Home Improvements

This past week was the beginning of a major home improvement - this was our back yard and the alley behind, below was our front yard.  Remember how hot is was last summer? - so hot that I actually MOVED my sewing and much of my existance downstairs to the basement.  Our old A.C. unit was inadequate for that extraordinary heat.  Additionally, our old behemoth of a furnace that was over 50 years old, wile still functioning, it had definitely seen better days, and was terribly inefficient, compared to new models.  We bit the bullet and "called the man".   (Should I say his mother is a quilter?) 

We were shocked at the cost of upgrading our electrical service -- double to our guesstimate.   That job was done the previous week with 3 guys.  All this work was accompanied lots of noise, hammering, ladders, up and down on the roof, in and out of the house, up and down stairs, Building Inspection, but was eventually ready for installation of the HVAC system.

Removing the old furnace equipment from the house was an astonishing production.  I was shocked at the amount of old junky, dirty stuff that came out of the furnace room.  The old firebox itself must have weighed over 500 lbs - that was scarey to know that monstrosity had been working as well as it did!  There were 5-6 young guys in and out of our house for most of 4 days - I lost track of trips in and out.  They had put down plastic over the carpet, and took as much care as possible - they were the best -- polite, courteous, hard-working, skilled, professional and considerate.  I wish I had a dollar for every trip up or down stairs!  Yikes, such energy.  They also were in and out, up and down, in the ceiling putting in new "runs", making things, taking apart things, dumping old stuff, unpacking new stuff, pounding, coming and going, sawing holes in the carpet/floor for new registers!  So much activity wore us both out - we had to miss our naps for 4 DAYS!

Some of stuff coming IN - only a fraction of the total!  (I liked the poppies in the background!)

Ahhhh, the new A.C. condenser!  Happy Day!

Of course, all is computer-everything!  A person can't just "fix" things any more!  The digital inside thermostat is another computer - can be connected to a smart phone, if I get  a modem.  I could actually be far from home and adjust the home thermostat digitally so the house is warmed to the right temp when I walk in the door.  Oh Good Grief!!!

All this work was done in 4 days.  Since installation, we've had some cool weather - the furnace works great!  Now we're waiting for hot weather, to see how the A.C. works.  8-)))  Naturally, we had to "play" with the computer thermostat!  It's a relief to know this big job is done, and done well. Funny thing - when we bought the house 15 years ago, this was going to be the first improvement!  LOL

Oh yes, one more good thing - there was so much activity, we couldn't waste time watching the danged news on the TV, so DH finished HIS boat project and I finished MY quilt project!  That will be another post!