Monday, January 28, 2008

Auntie Devika's Boarding House (Part2)

Alonzo M. Pamplemouse got to the job site about 11 this morning.




He was hired by Ariel, and works directly for her. It is my understanding that Devika will make all decisions about decorating the house (colors, carpets, furniture and etc.). I will be in charge of construction and my crew. Alonzo will however be the "coordinator", and deal with all purchasing, permits, inspections, Safety concerns, the quality of building materials and etc.



Alonzo came up to the second floor, where we were working, and introduced himself. "Hi, everybody just calls me "Lon". I asked Lon how we were going to handle the work situation, after all, most of the things he was taking over, were things I had been doing. Alonzo suggested that we sit down and discuss everything. "I'm kind of tired from being up this early anyway.



Ariel had told him not to interfere with the house construction, but be as helpful as he could possibly be. As he understood the situation, he was to ensure that only the highest quality materials were used in the construct. Since Ariel was very sure that the more expensive something is, the better it is, he had been told to spare no expense on this project. Ariel wanted him on the site, as close to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as possible. Since the house doesn't have a roof yet and few other amenities, I questioned where he would stay.



He had planned ahead. I had never seen a portable mouse hole, but he had one. It can be set up on any wall and he says it is quite comfortable. The peanut butter cracker, he said would take care of his meals for about a week.
I knocked off for the day. I some times wonder about this Fae World.


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I was planning on having Wright or Lefty bring the shower stall (for the second floor restroom) in through the back of the house. In the past, one of them would just pick it up and place it in location. "That is not how Alonzo sees it."



He had rented a forklift!



He had had concerns about safety. The strain of lifting might cause the Phist Bros. some physical problems. Also he had rented the forklift from Ariel's "new equipment rental center". Lon was sure that it was top of the line, as it had been very expensive to rent.



The shower stall reached the second floor without incident, amazingly. I convinced Alonzo that the second floor would not stand up under the weight of the forklift, nor was there a reasonable way to get it up there. So he finally allowed the Phist Bros. to move it into place.





There was one more surprise, but I'm sure it is not going to be the last. The Phist Bros. and myself all got huge raises. Since this is work contracted by the FAE Government, we are entitled to the same hourly wages that government employees (doing the same type of work) get. (I think this is referred to as "Davis-Bacon Wages). At this rate,the Maplewood won't look like the Taj Mahal, but it will cost about as much.







Saturday, January 12, 2008

Auntie Devika's Boarding House (Part 1)


Things have been progressing slowly. It has taken the Phist Bros. some time to recover from their Christmas Party. They also did not return to work until they had broken all of their New Years Resolutions (that didn't really take much time). With all the snow in the "high country", the Bros are now claiming to be skiers, and claim to be spending a great deal of time on the slopes. I can believe this as I have never met anyone with more potential for going "Down Hill. It is strange however, that anytime there is a closure of Interstate 70, due to weather conditions, they are always trapped in the traffic jam.

We have got some work done anyway.




The Community room came out quite well. The hanging lamp will be over the pool table.



This is a view of the dinning area and the kitchen.





We have been experimenting with the placement of the kitchen counters and appliances. The overhead kitchen light, we are planning on using, is on the floor.



The second floor is in place.



The majority of the electrical for the second floor is installed and tested. Devika picked out the wallpaper, and I think she made a good choice.

I got an E-mail from Ariel, yesterday. It seems that she is sending an individual, named Alonzo Marion Pamplemouse, to oversee this construction project. I don't know much about him yet. Rumor has it that for every dollar Ariel spends on this job, she will be reimbursed a dollar and twenty-five cents by the FAE Government. Ergo, Alonzo will be making sure that only the most expensive materials will be used, and the construction will take as long as possible. (I'm sure the Phist Bros. can help with that). I've heard of some government projects that were handled this way.