Operation Re-invent My House is finally beginning

There’s finally some progress on my changes to my house—small prpgress, but progress nevertheless. Today I had the first two folks come to my house to give me quotes I asked for at the Home Show last Saturday. Next week, I have two more scheduled, one on Monday, and the second on Wednesday.

The first quote today was originally going to be for a motorised awning for the patio, but I’d already decided that option wasn’t going to work for me because I want the patio covered so I don’t have to keep my table and chairs under a cover all the time. The past 5+ years living here have taught me that I know I won’t use the table if it’s too hard to access, and taking the cover off the table and chairs is a huge hassle. So, I decided I need a fixed roof over the patio.

So, I told the booking person I’d changed my mind, but added that instead I was interested in getting a quote for blinds for three windows—the toilet (room, not throne), bathroom, and en suite. One issue for all three is that in winter those three rooms get very cold at night (they don’t have heating), so I close the doors in the evening. I think the blinds (wood-look thick white PVC slats) could be just enough insulation that I don’t have to do that, or, at least, not for the en suite. I’m certain, though, that it’ll keep the hot afternoon summer sun out of the en suite. I went with them because Nigel and I had the same company install blinds on nearly all our windows at our house on Auckland’s North Shore, and they were excellent. I accepted the quote, and paid a deposit, so that’s underway.

The second quote today was for a fixed roof system for the patio using aluminium framing and clear or tinted roof panels (acrylic or polycarbonate). I’ve known about the company for years, and one of the things that’s always appealed to me about them is that they use New Zealand-made components, rather than imported (much of it is made right here in Hamilton, actually). However, the solid acrylic panels are made by a company that manufactures them in New Zealand and also South Africa, and they export back and forth depending on their business’s needs. The solid acrylic panels are substantially stronger than polycarbonate, and can supposedly can be walked on. The polycarbonate option, while cheaper, requires more support underneath, which means a more cluttered look. I don’t have the actual quote yet, but I do know the earliest installation would be January, if I do accept the quote.

At the show, I talked to a company that installs a louvred patio cover system (apparently also made in NZ) which can be opened, however, as I said, I want a fixed roof system so I can use patio furniture without uncovering it first, which would mean leaving the louvres closed. However, when the louvres are closed, it doesn’t let light through, which isn’t ideal, especially when the two sets of stacker doors are the main source of daylight for the living area. The company sent me an email saying they had a huge backlog of quote requests, which I don’t doubt. I think I may not proceed with a quote for that, though, because I don’t think it meets my needs.

However, those were the only two patio cover companies I talked to at the Show, so I need to research and get quotes from other companies, too, because it’s too expensive to just get one quote.

The quote on Monday is for ducted air conditioning, the first of those—I hope? I haven’t yet been contacted by the other company I spoke to at the show, and the company that installed my ducted ventilation-only system (whichI talked to at the Show) didn’t note I wanted a quote to upgrade their system to full HVAC (a term seldom used in NZ, actually…), and they haven’t yet contacted me again about a quote for the upgrade.

Today I received a call from the company I spoke with about adding a battery bank to my solar electricity system. I need to dig up power bills so they can work out whether the ROI (return on investment) would justify the big cost, however, one factor I thought of recently is that having a complete solar power system would probably be more attractive to potential buyers of my house. So, this is still in progress, though I’ll know more one Wednesday next week when the guy comes to talk to me about it. If I do go with them, though, the battery bank will not be from Tesla.

Also, and not related to the show, I contacted a specialist company that cleans solar panels to get a quote. I know better than to climb up on a roof at my advanced age, so I can’t clean them myself. However, the main reason I need specialists is because lichen is growing on some panels, and they’d know how to clean the panels without damaging them. The comapny sent through the quote late this afternoon, and I accepted it this evening.

Earlier this week I ordered some storage solutions for my pantry, and they arrived yesterday. I last organised my pantry two years ago, and while that was a huge improvement, I knew it wasn’t quite right. My new solutions should help, but I also have more (and much bigger) solutions that I’m still planning. As always, I’ll document all those changes.

In summary, then, Operation Re-invent My House is definitely underway! Now, I just have to focus more on the various projects I’ll work on myself. Sometimes focusing is a job in itself.