Camp is becoming more homelike

[catsittingstill]

Well, we're mostly moved.  There are a few bookcases that still need to be packed out, and most of the contents of the attic, and the carport (especially the canoe and bike stuff) but we're most of the way to being cleaned out of the old place, and we have till the end of the month to be packed out and gone, so I'd say we're comfortably ahead of schedule.

The new place is gradually becoming more homelike.  The glorious addition of DSL (the modem wasn't supposed to arrive until yesterday but it actually arrived two days early) was a big improvement over the dialup ghetto we were living in before.  Getting our desks assembled in the office so that we had a place to sit was also a quantum jump in homelikeness.  Moving the rest of the kitchen (who'd have thought we'd miss the condiments and the dishwashing stuff so much?  But the one day we didn't have them, we did.) was another jump.

Thank goodness for the paper "insta-curtains" they had at Lowes.  They're basically this accordion-pleated paper stuff with an adhesive strip on the top pleat--cut to width with an exacto knife, peal the cover strip off the adhesive, and stick to the top of the window frame.  They have two clips (a bit like clothespins) to hold them up and out of the way during the day, and at night you take the clips off and they accordion down to cover the windows so the neighbors can't see you wandering around in your pajamas.  And they cost a trifle over 3$ each, which considering how many windows this house has, is a Very Good Thing.  Eventually I will need to replace them with something real, but at least I don't have to worry about it right now.

There have been little surprises, like discovering that one of the garage windows was on the verge of falling out, but so far they've all been fixable.

And today I go pick up the used washer and dryer I bought in Knoxville.  I wonder how hard they are to hook up?

Comments

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

It will probably be worth it to get a new set of washer hoses and a new dryer vent hose. Also new "hose washers" FOR the new hoses.

I discovered the last time I bought a dryer that Not All Dryer Electric Plug-ins are Identical. If you have a digital camera handy, get an image of the plug-in at your new place. If the existing cord on the dryer will not plug into that socket, you'll need to add a new dryer cord to your shopping list.

I've been presuming this is an all-electric dryer.
If it is gas-fired, you'll need a new gas line hose, but the electrical plug-in will be generic.

Doing the actual hookups is pretty intuitive, unless you wind up having to do the dryer cord transplant. Depending on how electric-savvy folks in your family are. It's not something that requires a licensed electrician, though it DOES help to have done it before.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Washer is pretty trivial; hot hose on hot, cold hose on cold, plug in the socket, use the screw-feet to get it some semblance of level, fire up a "warm" cycle and check for leaks. (Also check to see if "warm" is really "warm".... my apartment has so much more cold pressure that "warm" with both faucets on full isn't even tepid, it's just not freezing.)

Dryer only has two hookups, the big 220V plug and the vent, but OMG the vent can be a PAIN!

Second the previous remark, new hoses and vents and such are probably a good idea. If you need it, the dryer power cord transplant isn't too bad, RTFM that comes with the package and you should be fine. (Basic electrical crash course: Black is hot, white is neutral, green is ground. This goes for wall switches too.) But if you're lucky you won't have to do this.

Oh, and make sure that when the dryer is on, you're actually getting something out the vent. We had to have our general contractor come out with a huge ladder and clear a couple birds' nests out of the vent... you can get these venitian-blind-looking things that go over your vent that keep the birdies out when the dryer is not on. RECOMMENDED! (If there's not one there alreddie. If there is, it's easy to check that you're getting good venting!)

There's a phrase for this... "House poor." New gorgeous house, but your Home Depot credit card is maxed out with all those little things that the place desperately needs...

Good luck!

[judifilksign.livejournal.com]

Bit by bit, putting it together!

I'm glad you're getting your house put together to make a new home. It's so satisfying, isn't it?

[robin-june.livejournal.com]

When installing the washer, make sure that its drain hose loops up higher than the top of the tub before it enters the plumbing's drain pipe.

See if there's any chance of an owner's manual you can download from the web for your models. (If the original owner's manuals come with your units, that would be splendid.)

[pstratt.livejournal.com]

Some other pieces of advice. Turn off the washer hose faucets at the wall when you're not using them. Hoses can fail and if you're not around when one does the damages can be astronomical.

An SCA person you might remember from Adiantum, Shara Tunoy, had one of her washer hoses fail the day after she returned from a three week trip. The ensuing flood on her second floor went to the first floor and the unit under hers. It took her five minutes to find a valve wrench to turn off the water to her condo building. The washer valves were stuck open since they hadn't been turned off for 20 years and were too hard for her to move. She mentioned a few nightmares thinking about if this had happened while she was gone.

1. Turn off washer hose faucets at wall.
2. Locate your shutoff valve.
3. Put the shutoff valve wrench in a place you know can find and *always* leave it there.

Enjoy your new house!