House and Home II: Shelter In Place

[Deleted]

The plumber, the building superintendent, and my neighbors couldn't smell it and after consulting with my landlord and my doctor I've determined that the actual culprits are my chronically jacked up sinuses and my apparently worsening anxiety. So I bought a neti pot and my doctor prescribed an anti-anxiety medication in case I decide I want it.

So...yeah. I'm at the part in the anxiety cycle where I'm embarrassed by my freak outs. The past few days have been a ride y'all.

[Deleted]

Yikes. Hope you feel better with everything soon, between sinus trouble and anxiety, sounds super stressful.
I guess the good thing is knowing you can take regular showers now?? Hopefully.

[Deleted]

The shower is fine. I think it was legitimately fume-y while it was clogged but at some point my anxiety took over and made everything worse. Today was definitely the low point.

Anyways, I’m sorry to have hijacked this thread with my neurosis for so long and I really appreciate you guys for indulging me!

[mojogirl]

I moved to Seattle in 2012. In 2013, I read Sandi Doughton's Full Rip 9.0 about the huge earthquake that could hit the PNW. I lived the first 33 years of my life in So Cal, so I am used to earthquakes.

What did catch my attention in the book is her describing how the earth would move if the Cascadia fault goes. My house is almost 100 years old, and is wood-frame construction. It would most likely survive even a very strong earthquake. However, the foundation of the house is buried in the ground, and if the earth moves a few inches, the foundation will move with it while the house will stay where it is (Newton's first law of motion) and become a total loss.

I have been wanting to retrofit the house since I read this - you basically bolt the house to the foundation so they will move together. We came into a chunk of money during the shutdown and scheduled a contractor, and they just finished today. We also installed an auto-shutoff valve on the gas meter, and the first day when they were pounding in the bolts it triggered the valve, so I know it works!

Anyway I didn't want to tempt 2020 by talking about this before it was done...

[biondetta]

We've needed a new sofa for ages, and had been planning on buying one soon through IKEA. Then last week, my bed broke. The mattresses need replacing too, anyway, so I bit the bullet and bought the sofa, a new bed frame, and mattresses. And then the following day I fell and really jacked up one of my knees.

Today the sofa and bed frame arrived. The mattresses don't arrive until the 21st. My knee is still jacked up. And the sofa isn't even remotely constructed. We've bought quite a few sofa's from IKEA over the years, due to big moves, etc. This is the first time where the basic framework wasn't put together. I've had to put legs and covers on, sure, but this time the whole damn thing has to be put together. I just about cried. I did have a bit of an anxiety attack. So yeah, I get to try to put it together tomorrow completely on my own, as my husband is in a wheelchair. As it is, I specifically bought a much simpler bed frame than I really wanted, because I knew I'd have to put it together, and that was before I jacked up my knee.

2020 strikes again.

[Gigiree]

We finally sold our house last month after almost 120 days on the market. For some reason, there was a slew of real estate activity in the couple of weeks after Labor Day. We received an offer on a Friday, negotiated and accepted on Saturday, and viewed six homes and bought one on Sunday. We move two weeks from today.

I am overwhelmed with packing in addition to helping my girls +1 with online, distance learning. It’s a hassle trying to pack what you think you won’t need for the next while, and then have to dig through boxes because you are wrong.

I wish I could wave a magic wand and be done with all of it.

[biondetta]

So we're in the process of buying a new place and we're going to have to install the entire kitchen. Sadly, it's not set up for gas and I think our only real option here now is induction stovetop. I'm not thrilled, especially as it seems like I'm going to have to buy all new pots and pans. Is this true? I read that if a magnet sticks, then it's fine, but I used a good magnet and nothing stuck. I'm so annoyed at having to buy yet more stuff when this is a tight budget already. Any tips on generically what to look for, as I'm in Europe, so brands aren't necessarily going to be the same/available. Any other tips on dealing with induction stovetops?

[Crankybird]

Feb 1, 2021 10:38:19 GMT -4 biondetta said:

So we're in the process of buying a new place and we're going to have to install the entire kitchen. Sadly, it's not set up for gas and I think our only real option here now is induction stovetop. I'm not thrilled, especially as it seems like I'm going to have to buy all new pots and pans. Is this true? I read that if a magnet sticks, then it's fine, but I used a good magnet and nothing stuck. I'm so annoyed at having to buy yet more stuff when this is a tight budget already. Any tips on generically what to look for, as I'm in Europe, so brands aren't necessarily going to be the same/available. Any other tips on dealing with induction stovetops?

When we first moved here, I spent an unhappy evening trying a magnet with my own pots and pan. There may have been some sniffling and a few tears as I realized that NOTHING would work with our new cooktop.

We've been happy with our IKEA 365+ set. It looks like most, if not all, of IKEA's pots and pans will work with induction cooktops.

My husband accidentally dropped a beer bottle on our cooktop and shattered the glass along the edge. It still works perfectly, fortunately, but I've made sure to be very careful with heavy items around the cooktop ever since...

Some people place a trivet over the controls/burners to keep the stove from being turned on accidentally - or on purpose, in the case of my cats. We have this one: www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/laemplig-trivet-stainless-steel-30111087/

[biondetta]

Thank you! I did find a relatively inexpensive IKEA set of pots and pans that should do. I just need one really small pan for frying eggs and smaller items like that. Thanks for the trivet tip, too. We have one dog who gets nosy, though hopefully she's that shade too short to get to the controls. I need a new trivet anyway, though.

[PearlySweetcake]

This is the last thread I thought I'd ever be in, but here we are. I have inherited my late mom's double-wide mobile home in a nice, well-manicured retirement park (for people 55+, so I can live there). This is the closest I've ever been to being a homeowner. It's easily 2x (maybe 3x) the size of the small rental I'm crammed into right now (with my disabled brother, whom I support), and land rental for the mobile home (I own the home, not the land) plus water/sewer/garbage is 2/3 what I pay currently pay for rent alone. I know it's not a house per se, but it's still a heady feeling to walk around the rooms and think "OMG this is mine. I own this." A living room, and a dining room, AND a TV room. Wow. Right now, my front room is all three, plus an office. I eat at the coffee table (that I bought in 1986) because there's no room for a dining table.

One of my last remaining uncles is a retired home construction contractor, one of those greatest generation guys who built all his homes with his own hands, and he'll do a walkthrough and tell me what needs immediate repairs, and whether it's a DIY or not. I have a healthy respect for unforgiving properties like electricity, and will definitely hire that out. My first project will be the living room. I'm going for a cozy English country feel, with all my bookcases, and I'm searching for a comfy sofa and side chairs, the kind where you grab the nearest book, and sink down for an afternoon of reading, a cup of tea at your side. For the first time ever, I'm actually looking at home decorating books and magazines. It's a whole new world.