Contruction Update for January

A story that I haven't shared from the fire, seems appropriate here. As the insurance adjuster was making her way through the house taking pictures and making notes on the house structure that needed repair, she got to the living room where door frames, book shelves, and wood furniture all had "pieces" missing. At first she started taking pictures then paused. "Wait. That's not fire damage."
"No," I said, "That's from the birds."
"Well, I'm not paying for that."
I write that with a smile on my face. I simple wasn't bothered by the "notches". But the contractor who liked that I rescue animals, assures me he will work it into getting things fixed. I shrug, "great, new toys!"

spinnyspoo respondse from mytoos:
I guess she didn't know that you had resigned yourself to never having intact furniture anyway!!!

How are you keeping Maria?


My neighbors are wonderful and call me with any concerns about my property. So I got a call from a neighbor Friday. Front gate is blown down, and it looks like someone has tried to break into my garage. I paid one contractor $750 to fix the gate in November because I had several people on the property taking things as all my stuff hadn't been packed out yet. Now between several storms here in CA, it has been completely destroyed. Of course they have been paid, so do they return my calls, no.

I call the contractor who has half finished the foundation work and left everything open and exposed, so now just one big muddy mess and all of that is draining into my basement now opened up, to see if maybe he damaged the garage door when he was removing cement. Of course he can't be reached.

Finally called the head contractor who promised during the last rain storms to fix the tarp after that storm and didn't, if he would now fix the tarp covering my roof as rain continues to deluge into the laundry area. "Oh okay, I'll will fix it, but don't worry, everything will be taken care of," he says.

I am sitting in my driveway three months after the fire with nothing more than mud holes as accomplishments, looking at broken garages, seeping roofs and dangling fence gates. Yeah, don't worry. I hate contractors!

But on the brighter side, again the rescue community is doing better. I am fostering several birds for Mickaboo, http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p60/couragee/rescues/
and puppies for SPCA. I also have been gardening at the house. I can't live there, but at least my lot look presentable. Besides it is calming.

Randi over at NY birds has finished a dryer hazzard page. Check it out:
http://newyorkbirds.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=646

And Anne is almost done with my memorial.

BTW, here are some ideas if you are in fact thinking of remodeling:
Despite the fact that it is very, very rare for a dryer fire to leave the metal case itself, it obviously does happen. The proximity of cold water supply also give us an opportunity to improve home safety.

The plumber shuts off the water, pull the cold water supply bib, add a nipple and a tee, reinstall the bib, add a 3-4 foot 3/4" metal pipe going straight up the wall, add an elbow, and add a single, side mount sprinkler head. The pipe must be metal since it will be exposed to heat- no plastic, no copper joints to melt, either.

The application of this design is limited, though. You must have some type of enclosed laundry area, and you must keep the doors closed. The small "California Laundry Room" between the main hallway and the garage would be ideal, but a garage laundry area, or my new laundry room, at the base of an open stairway to the second floor, would not be appropriate- remember, the sprinkler head must have enough accumulated heat in the event of a fire to activate itself.

For more information on fire sprinkler news:
http://www.nfsa.org/index2.htm

For more information of fire sprikler design:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pro-comm-online.com/Graphics/Fire-WetPipesys.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.pro-comm-online.com/SubFiles/Fire-SprinklerSystem.htm&h=412&w=300&sz=31&tbnid=He3Kzt8eqv2jwM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfire%2Bsprinkler%26um%3D1&start=3&ei=geCaR774OanmpgS28ti0CQ&sig2=r_PdF0vGzXatiPOM5HxLmg&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3

A little added information from Pro-Comm.

The wet pipe system is the simplest and most common type of fire sprinkler installation. Wet systems are frequently installed in factories, warehouses, and office buildings where the potential for freezing does not exist. A Viking wet pipe system riser can employ a check valve along with an electric waterflow indicator and electric alarm, or for installations requiring a mechanical alarm, Viking offers an alarm check valve and water motor alarm.
Whichever Viking configuration you choose, you will get components designed for dependable operation, long life, easy installation, and low maintenance.

© 1997, The Viking Corporation