Tag Archives: mold remediation

Home Sweet Home Again

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So it looks like the impossible might actually happen. According to the powers that be, after around five months of being nomadic from hotels to friends’ houses to vacation rentals, our apartment will be inhabitable starting tomorrow. I’m of course not holding my breath since it was supposed be finished in early April, but we actually see progress now.

Light at the End of the Tunnel
Light at the End of the Tunnel

For weeks our apartment sat empty with no work being done and the deadline being extended anther week or another month. Being kicked out of your apartment for months is rough, especially when you aren’t able to take much if anything. My home is also my office. When I don’t have a home I also don’t have an office.

Today the workers finished painting our bedroom and tomorrow the carpet is installed. Once that is done, we can officially start moving back into our apartment, which is going to be awesome.

How should we celebrate? I was thinking a wine and cheese party to kick off another year in our apartment, hopefully mold free this time around.

The Mold Remediation Continues

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After months of living in hotels, friend’s places and vacation rentals, we still don’t have our apartment. For the last few weeks, I’m not even sure anyone has entered our bedroom to do any work.

Quick recap:

  • In April we had to move out of our apartment because it had extremely high levels of toxic mold.
  • Cause was discovered to be faulty flashing installation on the second floor patio.
  • Lack of flashing was made worse by neighbors who’s plant watering habits caused water to flow down our bedroom wall.
  • We discovered the mold when we pulled back a pillow on our bed covered with the black.
  • We’re told we will have to to move out while it was getting fixed, should be done within a week.

Toxic Mold or Jackson Pollock Painting

So, after four months or so of construction, you are all probably betting that we have one hell of a new bedroom. Marble floors, Persian rugs, gargoyles… Yeah pretty damn fancy huh. I didn’t even get to the babbling brook!

Sadly, you would be quite mistaken. This is what four months of remodeling gets you:

What’s even worse is this is the most work I have seen done in here since April. Today they came in and started installing the insulation and did a little drywall work. Correction, “they” didn’t do anything, one guy did it all.

Did I mention that the supposed final date of this construction is July 31st? As in, by August 1st this bedroom is supposed to be insulated, dry wall installed, painted, carpet installed and ready for furniture to be brought back in. Meanwhile we still have to get new linens, pillows, mattress…

Anyone want to wager a bet on when this will all actually be finished? Anyone have any hope that it will happen before my mom gets in town for my birthday, August 2nd?

I sure do.

Jackson Pollock or Toxic Mold

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This is a blog post I probably should have written a few weeks ago. As you probably know, Ryan and I have been staying at various hotels across San Francisco for the last few weeks. And while I’d love to say I got a gig writing a San Francisco high-end hotel blog but that isn’t the case.

In fact, the reality is much much less glamorous.

Ryan moved into our San Francisco apartment last August. It’s a fabulous apartment, in the heart of the city, on the edge of the Castro and just a block or so from a metro station. I walk less than a block to my Walgreens and gym, just a few blocks from our grocery store. The location is a dream.

Though it isn’t nearly as large as the condo we have in Columbia, it makes for it in fabulous views, nice accommodations and location, location, location.

A handful of weeks ago Ryan pulled back a pillow from our bed which sits against the bedroom’s back wall. Behind the pillow was quite the site.

Toxic Mold or Jackson Pollock Painting

Toxic Mold or Jackson Pollock Painting

I’ll leave it to you to decide which it was that was growing/painted on our wall and pillows, but here’s a hint, it’s definitely toxic mold. Continue reading →