Mid week news

Well, not really "news", just an update I guess.  The windows are in - city inspector comes in about a half hour to sign off on the job and close out our work permit.  I installed the smoke detectors yesterday (new ones have to be in every bedroom with carbon monoxide detectors on every level.)  Given this update to the code we now have 3 smoke detectors within 2 feet of each other upstairs.  I had no trouble installing them, but I probably should test them quick.

They work.  Well, they beeped when I pushed the button anyway.  Here are some pictures.  I had to take one of the front window from far away because it was too sunny to have the flash work, and so the picture turned out too dark. 
Front window - Before - note the fine picture of "Dancing Potato"

After - we changed the window from 4 rectangle panes to two rectangles with a larger square in the middle.  Basically taking out the middle divider.  Seems to let in more light.   

 

The back windows.....sliding door stayed the same.

 

 

 

The sun-room before...

 

 

The sun-room after....

We didn't change the 2 triangle windows up on top.  The painters are supposed to come in the next 2 weeks to stain the trim so that it matches the walls.  Note the SIXTEEN blinds on the couch that will have to go up later.  Although, I do really like the room with no blinds too.



 

 

Also on the home improvement front, I can wash clothes again today!  Our washer had slowly been going down hill, not spinning very fast in the spin cycle.  So I would wash a small load of clothes, then they wouldn't spin so they'd be sopping wet.  I take that whole mess out of the washer and divide it into 3 even smaller loads. (Like 2 shirts and 1 pair of pants) Then I would spin THOSE groups 2-3 times each.  All in all, 1 load would take an extra hour if I kept on top of it, which I never did - so I would get like 1 load done every other day or so.  I was getting VERY backed up, but refusing to spend money on a new one when it wasn't completely dead.

 

So I did some hunting and (thanks to the Internet) found what I thought was the problem - the clutch drive.  I also found a YouTube video showing how to replace the part, showed it to John and asked "Do you want to do that?"  We got the part ordered, and John put the washer back together last night, and low and behold......it worked!  One load - one spin. 

 

P.S. - On that first load the sink that the washer dumps into actually overflowed, so we had water everywhere....BUT it had nothing to do with the initial problem, and seems to be all better now!

 

I've never been so happy to wash clothes.