Text 460, 86 rader
Skriven 2007-02-06 22:42:02 av Ardith Hinton (1:153/716.0)
    Kommentar till text 458 av Bob Ackley (1:2905/3)
Ärende: Can be beaten...  2.
============================
Hi, Bob!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

BA>  My sister lives in Pleasanton, CA.  Last weekend she
BA>  told me about a recent fire in an 'assisted living'
BA>  condo complex.  Even though the nearest fire station
BA>  was only a couple of blocks away the 12-unit building
BA>  burned to the ground.  All those folks' possessions -
BA>  and memories - reduced to ashes.


           Ouch!  :-(



BA>  Fortunately, I guess, no fatalities.


           Agreed....



BA>  At the time the building was built - early 1960s -
BA>  there was no requirement for fire-rated walls
BA>  between units ( or that the attic spaces be divided).


           When we were first married, Dallas & I lived in an apartment
building of a similar vintage where we could easily hear what was happening
next door.  I guess we were lucky there wasn't a real fire in this building!  I
was horrified, though, when the fire alarm went off & I saw people standing
around in the halls saying "Oh... I wonder why the fire alarm is ringing??"  As
a teacher I was used to grabbing my purse & my class list, getting myself & my
students outside ASAP, and asking questions later.  Assuming that the majority
of tenants had completed grade 12, they would have gone through the same drill
at least 144 times.  But I was the only person, i.e. apart from the manager &
the fire marshall, who exited the building (Dallas was at work).  Good thing it
was just a test of the system. All this stuff people have to do in school,
y'know, it's not relevant... (sigh).

           At any rate, the "leaky condos" were built more recently.  It
appears someone in the industry had an idea... the result of which was that
water became trapped inside the walls.  This method of construction is no
longer allowed, and AFAIK it was used only in apartment-style buildings.  But
folks who bought units in these buildings often face restoration costs of over
$100,000 per unit.  Some of the units aren't worth much more than that, and
some folks just abandon them.



AH>  An old house may have its problems too.

BA>  Oh boy do they.  This one needs to have its foundation
BA>  replaced (might as well dig a basement while I'm at it),
BA>  a new roof, a new furnace, new insulated windows and
BA>  doors, and a paint job.  Plus replace the back porch
BA>  with a sun room that runs the length of the east side of
BA>  the house (about 40 feet).


           Sounds to me as if you have enough projects to occupy you for
umpteen years... that's good!  My father used to complain about how there
weren't enough hours in the day, but I think it helped keep him young.  He had
his stroke while he was cutting grass at the age of 93.  And he had a wonderful
time in hospital, challenging all the female doctors & nurses to arm-wrestling
contests etc.  :-))



BA>  I figure the whole bill will approach $60K, but it'd
BA>  cost twice that to build a completely new house of
BA>  comparable size.


           Many people in our neck of the woods have also come to the
conclusion that it makes more sense to do a bit of fine-tuning on a house which
has already stood the test of time.  There's one down the street from us... it
has been well looked after & tastefully updated, and it sold quite quickly when
it went on the market.  A much newer house in the same neighbourhood has been
on the market for months.  Dallas & I wouldn't consider it either.  We saw it
being built....  ;-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)