Construction and Industrial Articles
posted on 11 October 2011
Imagine having this beautiful, modern duplex penthouse with two big terraces and lots of space on the inside. It is only 4 years old and when I saw it, I just had to have it because it was so gorgeous. Anybody who comes to visit goes "ooh" and "wow" and "how fabulous!". And I agree: every time I walk in, I'm so happy to be home, and even after 4 years I still can not get over how beautiful it is. Over these past years, I spent a lot of time decorating and finding just the right furniture, and using modern fasteners like velcro. But nothing is perfect, right? And neither is my penthouse. There are certain things about a house you can not possibly know before you move in and live in it for a while. Actually, my penthouse is not a straightforward penthouse, but sort of like a box in between other boxes, and my second floor sits on top of my neighbors flat. Which, of course, should not be a problem. But here comes the glitch: this brand new modern building comes with absolutely crappy acoustic insulation. And when I say crappy, I mean really crappy: I can hear my neighbors talk, laugh, cough and do other things you really do not want to hear your neighbors doing. In the morning, I can even hear alarms going off. But you know what the worst part of it is? If I can hear them, they can hear me. So I'm constantly trying to be as quiet as I possibly can, and it just drives me completely insane. Somebody out there made some big money using inferior construction materials, but there is nothing I can do about it, it would be just impossible to completely strip down the building and put in new insulation. The only other option is to sell, but I'll never be able to find another nice place like this for the budget I have. So I stick with the only option I have: play music fairly loudly all of the time, and sleep with earplugs. And maybe one of these days I'll win the lottery... |
|
posted on 17 July 2011
The single, largest, most awful smelling cleanup I have ever had happened when the landlord changed my locks while I was gone. And I say that having had a career doing quite messy jobs - including working for tank cleaning services in Dorset.
I had 6 cats. No, I am not one of those crazy cat people that hoard away piles of trash in their home. Although you can't tell from how my kitchen looks at the moment, I am actually one of the cleanest people ever. I had two cats, one had babies. You know how hard it is to find good homes for kittens? They grow quick too. Before I knew it they were 6+ months old. Well, I was moving. I gave proper notice. My last month of rent was paid at move in. (Whoo! Free month!) Now, this house used a butane tank. The landlord had the tank filled, without even mentioning it to me, after he was aware I was moving. I was not about to pay for a tank of butane at a house where I wasn't living. He decided this gave him legal grounds to change the locks, and personally guard the place, holding my possessions hostage. He was an animal lover though, so he went in and put out plenty of food and water for my cats. Enough for days. Which is how long it took for me to get the police to finally settle their jurisdiction issues, come out there, and force him to let me in. The cats had all been closed off in the bedroom. All six of them! For 2 weeks! There were cat turds everywhere. On my bed, my clothes, piles in every corner. The urine smell about knocked me over. The police would not even enter the home without ventilators. The landlord ended up having to replace the flooring before new tenants could occupy it. |
|
posted on 8 March 2011
One thing I would love to change about my home is my kitchen. The kitchen I have at present is reminiscent of a leftover hallway that someone figured would make a perfect one person fit kitchen. Although I have a fullsize refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher, there is virtually no counterspace, and the only place to stand is on a little strip of kitchen floor that runs through the middle of the kitchen. If I had the means I would knock out a wall, expand the size of the kitchen, and add a huge butcher block style table in the middle.
My friend's help (and his masonry saw too!) would come in handy for the bigger, tougher jobs.
I'd install larger cupboards, and shelves to hold my pots and pans. There would be room on the middle of the kitchen table for canisters and other equipment, plus one side would be big enough to fit a few tall stools so my family could sit there and eat if they wished. I don't even have room for a child's table in my kitchen now! There would be hanging baskets to hold food items such as onions and potatoes. A state of the art microwave and food processor would complete my kitchen. My tiny pantry would be enlarged, too, allowing more food to store dry goods like flour and sugar, cereals, and canned goods.
Additionally, my cat's food would no longer need to be put under the tiny stepstool in my kitchen instead, he would have a nice area with a large mat, his food and water bowls, and treats. My state of the art kitchen would be so wonderful I'd spend all my time in it! |
|
|
|
|