Still more project news

Last week, I gave an update on the various projects I’m having others do for me. There are now some updates to the updates

The only one related to a big project is about the ducted air conditioning—and I should reiterate that in New Zealand, “air conditioning” refers to heating and cooling, usually heat pump units of some kind. In my case, it’s more analogous to what Americans call an HVAC system, though it’s still a heat pump system.

The update is that the company is sending someone next week to check out the air conditioner in the living area to see if it can be repaired (and, if so, how much…). He’s also going to quote on removing the existing heat pumps (usually called “high wall” systems because the inside unit is mounted high on the wall). It seems silly to leave them in place when they’re no longer needed, but I’ve heard that it’s expensive to recharge a used system with refrigerant. So, they may be no more than formerly expensive scrap metal. Stay tuned.

The same guy will answer my questions about the installation of the ducted system, like where the vents will go, and also what I need to clear so that their job will be as easy as possible. The ducted system will be installed November 19 and 20—the week after next. The temperatures are already rising, and it gets quite uncomfortable in the living area in the afternoon (my bedroom’s heat pump unit works perfectly), so I'm very glad this is happening soon!

Yesterday, the blinds were installed in the toilet (room, not throne), bathroom, and en suite, and I really like them. They look a lot like the blinds in the bedrooms and living area, so much so that I think that the average would probably never notice they’re different. When I have the slats completely open, the light is a less bright, but I think it makes it subdued rather than dimmed. I like being able to close them, too, especially at night.

That still leaves the screens, but today I got a follow-up email from the company, and so, I asked if they could quote on the (much less expensive) magnetic screens for my bedroom. My reason for that isn’t cost—or, at least, not exclusively—but, instead, that I think it makes more sense for all the screens in the house (should I choose to install them…) to operate the same way throughout the house. However, the main reason for my hesitation is still what I said when I first talked about the possible project: “If I can’t have what I want, should I then pivot and want something just because it’s what I can have?” I still don’t know the answer to that question, but I re-read the original quote today and it doesn’t expire until December—I kinda think having more time makes the situation a bit worse.

So, the two biggest projects are underway, and the one remaining quote is a tiny bit closer to conclusion. That’s not the end of the story, though.

I’ve started removing the weeds around the patio, something I gave up on last year, mainly because it was a lot of work (in the heat…) for an area that I never used. However, in a month or two I’ll be using that space (and I’m so excited about that!), so it’s time to start getting the patio area ready—and I have a month or two to do it. This also means I have to move the Vegepod off the patio because it won’t do well under a roof, even one that lets light through.

So, I plan to move it back to where it was until I moved it onto the patio three years ago—something that I can go ahead with now that I know what’s happening with the air conditioning (at one point I considered adding heat pumps for the two other bedrooms, and their outdoor would’ve been in that spot).

However, I want to avoid the problem that caused me to move the Vegepod onto the patio in 2022: The fact it sank into the ground. So, I want to lay pavers on that spot, four to six of them, as needed, to cover a bit more than one square metre (the horizontal dimensions of the Vegepod and its stand). I feel that I could do that project, but I’m debating whether I should. I’d like to try it, since I’ve never done it, but it needs to be done, so, maybe hire someone? Yet more indecision—though I definitely have a preference.

None of this deals with the decorating changes that started this whole journey, but all of that is still on the agenda. so far, my progress has been about concentrating on the cleaning I need to do—the main thing I need to do, actually. It turns out that my couple years of being unsettled meant I didn’t clean very well. I’m now fixing that, too.