Saturday, April 14, 2018

Things Are Not What They Appear To Be

I only had one thing on my to-do list today.  There's a kite festival at Shoreline Lake in Mountain view up near San Francisco.  It's rather a long drive, but I haven't flown my kites in ages.  I have found that home plans, like RV plans, seem to be rooted in jello.

It's not a disaster ... YET ... and I'm hoping it won't become one.  Yesterday as I walked in front of a chair to the television, the floor sounded hollow.  That's weird!  I have a concrete foundation with hardwood floors ........... or so I thought.

Things are not what they appear to be.  Remember those copper gutters I raved about for years?  Not too long ago while up on a ladder cleaning them, I discovered they were NOT copper at all.  They were regular gutters with a great paint job that made them LOOK like copper.  I wonder if the original owner PAID for copper?

See my beautiful hardwood floors?  They are NOT wood, they are laminate.  When I pulled back the rug to take a better look, I discovered a HUGE section under my coffee table was lifting right in the middle of the house.  I know, I need to move.  After this discovery, it may be sooner than I thought!
I'm guessing ... and this is just a rookie guess ... that all the rain we had this year, coupled with my desire to keep my PGE bill down by turning off the heater, combined into too much moisture which the flooring sucked up, making it expand and lift.  A chill went down my spine as I contemplated the ramifications of THAT!!

I called my building contractor (not the one that built the house) and his first words were UH OH!!  That didn't make me feel better at all!!  He is coming over today to see what can be done.  For the time being, I'm blasting it with the fireplace and a fan in the hopes of drying it out quickly enough for the pieces to again lay flat.  No clue if this will work.

I knew those grinding stone would come in handy one day.  I'm using them as weights to keep the flooring flat while it dries.  This is not good ...... not good at all.
And so, the joys of home ownership hit me again, smack dab in the face, and probably my checkbook.  I think I better start cleaning out the garage!!  I see a big yard sale in my future!!

Hey ... it was Friday the 13th!!  Apparently my bad luck on those days is holding out!!!



10 comments:

  1. More likely your contractor is going to start looking on the outside of your house for the problem that you have on the inside
    If you have water intrusion maybe he can work with your insurance company so it might not be a total loss for you
    If a sink or toilet or laundry basin was to overflow on your floor it's considered an accident for the insurance company Hint hint
    If you can't get the same pattern of flooring they need to do the whole house or room that that pattern is used in,,, so you never know UH OH may not be that bad

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    1. Unfortunately, anything that might overflow is too far away, darn it!!

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  2. By the way,,
    if you get a chance the second week in July,,, I would find an honest to goodness witch
    And have her draw you a pentagram for you to sit in that day
    Go look up the second week of July 2018,,,, have you ever heard of a double wamme

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    1. Now THAT is a good idea. I need all the help I can get!!

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  3. Oh no! I hope it doesn't end up being too bad. Hope you get to fly your kites again soon too. Was looking forward to seeing you.
    -Joanna

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    1. I was hoping to meet up and fly with you too Joanna. Seems the gremlins are out to get me!!

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  4. Hmm does not sound good it to was laminate and moister go in could be a costly repair,, think you need to get out of that costly house that you have, but then that is only my opinion. Do what you need to do.

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    1. Laminate and moisture definitely do NOT make good bed fellows. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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  5. Oh my, that does not sound good, Nancy. Once you talk to the contractor you will some decisions to make. Friday the 13th, eh? maybe be need to wipe that number right off the calendar. You weren't born on the 13th were you?
    sorry for the trouble you are finding. :(

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    1. That particular Friday has not been a favorite of mine. Luckily I was NOT born on that day!!

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