O.K. I need a medium to grip about the ins and outs and experiences with home contractors, their staff and home care taker types of staff. So, here I go. Let'er rip!
In this blog entry, I focus on "Is this supposed to be a time capsule?" This entry is related to a couple of experiences I have had when entering areas of building construction that haven't been visited by humans since the construction workers last had their lunch 20 years ago.
My first experience was with a garden style apartment complex that was probably built in the mid to late 60's that I lived in for approximately 5 years.
Now, this was a complex in a nice section of Fairfax County and honestly, the rent was pretty darn reasonable for the location. I realized that I was forgoing amenities such as newer and full sized stove and refrigerator. There was no dishwasher nor garbage disposal and other than paint, counter top and bathroom vanity the apartment had never had any money spent in upgrades and renovations.
But, it was in an ideal location and close to work. Positive points.
Now the downside to a complex like that is even the leasing and maintenance manager is chintzy and tight with the dime. In order to get the air filters changed it took an act of Congress and I am certain I was posted on the record somewhere for having the audacity to ask for such a thing. So, my request for the complex to send someone in to actually clean the air vents as they were spewing out chunks of dust and allergens was met with a scoff and "No, sorry, we won't pay for that."
O.K. So, I decide to get out the screw driver and my vacuum cleaner and do a little vent cleaning myself.
If I had a digital camera back then, I would have recorded the thickness of the filth inside of the air intake vent adjacent to the HVAC closet. Twenty five or thirty or so years of dirt, debris, allergens and generations of dead dust mites accumulated into inches of layers inside the vent.
Quite the job pulling that waste out and vacuuming. But, I thought, I need to do this for me. I don't need to be breathing this stuff in or continue to spread it throughout the apartment.
The gem was the loser of a worker from 1960? that had decided to create a time capsule by disposing of their lunch bag with an empty milk carton and a snack cake wrapper way at the very back of the vent just as it turned into the HVAC system.
Yeah, I kept that time capsule and left it on top of the refrigerator when I moved out. Doubt the management got the message. But, I just needed to leave that one for the record.
Next.... The current house, O'Dea-O'Dea, built exclusively for Mrs. O'Dea-O'Dea in 1983 and a time capsule discovered by me in December 2010.
My new neighbors has a mirror image house of this style and the basement of their house was built out by previous owners, as opposed to the builders who had built out the basement in this house to a living space in 1983.
Like I said, everything is flipped between the two houses. So, we all have our moments of feeling disoriented when in each other's houses.
My neighbor's husband jokingly said to me, "Have you seen my wife's room yet?" as we were standing at the foot of the basement stairs.
Huh?
He points to a door adjacent to the stairs and tells me to open it.
Low and behold there is this small closet space with bare foundation cement walls and no ceiling.
I had no idea this space existed and once it came to having workers in my basement helping to renovate and repair drywall, etc., I had them open a hole to see if indeed my house also had this secret closet/
Yes, it did! Bonus.... An excellent place to store wine, liquor and/or weapons, etc.!
Oh, but the time capsule.
Workers what is in your heads when you knowingly leave your lunch and food wrappers behind walls of construction or in vents, etc.?
A nice little gift bag on the floor with food wrappers just to let us know that human life had once touched the space decades ago.
Geez.... Thank you unknown stranger!
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