Sunday, March 8, 2020

It's MAGIC!!

The sun came up yesterday morning in a magnificent show of WARM.  It was even more fabulous when I got a text message from the contractor saying he was at Home Depot and would see me in 30 minutes.  Woohoo!!!  My prayers answered.
I tried to be patient and kept praying I wouldn't get the no-show call.  Then I heard it ... the ding ding when you come in my driveway.  YES!!!!

The two went to work immediately, cleaning out all the mortar around the edges and the chunks of wood that had fallen below the deck.  He even vacuumed the entire area.  Wow!!

In no time the offending piece of rotten wood was removed and reconstruction began.  We thought the rot went way back under the edge, but that was not the case.  He replaced two of the 2x8's and added a couple more to the tune of Inna Godda Da Vida.  A little Mac The Knife helped with the final 5/8 inch decking.
It's MAGIC!!!  All repaired!  It wasn't near as bad as it looked once the rotten wood was removed.  I was a happy camper to be sure!!  For an instant, the insurance problem actually left my mind.
Now for the good part.  He charged me $465.  Can you believe it?  It took them four hours, plus the trip to Home Depot.  I was expecting $1,000 at a minimum.  In spite of the irritation of "I don't have time" and waiting another week, he got the job done and didn't try to rip me off.  I actually paid him $500.  He was pretty happy about that and I now have a contractor I can call ... assuming he will show up of course.

So the entire day, I spent sewing this latest quilt.  Crazy colors, I know.  It's funny how nice they all looked together before I chopped them up.  The green is not my favorite.  At any rate, that makes four completed since I've been here.  That means there's been WAY too much sitting around.
My fabulous day turned in to rain predictions for the next week with temps back in the 60's.  So much for laying out in the sun!!  No matter though, my porch is fixed.  Now to try and get the paver guys to come back!  That will REALLY be magic if it happens before I head out.

Rarely do I send out links or videos, but everyone should check out this LINK.  This is an amazing piece of history you probably won't see again.  For my Golden Spike friends, you may have received this already.  It starts a little slow with an advertisement (no surprise) ... just hang in there for a couple of minutes ... you won't be sorry!  What amazing machinery!!






16 comments:

  1. So glad your porch is fixed. Now you can get everything wrapped up and be on your way. That was some steam rotory plow. It could really move some snow with two powerful steam locomotives pushing it. More rain a coming. Terrible. Time to move to sunny California :))

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    1. I'm in love with steam trains Doug. That was a once in a great while video. Almost done ... I still have to get them to finish the front porch with pavers. THEN I'll head back.

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  2. That's great your porch got fixed, looks like a good job. Hopefully the paver guys will come back soon and finish.

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    1. I'm hoping that too Bill ..... NO more projects.

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  3. Yay!! I'm glad you are pleased with the price and now have a contractor you can trust. ;)
    Mid 60's down here is perfect for sitting out in the sun, silly!

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  4. Glad the contractor finally got your porch fixed.
    That is quite the piece of equipment that helps keep the tracks cleared.
    Now hopefully it won't take the Pavers long to finish their job.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  5. Loved the video! I'd never even thought before about how they clear snow from tracks, what a treat for the photographers who got to document it.

    I'd sure love to ride the tourist train right after the rotary plow cleared it but accd'g to their website they don't have regularly scheduled trips in winter. Under special excursions they mention a Santa Train in winter but don't show dates for it. Hmmm. I suspect it would be dependent on weather day-to-day, which isn't something those of us who don't live in the area could gamble on. :-(

    Congrats on finally getting your porch fixed & more importantly finding a competent contractor who treats customers fairly, if not quite so expeditiously.(And I'd take the former over the latter any day.)

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    1. Me too Leilani ..... me too!!! Wouldn't a winter train trip be fabulous?

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  6. You see it's not as bad as you thought it was. the only thing I wish they had done is used pressure-treated wood
    Now the technical part comes in before your bricklayers put the bricks down you might want to get a hold of the boss and ask him if they need to put down a fiber board ( When you tile a shower or a wooden floor they use that material to stiffen up the floor)
    It's only about a half inch thick but it gives stability to the floor/tile and if they seal it it'll keep the water from getting back in And underneath
    If you're using just plywood you put two layers of 5/8 one on top of the other And use a clear water repellent sealer.(do whatever you have to do to keep the water from getting underneath it) keeping the water out is the longevity of the job

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    1. Thank you Ed .... I appreciate your help. The good news is this entire side of the house is completely covered with a 12 foot wide canopy. Still, I'm sealing the plywood. Underneath, they did use pressure treated.

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  7. Now let's tackle another job,,, water heater post a picture of the top of the water heater piping
    Does the water heater sit directly on the floor or is it on a stand ??

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    1. Oh I keep forgetting to take a picture. I'll do that today for sure.

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  8. Hi Nancy,
    We will be outside at the Center of the Arts in Tubac this weekend, March 14 and 15. It's a pop up sale and only vendors who sell in the gift shop can set up outside. Tom's Clay Creations is the name and I think we'll be on the west side facing Tubac Jack's, one of our favorite places.
    We do not sell at the Green Valley Farmer's Market. It's way too much work for us....and the clay pieces take a lot of time to pack and unpack.
    We will be at Art in the Park in Green Valley on April 4. It's Green Valley artists only and although we haven't been yet, the artists we've talked to love it. It's a one day sale which is another plus when lugging stuff around.
    Regarding RV insurance, we used Miller Insurance in Oregon. They were recommended by Howard and Linda Payne who have the RV Dreams website. Howard is an attorney and very thorough about everything and very open in sharing his information. If you haven't been to their website, it's a treasure trove of information. They just recently got off the road but are still giving seminars and rallys. Miller insurance 503-692-6580.
    Did you get the bug killer?
    Hope to meet up with you soon.

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    1. AHA!! I will contact Miller Insurance. Don't know why I didn't think of that ... they sponsor our rally Ice Cream!! I'll see you in Tubac for sure!!!

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