Changing.views

 The Murphy I'm talking about is the guy with the "Laws". If something can go wrong then ... The day actually started well. The new washer and dryer were delivered at 8 am - hurray. They were unboxed and moved up to 1707 by the supplier. Robin and Gaetan installed them and we rolled up the shelving unit that is the nearest neighbour of the laundry pair in the closet. And we discovered that the utility area where they now all 'live" is a bit larger than the one in #905. That means there is plenty of room to hang the vacuum cleaner on its charger, to house the card table and three remaining chairs, the ironing board and the step ladder. Yay! The finishing touches, almost, were put on the wall where the atrium framing was removed and the ceiling got a second coat of, um, plaster? mud? well, whatever. Later it will be stippled to blend in with the rest of the ceiling. All good so far.  The second closet unit was installed in the Master Bedroom. Not a big deal, but I...

 It was early to rise today. The work crew was going to report by 8 and the service elevator was booked. And it all went according to plan. Joined by cousin Mike and the young couple across the hall, we took a few elevator loads of boxes, sundry "soft packed" items, and the smaller pieces of furniture to their new home. These items are not yet in place. That will take some time. Painting continues, the doors have no handles, one closet unit is yet to be installed, a frame has to be built for the linen closet door, the washer and dryer have to be delivered and then be installed, and yet more painting. The bathrooms are complete so the thrones can now be placed and made operable. That will be a relief. Pun intended. The kitchen has a life of its own. Currently the new dishwasher and microwave/range fan are sitting in their boxes in the dining room. The dishwasher will be installed soon. The microwave has to wait in line until its part of the kitchen redo comes to the top of the...

Today the progress is obvious. Two closet units installed. One filled - but not in an organized fashion. The painting continued and some cleanup was done. The new dishwasher and microwave were delivered, in unopened boxes, and currently occupy the dining room. The dishwasher will be installed on Monday, along with the washer and dryer which are to be delivered that day also. The microwave will only be installed as part of the kitchen upgrade which will take place over the coming few weeks. One little red canvas wagonload at a time, I moved the contents of the office shelving in unit 905, up to unit 1707, their new location, onto the shelves in the new office. These shelves are deeper and will hold considerably more than the one I am leaving behind. In time I will find attractive, matching storage containers so the view of the door-free storage is more attractive. These shelves will be home, for the most part, to my family history materials. The centre bottom shelf will house the filing...

  Well it's been a few days but there wasn't anything happening over the long weekend. Yesterday and today have really brought big changes. If a picture is worth a thousand words, they will speak volumes.  I'll just post the images and add captions. I am very happy with the work and the look I am going for is really coming together.  The main bathroom is coming together nicely And the throne from the ensuite bathroom has been temporarily relocated And this shows that the end is in sight. At the moment the floor here has a couple of skim coats to even it off so the vinyl flooring can be laid - hopefully tomorrow. The doors are awaiting their hanging and hardware installation - this style of door will be on the bedrooms, linen closet and sliding doors on the hallway utility closet. I decided to get fan-lights for the dining room and bedroom. And while searching for something I liked, I found these at Home Depot of all places. The fans are inside the drum of the fixture. Ini...

  With the vinyl plank flooring "hitting the ground" today (pun intended) there is more evidence of progress. I was a bit anxious about opening the door to see what it looked like. I chose the flooring from one sample plank. And now that I've seen it - WINNER. The same flooring will be everywhere except in the two bathrooms. The living room, kitchen, hall and part of the spare bedroom are pretty much complete.  The office-to-be/spare bedroom - a work in progress The view down the hall The living-dining area - this was what I walked into And the kitchen is also coming together - further transformation ahead Now the bathrooms are not so well advanced. I can't imagine how they will get the flooring finished and the baseboards installed by end of day tomorrow. I'll have to find out when they plan to finish the work. Main bathroom - now has the smoothing skim coat And the ensuite needs speedy attention to finish up

Well it's now possible to see the floor, er cement - if you ignore smashed tiles, bits of carpet and that dangerous wood strip full of up-pointing nails that holds carpet around the edges in the hall and bedrooms. Good thing that lethal strip is just around the edges of the room. The atrium area tiles came up readily enough but didn't leave a smooth surface. A skim coat of something that looks just like cement, has been applied in that space as well as over some of the old glued down tiles in the kitchen. It looks like those thin tiles are going to stay but the floor has been levelled off. I have to trust what they're doing. My knowledge of flooring extends to recognizing it when I see it. Oh look - hardwood, or tiles or ?? I must say that the floor guys do a good job of cleaning out their garbage at the end of the day - lol. Today's photos really speak for themselves.  And the bathroom floor has been chipped away revealing no toilet , ,  And where there used to be carp...

  Well the painting is moving along quite nicely. Showing photos of the wall with the first coat of new grey paint doesn't indicate much, so I haven't bothered to take any pictures. But this morning the flooring guys arrived, early. They took a look around, I verified what would be removed - everything down to the concrete - and then the contractor arrived to remove his gear for the week. Before heading out, the two contractors, one an electrician, tried installing the dining room fan light. BUT - it was the wrong one. The one they were struggling with was supposed to go in the bedroom. However, in thinking it over, I'm going to leave that simpler one there and put the blingy fixture in the master bedroom. I'm going for a more casual look to the unit so the nickel and white fan/light will look better in the dining room. This was a very good bit of confusion. But nothing more will happen with that until next week, or maybe the end of this week if the flooring adventure d...

Renovations began on Monday, May 10. We ordered the paint and picked it up late in the morning. The painter spent a fair amount of time patching picture holes, scrapes along the walls and bashes that had removed some of the drywall on the corners. Then he was able to paint most of the master bedroom. The colour (Benjamin Moore's "Thunder") is perfect. I love it. Master bedroom in its new coat of paint The contractor removed the atrium walls and track and the room was instantly a much bigger space. He noted that the ceramic tiles in that area come up easily. And voila - a larger living - dining area He removed the parquet flooring in the corner of the living room that was "stolen" to form a pantry facing into the kitchen. That flooring wasn't quite as easy to remove. The carpet was found to be a cinch to pull out - no glue was used in the original installation. But I don't have to do any of that. The flooring guys are going to work their magic next week. ...

 I'm moving up in the world. Up 7 floors to be exact. I no longer wished to clear snow off my car in the winter or enter a beastly hot car that had been sitting in the sun. For years I was able to rent an indoor spot in the garage but my luck ran out last year. A few rounds of snow removal told me something had to be done. I loved this building and the location perfectly suited me. How would the dilemma be resolved? It is a bit of a sad tale for starters but it's working out well. For years I'd been able to use the parking spot for Unit 1707 belonging to my friend Lois who was no longer driving. When she needed care, a grandson moved in to help out. I ended up parking on the roof in the designated spot for my unit. Sadly Lois passed away just before Christmas of 2020. She was a remarkable woman and I hope that some of her spirit is still there. The real estate market was white hot and had now spread to condos. Could I capitalize on a hot market for once? I stumbled upon a w...