Never Easy

Each fix the guys attempt is met with interesting complications that cause them to scratch their heads and wonder, "Why did they do that?"

Yesterday I stayed home all day, and after a rather late start, CW and Ornery tackled the installation of a new vent fan for the master bathroom.  The vent fan for the hall bathroom was simply installed and allowed to blow into the attic, rather than send the air outside, so they decided it would be best to fix that while they were at it.

The attic accesses in the garage were quite a ways further than the attic fan in the hall, so since we are removing that anyway, they took off the grate and used that as their access.  They discovered a broken truss support and that all the insulation around the un-vented hall exhaust fan had blown away.  They got things all hooked up with some vent tube and set it to direct the exhaust out the gable vent at the end of the house. It took them from about 2:00 to 9:30, and three trips to Lowe's (as every project requires.)

It took both guys working pretty steady to get it all hooked up properly with a few surprises along the way, but they did get the ceiling fan out of the bathroom, and a proper working exhaust in its place.  (Really? A ceiling fan???!)

Today is CW's last day here, and Ornery had to go back to work.  I stayed home this morning and called about 30 different contractors to get price quotes on gutter repair/replacement and duct cleaning. This afternoon the first of this wave of gutter contractors will come to give a quote, so Ornery will take me over after lunch.

The best part of all this search was discovering an online resource called Home Advisor. They gave me some leads (one of which I am sure I will use) almost instantly.  There is no charge (to me) for the service and all the providers seem to be really nice people and eager to serve. Other services, like Angie's list require a subscription fee, so it was nice to find one I didn't have to pay for.

So, on his last day, CW will be finishing up the showers, re-installing the hardware, put finishing touches on the grout, etc., and installing the new pedestal sink in the master bathroom. There is still a lot left to do in both bathrooms, ending with paint, but the improvement made already is amazing!  He also planned to sheet rock over the opening for the attic fan.  THAT will make a huge improvement in the looks of things down the hall!

I'll post photos later. I am loving the way things are coming together.