Ahhhhh. We had four new fixtures installed this morning. The guy took his sweet time though, and by the time he left, I had already put Sissy down for her nap. When she woke up, it was 1 pm and she needed lunch. I pick up Buddy from school at 2:40, so that didn't leave me enough time to get to the Super Satan (or Evil Empire or Wal-Mart, take your pick).
Our front porch light burned out quite some time ago, so it is extra nice to have a light there again. I always felt bad when we had company and they'd have to navigate our scary concrete porch steps with no illumination. Since we replaced the front porch, we also replaced the one on the back patio. Just so they'd match, really. The back one was fine, but O.L.D. And, we can't have that.
Along with those three (ugly fan replaced by tasteful light, front porch and back patio), we also had the light under the carport replaced. The Evil Twin had cracked the housing due to frequent bulb changes (he liked it to be on all the time, so bulbs burnt out quickly). We decided on a motion light which will be there when we need it, but not on 24/7, thereby reducing the wear and tear on the bulbs - not to mention our electric bill! Yay!
I think I am going to look into learning more about electricity. Perhaps there is an "Electricity for Dummies" book out there just waiting for me. We have plenty of other outdated light fixtures in this place that need updating, but after shelling out $275 for 3 hours worth of labor, I'm thinking, "That didn't look too hard." I'm a smart gal. Not very industrious, but a few synapses are firing mightily on a regular basis.
My dad, being the great human being he was, always told me I didn't have to "settle" for the jobs routinely held by women - teacher, secretary, nurse. (not that there's anything wrong with those professions - I was a secretary before I became Mom). He said, "You can be a doctor or a lawyer. Don't ever let the fact that you're a female hold you back." He also told me I could do anything I put my mind to. He was right, cause I'm one stubborn beyotch.
I have a friend across the street who is handy around the house and she has taught me loads of things. Wallpaper removal being the first item. She even came over when I was pregnant with Sissy and got up on a ladder and removed an ugly border from Buddy's room, so the Evil Twin could paint it. She and her husband pulled up their carpeting to reveal their hardwood floors. I plan to ask her advice on carpet removal next. She's so sweet, she'll probably even offer to come over to help!
Alrighty, I've got a million things to do tomorrow - grocery shopping being a high priority - so I'll leave it here for now. See ya tomorrow!
Oh, heck yeah, learn the electrical! My hubby and I have saved a fortune by doing a lot of work ourselves. As long as it doesn't require rewiring, it's pretty simple stuff. It breaks hubby's heart that his folks have to hire someone every time they want something changed out, and he's too far away to do it for them.
ReplyDeleteThat price/time seems a little high/long for doing those jobs, but not really too out of line. When you have to pull new wire is when it really gets time consuming/expensive.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wordnerd. I say look into it. If you are not adding a new circuit or working in the main panel, it really isn't that difficult and can be really rewarding. There are a ton of books out there at the library.
Then again, since your house is older I'm not sure how new your wiring is at this point. Working with an outdated system can require a little more expertise when it comes to grounding.
Boy that really helped.