Decisions, Decisions...

Priming... Done.

Painting... done in the bathroom.

Electrical... office is done except for connecting it to mainpower. Bathroom is mostly done.

I bought the lino for the bathroom yesterday, and will be laying it this weekend. I also got the taps for the shower. I found a set that will sense a drop in pressure in the lines and react accordingly, so that it's impossible to be scalded if some joked flushes the toilet upstairs. It can also be locked to a max temp setting for if the house has kids.

Soon as the shower is in, the toilet and sink will be put into place. Last.. the door!

The office will be put on hold until the bathroom is finished. I still need to paint it (probably this weekend), and figure out what kind of lights I want. I'm leaning towards track lighting, but pots are an option also. Main reason for the hold...lack of money. The carpet and installation is going to be one of the more expensive portions of the project.

In other news, I just finished the next section of my training at work. I now have internet training and will be on the phones taking calls for that also. More work, but more hours go with it! Yay!

Mud and Tape

The last time I took pictures, there was just some studs up. Everything was half done. The contractor has finished the framing, roughed in the electrical, and is starting to tape and mud the walls now. Things are starting to look like they will be finished within my lifetime.

Tentative cleanup has started, and I'm trying to decide what colours I'm going to paint the office and bathroom. I'm leaning towards a very light blue,almost gray in the office and eggshell white in the bathroom.

Flooring will be another hard decision. I know I want carpet in the office. Not pile, but a nice berber will probably be the one I go with in the end. The room was very cold before, and I want to get a barrier between me and the cement floor. Bathroom will most likely be linoleum or stickdown tile. I just don't have the money or patience to install real tile, as much as I like it.

Everything is coming together. I will have a completed basement. I can see what the end product will be like. I'm already thinking about how nice it will be to not have to wait until the person in the washroom is done for my turn.

Workplace Antics

I started the next phase of training at work this week. Now that we are considered a "veteran" 611 agent, the company decided to train us in Internet Support. Yay!

I'm very happy with my job now. As I look back at posts from my last job, I realize I was desperately in need of a change. Well, this is it. We not only have a great environment in which to work, but the people there are fun, and easy-going. And have a great sense of humor!

One of my fellow trainee's, Rob, tends to sit reclined in his chair. He tips it back for even more comfort. As you can see in this picture, he's almost always sitting like this.

The chairs in the Conference/training room are old steno chairs. Not exactly the most comfortable, but they all recline. Most of the time, we all sit back and listen to the trainer, follow along on our computers, and try to stay awake. Earlier, a loud snap had come from Rob's chair. We couldn't find the source, so we just figured it was just a regular creaking noise from being tilted back. Little did we know it was a promise of things to come. Rob was at full tilt, and extension later this morning, when it happened. A loud crack, and two of the chair legs shattered. Pieces of plastic narrowly missed me as I got a front row seat. Rob's eyes got big as he went down in slow motion. Instantly, people went silent.. then all we could see was a fist in the "thumbs-up" sign come up from behind the table.

Matt got a picture with his phone before Rob could get up. Here it is. You can see Mike wiping away the tears from laughing beside him.

The trainer walked over, snapped a picture with his phone and then asked to have the wreckage cleared away so we could continue. It took us about 5 minutes to calm down enough to continue. A great place.

Out on the floor, where the actual work happens, we are always trying to improve ourselves.. Here's a candid picture of one of the expert agents dealing with a problem he was unfamiliar with... Make sure you click on the picture to read what book he's got there.

It's not all fun and games. Sometimes we get a customer who is cranky, upset, or just has a problem that totally stumps everyone. We do our best to make sure the problem is solved, but it can burn out a few brain cells.

Everyone pulls together and helps out. We throw out suggestions, we brainstorm, and ridicule each other to greater heights of professionalism. Sometimes, it works!

Work on my basement is going well. The framing is half done, the plumbing is half done, and once the framing is complete, electrical and plumbing will be 99% finished also. Then the gyprock goes up, and finishing starts. Pictures as I can.

Next up.. Walls!

Whew. Plumbing is done. Well, the sewers part is at least. All that's left is to plumb in the cold and hot water to the sink nad toilet once the back wall is framed in. The shower will be done after everything else is installed.

It only took 12 bags of concrete, all mixed by hand, one at a time in a wheelbarrow. My back is still sore.

Of course, as this is a project of mine, there are going to be problems all along. First was getting called in about 10 minutes before I was going to do the concrete on the floor the first time. Luckily for me they called when they did, because if it had been any later, I would have started the concrete already. I did it a day later than scheduled, but it's in.

The next roadblock is the main water shutoff for the house. In order to move the water meter closer to the wall, and be able to plumb in the bathroom, the water needs to be shut off for a couple hours. I went to do it, and the valve was seized so badly that I couldn't turn it. Good thing I found out now and not when I had a broken pipe or something. So.... Tomorrow I need to call the city to turn off the water at the street, and get a plumber to change the valve out. It should only take about 20 minutes once the water is off, but this is me we're talking about. I want to change it to a simple ball valve. That way I shouldn't have to worry about it seizing again.

The carpenter has been here and work for a bit on Saturday. He brought in the studs, and started framing in the office area. It should only be a week until he's done the framing and put up the gyprock. Then I need to get some carpet and linoleum for the two rooms, lay them down, and bring in the electrician to wire them up. Painting next, then shower, sink cabinet and toilet installation. Finally, ceilings!

No matter what anyone tells you, this is a lot of hard and exacting work. I had thought a month of weekends to do it. That was in November. I would be happy to have it done by the end of January!