Tag Archives: contractor

It’s Getting Closer!!

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We don’t have a move-in date as of yet, but it’s certainly getting closer! I’m more hopeful now as well. I think Dad is worrying a bit less, too.

The miscellaneous things that were left to do in the new house have been taken care of, thanks to Contractor #3. He and his crew worked their asses off for a few days, not only on small fixes or installs, but also on cleaning up the construction debris in the yard. It was a mess! There was drywall on one side, lumber scraps on another. Plus, we had things stored in the house at one time, and we just didn’t want them anymore. Contractor #1 said he would toss out the back door whatever we didn’t want and get a trailer to haul it away. He never did that, the flakey SOB. Contractor #3 and his crew got it done.

Now, we hunt for kitchen cabinets and a new oven range. I hate that we will most likely have to buy the cheap cabinets from Lowe’s, but Contractor #3 said that when we decide what we want to let him know because he may be able to find a lower price for better quality. Fingers crossed that this process won’t take long. We need to get out of this house! If you only knew…

The last load of trash and a cleaned-up yard.

More updates to follow. I hope you all enjoy the weekend! Stay safe and cool! And for God’s sake, please don’t forget your baby in the car!!

Update. Holy Hell. Where To Start?

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Since I can’t get in touch with Contractor #2, I have reached out to Contractor #3. He has given us a reasonable bid on the little things that still need to be done in the new house. I think he feels sorry for us because of what happened last Wednesday night. Let me tell you the story:

It was around 11:45 pm and I was thinking about getting settled in my lift chair for the night. Alice was sleeping in Dad’s chair as she does most nights after Dad goes to bed. I just happened to look up and notice she was staring at the wall. She decided to jump down, and as soon as her front paws hit the floor, the ceiling just above the chair fell in! Yes, you read that right. The ceiling FELL IN, and all I could do was scream. There was dust from the old insulation everywhere. I couldn’t breathe. I had to get out of there! Old, decaying wood pieces and ceiling paint all over the place. My cats are all fine. They skidaddled out of there so fast, you’d have never known they were even there! I’m just thankful that Dad had already gone to bed.

Dad didn’t sleep a wink that night. I had nowhere else to sleep but my chair. I wore a mask to keep from breathing in any ick while I slept. I never saw Jack or Alice until the next day. BobCat slept in my lap. Every time he woke up, I woke up. He was always looking at the wide open HOLE in our ceiling. There was a small rat or a big mouse that kept running back and forth on the wall edge of the hole. BobCat and I watched him several times during the night. I kept the TV and my lamp on, thinking it would keep the critter movement at a minimum. I sure didn’t want any rat-mice falling through the hole!

The next morning, Thursday, I texted Contractor #3 and sent him a photo. I asked him if he could help us. He said he’d be there that day, and he was here in an hour. He brought his crew, and they hauled off all the debris. They even vacuumed! Before they left, they covered the hole with plywood. Bless his heart, he didn’t charge us a dime!

Here’s what it looked like after it caved in. The wall has been cracking and shifting for quite some time, so it was just a matter of time before this happened. Dad would be in the hospital or worse if he had been sitting there.

Here’s the after photo:

Don’t mind Dad. He’s bent over, putting all of his “stuff” back into the disarray it was before. I swear, all he could worry about was his “stuff,” and I told him that his “stuff” should be the least of his worries.

Contractor #3 is coming this Thursday or Friday to work on our new house. It’s good to be able to count on someone to help us when we need help.

As soon as the little things in the new house are finished, we’ll know how much we have to spend on kitchen cabinets, sink, and countertop. I know it won’t be a complete kitchen right away, and that’s ok because I have been through hell in this old house, so I know I can survive without a completed kitchen!

Until next time,

Short and Sweet

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I thought I was doing well by posting every day. That lasted 3 whole days, and then I forgot. I need to get my shit together!

On Wednesday, a Home Health nurse came to check on Dad to get the ball rolling for weekly nurse and physical therapy visits. A nurse is supposed to come today and then weekly afterward. I’ve yet to hear from a physical therapist. I am confident that Dad will get stronger and be back to doing things on his own soon.

Also on Wednesday, our HVAC guy was finally able to come install our unit. I was hopeful that he would get done without problems, but apparently, Contractor #1 got a unit too big for our house and didn’t install enough vents for that size unit. UGH. HVAC guy mentioned the wrong size wire for something…something…something…that I didn’t understand, lol. Anyway, parts need to be ordered, including vent covers that Contractor #1 neglected to get. HVAC guy will be back next week to finish, fingers crossed.

I need to cut this even shorter than I had planned because the Home Health nurse just called and is on her way. Dad hates having to be checked on like this, but it helps me know that he is doing well and I’m doing things right.

Until next time,

Into September…

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Here we are. It’s September already. The last 2 months have been a blur. From Dad’s fall, to family drama, to Dad’s recovery, to car repairs, water problems, to well, today.

Dad is doing much better. Having physical therapy helped him more than anything else, in my opinion. After the first PT visit, he started getting better faster! I think once he was shown that he could do more, he started doing more. The more he did, the better he felt, and the more independent he became. He’s walking to the bathroom with his cane, and we have ventured out a few times. My sister being here has helped tremendously, but when she leaves in 2 weeks, Dad and I will be on our own. I won’t have any help or support. God forbid if I ask for help! So, I will be doing things on my own.

My “other daughter” suggested a contractor to help get the new house done. I think I called him Guy #3 in a previous post. He got materials on Monday and started working on Tuesday. He spent 4 days working on getting the electrical outlets and switches installed and the breaker box all figured out. (Guy #1 didn’t label properly!) This coming week Guy #3 is going to install the ceiling fans and lights, and recessed lighting. When the electrical stuff is finished, he’s going to move on to hooking up toilets and a vanity, which I have yet to get. Oh, the decisions I will have to make! Anyway, “other daughter” has said that she really respects Guy #3’s work ethic and that he’s very fair. I need to get a hold of Guy #1 and ask him to bring over the HVAC units we have already paid for. I can’t wait to get attitude from him for asking and/or hiring someone else. You can imagine what I’ll tell him, I’m sure. My old Granny used to say, “Shit or get off the pot!”

I started this post this morning and stepped away for a bit. It’s 5:00pm, and I’m just now getting back to it. Here’s just a little indication of how quickly things can change. Read on…

After the lunch dishes were done and I was headed back to my chair, I noticed a never-used pop-up screen on the TV, and I told Dad to push “exit,” and I thought he had because the pop-up went away. But it popped up again. I got next to Dad’s chair and reached down for the remote in his hand, and he had a pretty good grip on it. When I looked at his face, something seemed off. His eyes were open but glassy, and he was leaning to the left. I thought he was just dozing, and maybe he was, but something told me to check more closely. I kept saying, “Dad. Dad. Dad.” He wasn’t responding. About that time, my sister jumped up to help. We fussed with him for what must’ve been at least 15 minutes, trying to wake him up. He finally started to respond, but his speech was slurred. We were frantically rubbing his chest, patting his cheeks, moving his arms around, etc., anything to get him to snap out of it. He finally did, but boy, did it scare the crap out of my sister and me! He did that to me once several months ago, but it didn’t take that long to wake him. I swear, my sister and I thought we were losing him. Dad is fine now, but that’s how quickly things can change.

I think part of the problem is that he’s not sleeping well. The hospital bed is not comfortable. He bitches about it all the time. Last weekend, I asked my son to come get it this weekend, but he has yet to show up. My sister leaves in 2 weeks, and I will need her to help me get his room set up so he can sleep in there in a real bed!

I will say goodbye for now until next time,