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I started the day with a headache, so took the day off. Laid in bed until around 9:30am, then eased myself into the day.
Had a guy come to do the pest check after lunch, still no sign of termites. He had one of those heat-sensing 'flir' cameras - this one was 15 years old, and it was so neat to look over his shoulder and see where the heat/cold points were happening.
Had some good discussions about building, building envelopes, insulation, etc. Also about tradies and the problem of how to get good ones when the system doesn't allow for good training, and the primary concern is not good workmanship but get the job done so you can do another. He was pretty impressed that I climbed into the roofspace with him and asked questions about the insulation, tiling, sarking, etc, as well as the evidence of rat nests from a couple of years ago, and the cockroach eggs he found. (Need to call someone back in January to get them before they lay the next cycle of eggs.)
We talked about airflow through roof spaces and underfloor spaces, and the mould that's covering so many spaces right now. And seeing as he was a fairly thorough sort, I asked if he knew tradies for roofing insulation, asbestos removal, and wall insulation.
One thing that always disconcerts me a little is how people say "well, that'll cost you THOUSANDS". And my brain promptly jumps to, oh, "eighty, ninety thousand dollars". When quite possibly they only mean "ten thousand dollars". There's a lot of "thousands" before we reach "millions" and I would prefer to know the brackets: tens, fifties, hundred thousands? Be specific, please!
Anyway, the headache vanished during the day but is back again, and this time around the eyes. Might be time to lay me down to sleep.
Had a guy come to do the pest check after lunch, still no sign of termites. He had one of those heat-sensing 'flir' cameras - this one was 15 years old, and it was so neat to look over his shoulder and see where the heat/cold points were happening.
Had some good discussions about building, building envelopes, insulation, etc. Also about tradies and the problem of how to get good ones when the system doesn't allow for good training, and the primary concern is not good workmanship but get the job done so you can do another. He was pretty impressed that I climbed into the roofspace with him and asked questions about the insulation, tiling, sarking, etc, as well as the evidence of rat nests from a couple of years ago, and the cockroach eggs he found. (Need to call someone back in January to get them before they lay the next cycle of eggs.)
We talked about airflow through roof spaces and underfloor spaces, and the mould that's covering so many spaces right now. And seeing as he was a fairly thorough sort, I asked if he knew tradies for roofing insulation, asbestos removal, and wall insulation.
One thing that always disconcerts me a little is how people say "well, that'll cost you THOUSANDS". And my brain promptly jumps to, oh, "eighty, ninety thousand dollars". When quite possibly they only mean "ten thousand dollars". There's a lot of "thousands" before we reach "millions" and I would prefer to know the brackets: tens, fifties, hundred thousands? Be specific, please!
Anyway, the headache vanished during the day but is back again, and this time around the eyes. Might be time to lay me down to sleep.
no subject
Hoping all goes well and is not horribly expensive.
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If I hear the word "thousands" I just shut off. That's so far out of our realm of possibility at any level of thousands. We did pay cash for our car, but that was money we were given by Pat's brother (as a part of an inheritance he'd received from their oldest brother who died), so we don't count that.
I did write a check for $4500 for braces, but that caused me to hyperventilate. I think the orthodontist thought I was going to pass out. (I would have if I didn't think it would make him not want to do my braces.)
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Thanks! I have to start calling people, gathering information, and trying not to get ripped off by tradies, etc... That's always fun.
no subject
And the cost of things and the relativity of the terms 'expensive' etc. is always intriguing to me: what one person thinks is expensive is what someone else shrugs at. And right now, the Sydney building market is more than a little crazy, so "thousands" to me covers anything from $5K to $50K to $500K, all of which involve very different levels of financial management!