Yet More To Do

Moved this up from the previous to do list blog while dropping off the items that I think are REALLY completed.

List updated 13 December.

Yet More To Do lists, priority ranked(?)

• Prep house for termite tenting, Dec 26-29th.
• Put front gutters in.
• Get cotoneaster out.
  
• Get morea down to chez frere. I have realized that their absence will make the front a bit bare, so I first need something to replace them.
• Replace porch rail, preferably with something aesthetically pleasing and wide enough to easily hold a bottle of wine or some potted plants.
  
• Get native plants in. Some done.
  
• Call an electrician or three for estimates on service upgrades. Expecting $1500 to $2000 cost. Two sort of down, one to go. (Estimate of $1900 from Gene at One Stop Electric, but that doesn't include trenching the patio for a second ground rod attachment, $2400 over the phone estimate from Direct Electric Inc 310-978-8471 who advised me to call Edison to get my new meter "spotted" [approved as to location] at which point they would come by and give me a real estimate. Edison will be by on the 20th - I'll need to leave a map with preferred locations. Express Electrical Service 310-643-8463 wanted $19.95 to come by for an estimate. I told them I'd think about it.) Direct also indicated taht service upgrades have to be proven or justified somehow in the approval process with a "green sheet". Remodeling a kitchen seemed to pass as appropriate justification on the phone.
  
• Pick colors and paint some areas on the house in preparation for a whole house paint job. There is a service to color a digital photo beforehand. Step one complete: Called local favorite Supremepaint (Redondo Bch: 310-540-4456) . They have referred me to a computer product called Color Preview 2000 from Benjamin Moore and tell me that it will do the trick. Apparently they had it in stock until six months ago. I've managed to find and order Personal Color Viewer 2.0, on the Benjamin Moore web site which runs either as a web based application (free, but no digital imports allowed) and a downloadable / CD version (costs $10, but allows imported digital pictures). A brief chat with Ben (!) at customer support resolved an issue with how the program runs on my Win 2K home computer (font size must be set to normal).
  
• Cut concrete on porch for weep pit - the second of my flood mitigation attempts. Tools are on hand. Dig pit as deep as possible. Need stackable concrete block, 12" grate, and gravel. Neither Lowes nor Home Depot have the stackable block that I need.
• Cut porch concrete for ground rod placement. It's starting to look like I should just demo the porch concrete altogether now, before the electrical upgrade. Started by demoing the brick planter at porch's edge, but now am uncertain due to Edison requirement to "spot" the meter location: The meter location could end up moving. I'm not too torn up though, the planter and the porch are going anyway.
  
• Install attic vent (cut stucco, frame, paper, wire, repair stucco). I've now painted vent white. Need to cut a few framing members for inside the garage.
  
• Complete electrical install near French Door. All parts at hand except outdoor light
• Establish Coverdell account. DONE, but I had to use paperwork / check / snail mail to establish the account at ETrade, and strangely my check hasn't cleared a couple weeks after it was mailed so I still need to figure out what's happened.
• Deck the Halls, etc.