kitted the tiles where the threshold is in under the door, figuring if I want someone to look at the floor, the tiles will be easily removed. But I have no idea if this will slow the water down or not. When contacted by email, the contractor basically said that they'd had a lot of trouble hanging the door, and basically this was the best I could expect. Oh yeah, the locket was used; the key handed to me said "Ace Hardware" on it. I wonder who has the original?
Solution: Rehang door
Estimated time: One hour, plus repairs to subfloor, etc.
2 x 4's left at 45 degree angle protuding over cellar stairs: A small closet was built in the entryway, over the cellar stairs. The vertical 2 x 4's were sawed off at a 45 degree angle and left so that anyone heading downstairs is sure to come into direct contact with it.
Solution: Saw off 2 x 4's.
Estimated time: 15 minutes
Guttering is useless: And has been noticed in some places to have deep slashes in it. Without getting up onto the roof, it's hard to tell if the slashes are all the way or only surface. The guttering also terminates at the house, allowing any runoff to go directly back into the cellar. The gutter over the front door allows water to pass through it and the house, also rendering the front landing useless.
Solution: Add extension pieces to front and back houses, allowing drainage to be moved further away from house. Check out guttering on roof. Over front door? No idea.
Estimated time: Tough one for me to say.
These are only the items I can think of at the moment. Then there's the old roof shingles that have been thrown over the side of the hill down onto the neighbor's property, the "fix" of the too small windows placed in frames, which is going to require more framing on the outside. The dryer that was left unvented in the cellar. The plastic ironing board rack that also holds an iron was not sized; I can't get the iron in it because there's not enough room between the base and the ceiling.
Phone calls have gone unreturned. I have several options: 1) small claims court, with a $75 filing fee. 2) Retain an attorney, with a fee of around $250. No contingency basis possible. 3) File a claim with the State Attorney General's office. Any mediation would be voluntary and non-binding. 4) Angie's list, with a negative review. 5) Publish names, amounts paid, transgressions and pictures. But then I'd probably get sued, right?
I do have to wonder if the person who referred these two idiots to me was getting a kickback. The two are also brother-in-laws, with two different dba's. Often the estimate/contract would be written on one company name, and a check written to the other.
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