2022-07-29 - 11:13 a.m.

DAMN

I finished painting the front porch as the teen is tired and wanted to sleep in more but I have to get it done!
(I mean we have to have one entrance complete so we can use it! I am hoping to get as far as the porch being all stipped and depending on how hot it it perhaps start its staining/ protection!
Although already 11:15! Likely will just finish the stripping with the power washer

SO... in the dark at night

Turns out I removed the PAINT as well as the mold in one area. HA HA

I like the color of the wood underneath actually. It is a nice warm light brown color. I like it better than the redwood paint that was covering it. Since I mainly want to be sure to remove ALL mold and mildew and then seal well to protect the wood not bad idea to strip all BUT for the fact I used a super thick so call wood restorer that filled the nicks in the past. And I don't really want to undo that.

SO it might end up a funky blend of both brown and some red HA HA
A hodgpodge.
I think I may end up doing that rather than uniformity as I could always then restain with the color to get it looking better when I have the money to do so. #1 Priority is protection and preservation of the wood rather than looks just now.

I will see how bad/damaged the wood I have some fill in it is. If not too bad I may just strip it all as it then will look nicer - down to the warm light brown and use the clear Thompson sealer I bought.

I just hope there is enough for the whole porch! I know there is not enough for the railing and sides however those areas do not retain water and have mold growth so less worried about them. Again once I have income back on track I will then paint those. And honestly promise to myself I won't wait three years from cleaning and stipping to then paint! That is what got me in trouble of the state of the porch as is now. It was the starting but never getting around to finishing that projects as in my head it was so big and overwealming. But that was really just the STORY I was telling myself. Truth is once I do it- I enjoy projects like this!

Once I get on a roll then I want to tackle all the little shit that I have not yet done.

I had help tackling one broken bathroom fixuture. One teen was helping me as we are fighting with it to get the darn screws out. One of those that used what seems like a CUSTOM hex key to remove the part of the fixture that hides where you screw it into the wall.

Those toilet holders always get pulled out when kids too rough, over time. Wear and tear. Those and towel bars are hard to survive a large family that is full of ADHD impulsive folks that are not mindful of being gentle when grabbing towels and toiletpaper.

I don't think there is a solution out there that will withstand the test of time of such a family.

Reality is the fixtures will be pulled off walls and have to be re-installed over the life of family living in the home MANY TIMES.

Key is to not just do a patch job in the same spot. That is asking to re-do sooner rather than later.
Key is move the whole fixture and patch and paint the wall where it used to be.

That has better chance of remining intact longer.

So ... on my house to do I have One broken towel bar to be rehung in kids bathroom;
one broken toilet holder in main downstairs ( which two of us worked on before giving up and I decided that was not a quick project to knock off. We are stuck. The hold was spackled. Paint ready- but can't figure out how to get the intact part OFF the wall as it must have had a CUSTOM freaking hex key that came with the hardware. WTF WHY do they HAVE to do that?? Annyoying. Just use a damn reasonable normal size screw with a normal head that the AVG joe or jane homeowner can then remove and reinstall without needing some custom tool for your brand you are trying so hard to make special?? FUCK special it makes me not want to buy your brand in the future despite the REST of its quality if it is a PIA considering long term maintenance. )
Damn still salty the time I hired a dude to fix the drip he replaced the same freaking brand matching fancy expensive faucet with a crappy cheapo one from the local hardware store and tossed my good fixture..
OK have to get over it. I have not been paying for a leak in my bathroom.
and the cheap one works.

YES the cheap one works and is easier to maintain. One freaking screwdriver to tighten up when an issue.

The case of improvement being all for asdthetic and paying for status but function not there unless you can afford to life in the disposable world of fancy things designed to be obsolute in our consumerist society designed to get you to buy another one of the fancy things when it breaks in stead of it being able to be fixed.

I find that consumerism irritating. A PIA AND bad for the environment as well.

It just sucks you can't buy quality and then have it work long term.

Ce la vie.

(OK at the same time if it came with that unique damn hex key why the hell did I not SAVE it?? I mean I saved the cardboard with info on model etc.. maybe I can call and track it down with the company. BUT again PIA
Designed for making more money down the road....)

OK but this is just my venting space so let it go and remain at peace! HA HA

BUT the real DAMN I meant to write of ( but went off on that rant) is this:

One soft spot on the corner of the porch where the small wood popped out. UNDER That ( this section is near bushes and pretty hidden) I just opted to paint over the wood underneath to protect from moisture BUT
discovered soft- crumbling...
hit with the paintbrush to see a critter.

DAMN A wiggly worm looking thing

Not sure but pretty good suspicion it is this

https://www.michepestcontrol.com/blog/post/what-do-termites-look-like

That is NOT good news at all. So to add to the home expense list

AS SOON AS CAN
call pest control company and tell them to come check it out and treat for termites if they confirm that suspicion.

When I bought this home the home inspector found termite damage. The seller treated for termites. The treatment lasts 7 years so I was told.
I have had the pest control company I have hired over years treat for carpenter ants consistently and LOOK for termites to be sure no issue. They said they never saw them.

But that is not a good thing to find. I think that is in fact what I saw- the wiggly worker without wings.

UGH

So I will have them come back as soon as can and likely will need to treat to take care of that as well.

Call back interview at 12:30. So think good time to eat some lunch and focus on cleaning room until then as I don't want to start the power washer til AFTER that interview.

This is unfortunately the LOWEST PAYING JOB of any I have considered. It is however a short term contract. A company needs help short term as they re-org it seems.

Might be a good fit for a client if they will go corp to corp.

At this point I can't be too picky. I can't demand more than they have actually budgeted for and will hire for. I have the skill set and experience they need. So if full time for only a few months it will give me a large corporate client in my company porfolio and help be stay afloat and may be a good thing.

The NYC enterainment company was a no go. They just need entry level and that pay was TOO LOW for consideration. Definately an entry level role so said no to that. Sure interesting new space but I can't afford to take a job just for the fun of learning something new just now. I just can't afford that FULL Time when they are looking for a long term person. The difference is that this job which is lower paid than my worth is for a shorter term. That might work for me -with potential for long term PART TIME support once I get set up with them. I can't have too many clients that are not paying what I am worth per hour but TO START a couple of those to build a portfolio are better than no clients. That is how Everyone starts! you have to build a reputation and then let folks KNOW your value to be paid your value.
So this might be a good start ( along with the current client).
Will see

�

�