I’ve done an interim budget calculation for the third bedroom. The originals did not (and could not) have an accurate estimate for tools. This kind of work is surprisingly cheap if you do it yourself, but it is dusty, draining labor. That’s also a strong message that most houses don’t get it done. While the insulation will be pricey, the facts are still in support of doing it right. That is, even if the room ends up costing a thousand dollars, it will pay off handsomely in the first few months. The addition of the third main door makes it the safest property here. Just to recap things, this third bedroom changes the potential character of the premises. By [later] locking a single door, it becomes a two-unit apartment that compares well with most of the converted garages and sundecks called “efficiencies” in the part of the territory—and this is a much nicer area. Each section will have the required two exits, and in some cases three. If all works out, this place was a steal. (The living room alone is larger than the Hippie’s whole place.) Note that there is a very high proportion of SUVs, fancy Chryslers, and Cadillacs on this street.
By 10:00 A.M. we have email from Wallace. He is heading east from Tonasket, reporting his repairs cost less than anticipated. I have my cell phone back along with two sledge hammers borrowed from Fred. I finally had to cut the wall through, for although it was well built, a lot of the parts were buried by old flashing and that old door frame. The floor levels don’t match and I suspect there may be a stairwell behind the old door frame, as well. Working the sledge in this weather is damn good exercise. The circuits are unmarked, but not having to go outside around the building will make testing a little easier. The panel is in Wallace’s closet, so make sure you pay your rent on time.
Six hours later, the old wall is mostly gone and we get us a surprise. When I found the breaker, the entire Florida room, utility room, the living room fan and this computer went dead. That’s ten outlets on one circuit, which I believe is the maximum. I’d still like to split it up, but that breaker box is full. I’ll have to take the cover off and see if all the breakers are actually being used. There is no way to add an air conditioner to the existing arrangement.
Another surprise, the power to the Florida room must be tapped off a circuit in the back part of the building, meaning contrary to what it looks like, the utility room was built before the Florida room, or there was formerly a deck and the Florida room was built on top of it. The wall sheets turned out to be good-one-side plywood, so I had to wreck it completely to get if out of there. I will be able to move into the new area before it is completely finished, which is good news. The dimensions of the new bedroom room will make it a very large and rentable area if need be. I’ve already noted how the ceiling insulation is also effective sound-proofing.
Leif was over, amazed by the progress. He showed me the hurricane damage to his trailer, how one corner got lifted off the skirt. That’s why I like the concrete foundation here; skirts come off and lift up too easily, just like the real thing. I bolted the corner of his shed down where water was leaking in. It should be caulked so remind me when I get to that stage over here.
I got a voice mail from the Hippie. As usual, he tries to turn a simple duo set for tomorrow into a big production number. He wants to bring his band, the Po Boys, making it into a five piece orchestra. It would be snarky to ask why that heavily advertised band is not playing up in Ft. Lauderdale on a weekend, but I won’t say anything. I sent back a recording reminding him who is boss on this one, that my plan was to present a realistic duo sound that might actually get us hired somewhere, so his people may be sitting doing nothing for long stretches. What they do cannot clash or interfere with my show. He will be sadly disappointed if he’s thinking Jimbo’s will ever support an open mic of the kind he favors. (At Jimbo’s, if you are not playing what they want, somebody will go put money in the juke box.)
Wait, there’s more. I did the six mile bike ride to Jimbo’s to check on the Karaoke show. Sadly, Ron is now blind in one eye and may not be able to continue at all. This affects the whole operation, as the crowd will melt away too soon. There is talk hee’ll sell his gear but all this takes time. Jackie suggested we walk up to Boston Johnny’s for a soda. Be damned, who remembers that Korean guy that walked past HWB last year? The guy who stood in for a while on the Broadwalk? Good thing I write this stuff down.
I have his email and partial song list. We slayed ‘em on the beach and we can do the same elsewhere, because I am the ideal “backup band” for the material he does. I thought he had to leave the country or something, he says otherwise, which is good. Arnel, that’s his name. Here we go. August 26, 2007. There is no mention that we jammed because it probably didn’t seem important at the time. So much for my fashion budget, the photos show I am wearing the exact same outfit tonight as ten months ago.
