#talked to the home inspector and two electricians

[megansplants]

Getting work done 💪

[annakie]

Let's Spend Lots of Money!

Back in June I posted about how after a huge storm rolled through, I was without power for over five days and then talked about all the insurance and stuff going on.

Well, things have progressed since then!

Would you like to read/see pictures of exterior home renovation? This is the post for you! Warning: It's really long! And the story isn't done yet!

Here's a cut for extreme length!

PART ONE: The To-Do List

When it was over, at the end of my post, I posted some To-Do's:

Call Plumber - Done, and I thought the problem would be solved for another year or more.

Get garage door serviced. Done. The guy I called was clearly trying to rip me off. He told me immediately that I needed new springs, and when I pushed back and pointed out how shiny and new my garage springs were, because they were less than five years old, and they just needed to be tightened, he tried telling me that it's not possible to tighten garage door springs, something I knew for a fact was bullshit. I pushed back on him and was about to tell him to just leave when instead he had me sign a thing saying that he couldn't promise that fixing the springs would fix the problem and if I called them out again it would be another service call fix instead of guaranteed work. In the end, I got what I wanted but paid too much and marked that company in my phone as "never call again." The work they did do was fine, but screw them.

Get Handyman to take care of the fallen tree - Check, a day or two after power came back. I tipped him extra for it, too, because he always takes care of me. My insurance lady told me what I paid was quite inexpensive for the job.

Work with Insurance - Yep! We'll get to that.

Talk to my neighbors about the fact that I’m going to get a wood fence put up to replace our chain link one. YEP. We'll get to that, too.

Get the electrician back to wire up the house for a generator. Nope. Not yet. But someday.

Buy a generator Not yet, but again, someday.

Clean out the garage, for real. Maybe when it's not 100 degrees out every day again. But yeah, on the list, for multiple reasons.

So yeah... the last six weeks or so have been a trip.

PART TWO: Getting Money

One of the things I did when I didn't have power was see that we could file a claim with FEMA for disaster assistance. I figured... why not. A day or two after I got power back, a FEMA inspector lady called and then came to the house. I pointed out all of the things. I ended up getting a little bit from FEMA. Not a ton, but honestly, I was grateful. Anything helped.

Later that week, or maybe the next, my insurance sent an adjuster. Crazily she was flown down from another part of the country, she was living in the exact town that I grew up in. Like it is not a huge town. Not "small" but also just not somewhere you'd expect to meet someone from on the reg. So we had a good time chatting about the city when she came to inspect the house.

Insurance gave me an OK amount. My roof was old so they only paid out 40% of the replacement cost. And yeah, that's about what I got from them them with the final price when it was all said and done.

PART THREE: Finding Help

My roofer initially seemed great. I was excited to work with him. When the insurance came, instead of him coming, he sent an "assistant" who didn't really seem like he knew much of what he was doing or was very helpful. But hey, you know what? right after a storm like that, they're gonna be busy.

Several times over the next couple of weeks I texted him asking how things were progressing on just getting me a quote. He sent a whole other guy over like two weeks later for the fence quote. He barely seemed interested to be there. Um, okay. He also wouldn't even give me a ballpark at the time. Whatever.

Two weeks after that I hear from the roofer that he's almost done with my quote. By then it was the weekend before July 4th.

I'd gotten the money from the insurance. I'd sent the documentation of their payout to the roofer and made it clear I had a sum of cash above that (not exactly how much) to come out of pocket, and a priority list for the work to be done. My best guess is that he figured my business wasn't worth as much time as other people's, so I kept getting shuffled to the bottom of the stack. OK. His prerogative. Fair. But I was at the limit of my waiting, considering how bad my roof was.

My across the street neighbor had told me that she had her roof redone a year or two ago who she said did a good job, and he'd come to see how her roof fared from the storm and told her to give me his number if I wanted him to look at it. So when I didn't hear from my roofer after July 4th week, I went and asked her for the number, then texted Joel, the new roofer.

Anyway, Joel came out the next day. I showed him all the work I'd been approved for. He and I negotiated a price and materials for the roof. A price was set that was right about what I thought it should be.

Still had some money leftover in the budget so I asked about a fence, specifically an 8' Cedar fence. His quote was $1k more than I was hoping it would be, but honestly, still what I thought was a good deal.

He also mentioned a price for the patio roof. I was at my hoped-for spend limit and would get back to him about the patio roof.

In the end, I pulled a little more money together and told him to go for it.

That was Tuesday and Wednesday.

Original Builder sent me my quotes on Wednesday. How nice. Too late. Also they were like 30% higher than what I settled on with Joel. He just emailed them, didn't even bother to follow up with a text.

I had a polite response planned out in my head if he'd texted or called. But he didn't. Oops, I guess I didn't see that email.

PART FOUR: The Survey Drama

Thursday, Joel and his main builder came out, tore out the chain link fence and started putting up 10' poles for the 8' fence (2' of which is buried in concrete in the ground.)

Joel also told me that he needed a copy of my land survey for the build permit, which I should have from when I bought the house.

I spent a good hour searching through every document I had from when I bought my house in 2003 looking for it. And I felt I'd pretty much kept everything. I had my bids on houses I didn't win in there. I had notes that I took back then.

I did not have a survey. Well... shit.

So, I started by looking at the city website online. The city does not keep copies of surveys.

So I tried calling my mortgage company. Except oops they went out of business in like 2010.

Getting real panicked, I threw a hail mary and went to look up my Title company. They'd been bought out in like, 2007. But there were a couple of people working under franchise names of that company still. A total longshot, but I called the person nearest me.

That very nice man said he couldn't help me BUT I should call the home office. He gave me the name and number of a lady named Kim.

So I called Kim, and she was very very sweet. And extremely doubtful she had anything on file, but she would get with the records department and look.

A half hour later she called back. THEY'D FOUND IT. Holy crap. Even she was astonished.

I thanked her profusely and asked her to thank the records department. A few minutes later, the survey was in my email. And hey, it had my signature from 2003 on it! I sent that over to Joel and we got the permit. WHEW. Work continued.

I printed out three copies of the survey and emailed it to myself at two other email addresses.

PART FIVE: Communication

I texted my neighbor on the side where the fence would be built (the other neighbor had built their fence, also an 8' cedar fence, like 20 years ago, so hey, at least I only had to pay for two full sides and two fronts.

Technically I text with their daughter, as her parents don't speak English. They knew that this was coming and were cool with it. They knew the fencer would need to do some work in their yard and that there would be no fence for a little while. I asked Joel to please help minimize the time there was no fence for their dog (a pitbull, she's very sweet) to be penned in by.

Just want to say my neighbors are saints. They were very cool with everything, though I sent them many apologies. It was especially frustrating because we took the fence separating our yards down on Friday and there was no full fence put back up all weekend. It couldn't be avoided, though. Just wish the days had gone by faster. They could only let the dog our on the leash for those days. I asked (daughter) several times what I could do to say I'm sorry and thank you and they were really just kind and chill about it anyway. I am still thinking of something I could do for them, though, once this is all over. My initial thought is a small basket of dog toys and treats for the pupper.

I also started discussing paint stain colors for the fence with Joel, and let my neighbors help me make a decision, since they'd have to look at it, too. In the end, we decided to go with the same brown color that the fence on my other side already was. I kinda wanted to go with maybe a dark grey, which would also match the neighbors house well, but that's what they wanted and having a color match was my other main choice, and probably the right one, even if it doesn't match with our houses.

Mostly I'm glad my good relationship with my neighbors is intact.

PART SIX: CONSTRUCTION BEGINS!

Okay yeah so Thursday some poles got put up. Friday the rest of them got put up. Joel is mostly coordinating everything, the main builders are Jose and his wife Maria. Neither of them speak English and my High School and College Spanish were uh, 30 years ago but I retained a decent amount. Mostly though, we communicate through whatever sentences I can piece together and a lot of Google Translate. We have had entire conversations through Google Translate. It's great.

Saturday the work on the poles were finished and Sunday no work got done... I mean... it's Sunday. It was only annoying because of my neighbors having to take care of the dog and I felt bad about it.

Over the weekend I also picked out roof shingles. I got an architectural single, which is a nicer shingle. I wanted a medium-grey color -- I never liked the light grey my old roof was, I didn't pick it out, though I know lighter is probably cooler. I picked what I thought was a nice compromise.

PART SEVEN: Roof Day One

AKA my new Skylight.

Monday I woke up stupid early for no reason. But it was fine that I did because at 6:30am the doorbell rang. The roofers were here. And they got started right away.

It... was loud. I knew it would be but I don't think I was quite prepared for how loud.

But I had little to do after welcoming them, so I mean, when it was time for me to work (my job is 100% WFH still, yay!) I just got to work, doing my best to ignore the noise and hoping they wouldn't fall in on me. The cats were terrified and hiding, curled up together under my recliner in the living room, their normal safe place. I put food, water and their litter box in there, closed the door 90% of the way, and let them be.

Anyway, here I was, working away in my office and at about 10:15 am, there was a bright light and a foot in my ceiling.

First and most importantly, he is fine! He slipped and his leg fell through. It wasn't the end of the world, and MOST important, he CRAZILY fell through right above my very tall bookcase, the tallest piece of furniture I own. Instead of falling completely through the ceiling, he "stepped" two feet down, and his foot caught on the bookcase, and he pulled it right back up. If this had happened ANYWHERE else, it might have been a LOT worse.

Joel and Jose came in and assessed the situation and Jose said no problem. For about three hours the hole remained, until Joel came back from Home Depot with some drywall, and I had a funny story to tell all my friends, co-workers and family. That angle in that pic up there is literally an angle from where I sit while I work all day. Lots of fun comments about my new skylight and terrible puns from my brother.

It currently looks like this:

You can see the scuffs on the wall from the guy who fell's shoe!

Jose came in and got the drywall on and the spackle in. There was a crack already from the window to the ceiling, from the house settling, so he just went ahead and spackled that, too.

I actually have the paint can for that paint in my garage, so I handed that over to them to paint match.

Honestly, aside from being glad the worker is OK, I do not get upset over stuff like this as long as it gets fixed, and it well, so it's fine!

There's a similar hole in my garage ceiling, too, which still needs fixing.

The roof workers worked from 6:30am until 9pm. It was 100 outside that day. They were amazing.

This was taken Mid-day when they were eating lunch.

I not only was getting new shingles, but new decking (aka the wood that the shingles rest on that is connected to the rafters. I know they didn't redo the decking in 2003 when I bought the house and they put the cheapest roof possible on it before selling it to me. Joel confirmed that there were several rotting places in the decking and I saw a few pieces myself. And under in the attic the decking they installed a Thermal layer for more insulation that wasn't there before.

I did have good insulation installed pretty early, like 2005, so at least when the power has gone out since it's stayed nicely warm/cool depending on the season.

I had some old whirly type vents coming out of the house. Several of them were either broken or uh... very squeaky. Especially when it was cold, one of them had a definite squeak that you could hear outside and it was mortifying if my neighbors could hear it. That one, or maybe another one, rattled really badly when it was windy, too. TBH I would just put in my headphones to sleep sometimes because of roof noise the last year or two during very cold or windy nights.

Well, the roofers got rid of all of those. In place, they put a ridge vent, which basically means a tiny gap along the entire top ridge of the house, covered up by a special shingle. I learned all about it when I watched a Youtube about it the next morning after looking at it and going "WTF is that little bump?" Anyway, no more loud squeaky/rattling vents for me. My house is modern now. :D

So anyway, Monday night they finished getting roofing over the entire house, but the garage still wasn't done.

This was taken early Tuesday morning, there'd been tarps over the garage that night. There was no rain forecast, so everything was cool.

PART SEVEN POINT FIVE: No Internets (Part 1)

This is part 7.5 because I had to come back and add it in later when I forgot to add it until I was almost done writing, and I don't feel like correcting all the section titles, but it is absolutely part of the story.

Monday early evening as they were hurrying to finish getting roofing over at least the house part of the roof they got some of the garage done. Around 7pm there was a blip where my internet went out, but it came back.

And then at like 8:15 as they were finishing, it went out and DIDN'T come back.

I did all the normal troubleshooting things, put in a ticket with my provider, and called tech support.

Eventually I got someone on the line who asked me to make sure everything was plugged in, what, like I'm some kind of idiot? I work in IT! I know what I'm doing! But, I humored her. And she reminded me that there's not only the box on the outside of my house, but also the one in the garage, could I please check to make sure that was plugged in?

OK Sure. Constructions been going on, I'll humor her.

So anyway, I had forgotten the the box in the garage was plugged into an outlet in the ceiling that had been put there for my garage door. It had come completely out in all the banging from the roofers.

OK no problem, right? I'll just plug it back in, and voila! Internet!

Um except the plug is right above my car, like dead center.

OK sure, just gotta move my car!!!

...except there was a dumpster in my driveway, riiiight behind my car. I couldn't move my car more than a foot if I tried.

I spent like 10 minutes trying to reach it with my stepladder (nope not even close) or maneuver it back in with a broom handle (lol noooo chance) and gave up.

I took this pic just now for illustrative purposes. The plug is now plugged back in. But yeah, I had to cancel my Monday night PF2e game from last of Internets.

In the morning, I overslept, and they rang the doorbell to let me know they were there. I saw Joel and waved to him, and one minute later I went back outside to tell him about the internet problem. He was gone. I texted him, didn't hear back. It was getting close to work time, so I called him and he'd left as soon as he saw I was home and ready for the workers to work. I didn't realize he was so far away already, but he still turned around, came back in, and figured out a way to plug the plug back in without standing on my car. I was a half hour or so late to logging into work but it all worked out. Just a little bump in the road. I felt bad that he had come come back from wherever he went, too. I swear I looked for him a MINUTE after I saw him that morning!

Part EIGHT: Fencing!

While the roofers roofed, Jose and Maria were busy with the fence. And by the end of the day Monday, they had most of the neighboring fence with the dog put up.

In the picture in part 7 above, on the left is the fence that's been there 20 years. You can see that those neighbors put the "ugly" part of the fence with the poles and boards on my side.

Honestly I've been mad about it for the 20 or so years it's been up. Not like super mad, I never talked to them about it, but I just thought it was really shitty of them to do that. I've always tried hard to be as kind and thoughtful to my neighbors as I could be and wouldn't have dreamed of doing that if I had put the fence up first.

In the alley and the other side of their house, the pretty side is the outside and the ugly side is inside. But on THAT ONE SIDE, they gave me the ugly side. Never talked to me about it, never consulted me about the fence, it just went up one day and I was left to deal with it.

I've always even since been kind about granting them access to fix their fence and am on good terms with the wife of the couple of who lives there. And when my house was broken into in 2011 the husband heard it happen and called the police and gave a statement, which I thought was very good of them, the police were able to get my house sealed back up somewhat so when I came home a few hours later the damage as minimized.

So yeah, I'm not sure why I got the ugly side of the fence from them. Also like, it seems way easier to climb that side of the fence so all they did was make their own yard less secure? I didn't want that! A big part of wanting an 8' fence was more security!

Anyway, it was important to me to not make my other neighbors look at the ugly side of the fence. Also, I just figured why not have it look the same all the way around? And again, the security issue.

But also... like two or three years ago the neighbors on that side put up sheds on their property... and backed them right up to the property line. Again, no discussion with me, they just did it, and by the time I saw it, happened it was too late to change anything.

I wasn't super happy with it because of this scenario right here.

Sunday Joel and I had a long conversation about what to do about it, and I was still committed to wanting the ugly side on the inside. But they literally couldn't hammer back there to get the fence up behind the sheds.

In the end, we went with an, admittedly weird, compromise.

Note that that side of the fence goes that far back so that both of the windows on that side of the house are inside the fence. Again, security.

So yeah, the fence swaps facing mid-way for just the part where their sheds are. I still have mixed feelings about it but honestly, it's fine. I wish it could look completely the same all the way around, but, it works OK this way. Maybe I should have made the neighbors look at the ugly side the entire way, but the security issue was important in my mind... even though tbh anyone who really wanted to could just climb up on my neighbors sheds and hop over. It's a little weird and I guess technically I gave up a few inches of unusable property there, but it's a compromise I can live with any whoever buys the house after me can live with it, too.

Honestly at this point, can't wait for them to finish the fence all-around because I feel like I can barely sleep knowing all this expensive STUFF is just laying around my wide-open yard.

It's also real dumb because my 4' chain link fence kept no one past five years old out of my yard, it wasn't even padlocked, and yet I feel less secure with no fence.

This is what the back of the fence looks like right now (Thursday morning) and has since... I think Monday or maybe Tuesday. Joel's had problems sourcing more of the right boards. The gap on the left is, of course, where the back gate will be. I do feel better having it like, two-thirds done at least. there's also no gate on the front yard yet, either, which will just be flush with the end of the fence there.

PART NINE: The Patio Begins!

The roofers were done with their parts Wednesday afternoon. And I love the roof so much, but I'm going to hold off on posting pictures of that quite yet!

The patio roof before, if I had to guess, was built in the 1980s. The roof itself was just a big piece of corrugated metal, held up by some OK-built wood beams and ironwork pillars in the front. It was fine, it was functional. You can see in this pic from last month pretty well the construction and also how it was getting holes in it.

The wood was also really starting to rot. There were a couple of places where it barely still connected because of wood rot. I'd guess within 5 years it would have been falling down. It was definitely time for a new one, and the price Joel gave me I thought was really fair for a patio roof of the same quality.

Well, I was wrong about the quality.

When Jose ran out of wood for the fence, he and Maria got started on the patio. First, they demo'd it.

Oh hey, also first look at the new roof color.

That's how my patio looked all Tuesday night to Wednesday morning. You can clearly see in that second picture some of the wood rot. Here's some more of it.

That piece on the upper left I'm pretty sure was the part right over my patio door that I had to look at basically like, all the time. It was disintegrating.

So yeah, I was so glad to see that go.

A couple of years ago, when the big tree near my house was still there, it hadn't gotten trimmed recently and there was an ice storm. The tree branches swung low and the icy branch ends were smacking against that metal roof in the wind. It was loud and spooky. I had to go sleep in the living room that night from the sound. I really didn't like that metal roof.

I'm never going to have that problem again, since no tree there (for now...) but also the construction of the new patio roof is very different.

We'll get back to that.

PART TEN: Crazy Wednesday

Wednesday morning began with me realizing that all the banging and knocked one of the lights off of my bathroom ceiling. No problem, Let Joel know, it'll get fixed.

Jose and Maria finished up the demo of the patio roof (chunks of it are still in my yard).

I honestly had no idea what they were planning to do to replace it. Joel just told me to trust him, it's going to be great. OK!

The next thing I knew they're cutting into my house. WTF? Trust me, Joel said, it's gonna be great. OK!

Tuesday the sewer had started backing up again. God damnit, it JUST HAD backed up and I had it cleaned a month and a half ago when I got power back. So I called the plumbers, they were scheduled to come out that afternoon.

Just another thing I didn't need, but whatevs. I had a very productive morning for once this week while working, at least.

In the early afternoon, they had started to demolish more of the patio than I expected. They cut through some of the eaves, and took some of the facing off of the house where I wasn't expecting.

The plumber also arrived and was doing his thing. He then told me that my entire sewer was fine, I didn't have a stoppage. He took me out in the alley, though, and showed me that there WAS a stoppage outside the property line in the alley, and told me to put in a ticket with the city.

Kinda hate that it cost me $350 to find that out, but mostly it was a bit of a relief that it wasn't actually my problem.

I went back inside, put in a ticket with the water department, and got back to work.

Then, weirdly, my internet went down again a half hour or so later.

I checked all of the connections, then got a sinking feeling. I went outside and saw more stuff cut down and in that stuff was... a wire. I looked inside that wire and yeah... that's an internet cable.

That's a terrible picture but you can see some of the facing it came out of, lol.

Literally as I was taking that picture, a guy from the water department walked up to me and told me that there was indeed a stoppage in the alley. Because some kid had unplugged the cleanout line behind my house and dropped a baseball down there. The baseball was probably stopping up the entire block.

They couldn't get it out, so they were putting in an emergency ticket to dig up the line, and pull it out. I wouldn't have sewer for a day or so.

I think the "How SCREWED AM I with all of this going on!?" look on my face (though I was very polite and not upset with him obviously) paired with the state of my yard and the work being done gave me some sympathy -- he assured me I didn't have to pay for it, and he'd let me know when things would stop.

Ooooohkay.

It also started to drizzle a little at that point, but it never actually rained and work didn't have to stop, thankfully! Instead, Jose and Maria had a lovely overcast day in the 80's to work in. I had been worried about them the last couple of days and had supplied them with a big box of water (From a water delivery service) and big cups of ice to make sure they were well hydrated.

I went back in my house, laid down on the couch, and tried putting in a ticket with my internet company. The chatbot wouldn't let me do it, so I called and sat on hold for 45 minutes just staring at the wall. This was A Lot.

I also let my boss and Eric, my friend/co-worker who lives nearby know. Eric was up at the office today, but told me he was about to come back home and would bring me a hotspot, so I'd have SOME internet.

While I was laying on the couch, the doorbell rang. It was the water guy, and with a big smile on his face he told me that his coworker was able to use some tool to get the baseball out! There'd be no sewer work needed and things were flowing freely.

Fiiiinally, a break.

Eventually got to talk to a real person on the phone with the internet company, and not long after Eric arrived with the hotspot. I showed him around the mess a bit. After over an hour "break", I got back to work.

And as of Thursday morning, I'm still on the hotspot. But this one is pretty fast, and it has a network jack, so I even got to run my Wednesday night D&D game off my PC last night. What a relief.

Internet company should be here this afternoon to fix stuff. I'm probably going to have to pay for that, though.

The other great news is that somehow i didn't even notice that the gutter contractor had been here, done his job and left!! I don't even know when he was there/did his job, and my office is the front of the house! Maybe he did it when I was laying on the couch in the living room!? It was FAST, though. Joel just called to tell me to go outside to look, and WOW. He'd said they might do black gutters. I was unconvinced but trusted him.

He was so very, very right.

Anyway, finally, here's a pic of the front of the house, with the new roof and black gutters.

Holy crap, what a difference. My house almost looks fancy now. Almost. The shingles are so gorgeous.

You can see that ridge vent pretty well there. And that's with the old white gutters obviously. The black gutters give the house a really striking and defining line that really pops.

Here's a quick comparison with the old roof and gutters:

A truly amazing difference. And yeah I need to paint the garage door. Going to actually get to that now.

PART ELEVEN: The Patio Continued.

SO! They got so much done, and although there's a lot to do, I am already so well pleased.

The reason they were cutting into it so much was because they'd determined that the best course of action was to have hte patio become a part of the roof, and it would be built on a similar slant instead of just a flat piece of metal. Instead, it would just be a full roof anyway.

The posts are huge, thick wooden posts, which Joel tells me will be covered when they're done.

The roof is literally... the thermal barrier, decking and will be the same siding as the roof I already have.

This is what it looks like as of last night...

They did accidentally also break the light cover over my porch light so that'll need to be replaced, but it's small potatoes.

I still don't have a full picture of what it's going to look like, and I'm so excited for it. It's going to look so nice. I've loved the work Joel and Jose/Maria have done so far and honestly trust them completely with whatever now. The quality is fantastic and despite the little hiccups, things are actually, honestly going well.

I'm going to post this now and report back in a couple of days when it's done! I'd planned on holding off until it was ALL done, But this is post is already long enough!

This has been one of the biggest money commits I've ever done, after buying my home and buying cars, but honestly, totally worth it.

Gonna suck if I end up selling the house to gtfo of Texas in the next couple of years, but at least it'll sell for more if it looks this good!

[prorevenge]

Try to take advantage of me? Let me hang you out to dry.

This happened a few years ago

A bit of back story; I’m Dutch (sorry in advanced for any spelling or grammatical mistakes) and at the time I was 29. I live with special care and I get paid disability by a government agency which is 80% of minimum wage for someone my age. The job I had at a place, we’ll call JobDirector, and it’s not really a job, more like the place where I’m given care is paying JobDirector to keep me entertained during the day so I’m not stuck at home 24/7. So to sum that up, JobDirector isn’t paying me a dime, they are paid for me to be there and any actual work I do while there also turns them a profit. It’s fair to say that they make double the money on me being there, just keep that in mind as I start the story.

Working at JobDirector, I was the Personal Assistant of the Electrician they had on staff, let’s call him Gus. Gus was an old hand in the trade and he was nearing his retirement he worked only 2 mornings in the week, I worked 4 Mornings in the week so I was a perfect fit to be his assistant. And we did everything, not just electrical but also pluming and putting up storage racks. And I did most of the menial things, lug the tool box around, hand him tools, hold the ladder he was standing on, you name it. I did often get the crappy side of the jobs but that’s how you learned a trade in the old days before formal job trainings. Do the sucky jobs and stick around and you’ll learn a thing or two. Well that is what happened. I learned how to do most of the things Gus was doing regularly. It got to the point where he would send me out to do jobs alone, jobs that didn’t require him to inspect my work for safety reasons.

Management of JobDirector caught wind of this, and having believed that people in my situations couldn’t really be taught anything, they suddenly saw an untapped potential. So for the other 2 days where Gus didn’t need me, JobDirector tried to send me to another project they had going for those days.

The project in question was super vision of peoples’ bicycles at the local train station; they had already opened a kiosk and restaurant there and wanted to add supervision to the bicycles there. (side note to you non-Dutch out there; you’d be surprised how many Bicycles are used and how many are stolen daily in my country, particularly at train stations). I had to report to a small meeting with the guy supervising the train station, let’s call him Jim, so he could instruct me on the job; basically it was a “show presence to scare off thieves” type of deal. Bright orange jacket riddled with reflector strips saying “Bicycle Security” on the back. Just walking around is a job I could easily do, but being more forward thinking then my disability would suggest I of course have questions and the conversation went like this:

“Ok so what about if I catch someone in the act of trying to steal a Bike, and he attacks me, am I covered for defending myself or the potential trauma the thief inflicts on me?” was my first question.

With a somewhat surprised look Jim would answer “Oh don’t worry about it, that’s never to happen.” Guess he didn’t expect that kind of a question from me.

I’ve seen stranger things happen so I don’t buy Jim’s answer, but I press on. “Ok… So what about any incidents that happen?”

“When a incident happens, just stay there and call me.”

“Ok so you’ll provide me with a job phone then?”

At this point Jim starts looking a bit annoyed at me. “What for? You have a cellphone don’t you? Just use that.”

I found that to be a weird response. And while I do look up the occasional schematic for Gus and myself, that’s always over the Company Wifi we installed. But actually using my cellphone bill for work? “Ok can I put in for the amount of my Cellphone bill I use up for work?”

“What the hell for?” Jim says starting to get angry. “It’s just a single less than a minute phone call to call me over.” Now some people might agree with Jim at this point, but let me point out that everyone that is actually on JobDirector’s staff payroll has a work phone assigned to them by the company. They want me, the lowest of the low unpaid worker, to use my private phone? No I draw the line there. But I didn’t have to say anything else anymore as Jim goes: “You know what, never mind. Go back to your original spot because you are being too difficult.”

At the time I filed the whole thing away as something weird and dismissed it as I went on my way. Not really having caught on to a changing trend at the company.

Fast forward a month or two and I’ve learned more about electronics including the NEN3140 Certification. Let me go off topic for a minute here; The NEN3140 is a Dutch certification for electric appliances inside of a business. I don’t know most of the terminology in English, but it has to do with job safety. Any appliance that is movable by hand needs to be certified. This includes but is not limited to; Computers, Corded power tools, chargers for battery powered tools, fridges, freezers and washing machines. If it has a plug on it for a standard electrical outlet, it needs to be certified.

If for instance Timmy uses an angle grinder and it malfunctions causing Timmy to get electrocuted (just making up an extreme example here) and the angle grinder wasn’t NEN3140 compliant, well the company will be looking at a hefty fine from a government agency dealing with job safety. And on top of that job health insurance won’t pay out to cover whatever compensation Timmy needs or is entitled to, meaning the company itself will need to cough that up too. Now back to the story

So Gus and I do this NEN3140 certification for every location JobDirector has, Gus is a certified NEN3140 inspector and has the specialized testing device. I can do the job for him under his supervision. I actually do most of the computerized paperwork for him because Gus is a single finger ‘hunt and peck’ kind of user of the keyboard while I myself ten finger blind type, shaves literally a few months from the work for Gus. Total count of devices tested at just the company itself; 756. Keep that number in mind folks, as it is important!

During one of our drives back to our morning start site just before our shift ends, Gus being an older helpful guy that sometimes worries about peoples futures, and knowing how I can easily do the NEN3140 on my own starts to talk about maybe a potential future for me to be a NEN3140 Certifier. In that conversation I learn the following;

* Getting the diploma is about 50 Euro (55.95 USD) for a 2 hour seminar, which you have to do yearly to keep your NEN3140 certifier status.* The Testing device costs about 1000 Euro (1117.55 USD) to buy, and will cost around 500 Euro (559.50 USD) to calibrate it to specification every year.* If you are a Certifier, and you have your own equipment, you can go to a company and ask a MINIMUM of 20 euro (20.38 USD) per power plug. Note I said power plug, not passed or rejected appliances, just having the plug plugged into the tester is money for me.

Remember that number of total devices? 756? 756 * 20 Euro = 15120 Euro (16919.28 USD). That’s already way more then I make a year from the disability pay. For just two and a half months of work at my current work hours.

The only logical thing I could respond with after having calculated that for the first time was “Thanks Gus, you’ve given me some food for thought”.

About a week after this conversation, Gus tells me that they have a small time business requiring NEN3140 Certification but that he is too busy with another job. So if I could do it instead. I go and I test all the devices they had, 35 plugs in total. I Generate the paperwork and ensure that there is a printed copy of the manual for all said devices that where certified and place 35 signatures on the paperwork in Gus’ name. Total time taken for all that was about two weeks total. Client is happy, I’m happy, Gus is happy, Company is happy.

Two weeks after having completed that, another one comes up. So again I do it, this time under Gus’ supervision. 514 plugs. Two months of work and my wrist was in agony after setting 514 signatures. Remember I’m a lowest of the lower unpaid worker there, so I already decided that I wasn’t going to be doing that for long.

At this point, Gus is almost a single year away from his retirement. And in our daily conversations in his car he had already pointedly told me that “When my retirement hits, I’ll be leaving my tools at home and never touching them again unless they pay me.” He’s the ‘can’t sit still at home’ type so he was going to be sticking at the company as a volunteer together with his wife he was also working there. Not doing electronics work anymore.

And the upper management of JobDirector saw an untapped gold mine. Me, doing NEN3140 certifications. So I was called into a small meeting, Gus was there, some HR like person and one of the underbosses. They started buttering me up about helping me get a certifier license, at a great deal of half off. The testing device they had already bought and paid for, on the one hand possible career choice, on the other hand? No way am I going that for 80% of minimum wage considering what kind of money that’d be making off of me. Let alone the position of responsibility I’d be left in. as rankings in the company go, I am literally lowest of the low. I have no say. Gus when he found an appliance while doing the NEN3140, would put a cable-snipper onto the power cord and cut it as close the appliance as possible. I don’t have that kind of authority, and you’ll just know that the company will continue using an appliance even if I reject it. Now who do you think is going to take the fall for that if someone gets unscheduled electro shock therapy?

Covering the financial situation first, I ask them what I would get in return. Their response left me lukewarm and I quote: “Payment? This is a bit of responsibility, which is a good thing for you!” Yeah, just because I live with special care and get disability, they think that I have no responsibility at all. And I wasn’t out to milk them dry or anything. If they did pay me above a certain amount it wouldn’t be a benefit to me but a detriment as the disability I get would be cut leaving me even worse off. But some compensation would have been nice right? More relaxed hours, different job title that would actually allow me to throw out the appliances that didn’t make it, a company cellphone maybe? Nope they wouldn’t budge. So I told them where they could stick their ‘bit of responsibility’.

Well tell you something though, because of my disability, I didn’t get scolded. Not in any official capacity anyways. But Gus was not happy. In a later conversation I had in his car, he said that I was being stupid, and that I won’t make it anywhere in life if I don’t try anything new. This is of course coming from the guy who’s been raving for two years now how he’ll never pick up his tools again after he’s retired. I point out his hypocrisy and that if he doesn’t want to do the work if he’s not getting paid, then why should I? He has no answer of course and stays quiet.

A week passes, and I was notified that Gus no longer wanted to work with me because he disapproved of my work ethics. Well that suited me just fine, as much as I respect his age and experience, I was getting tired of him harping on about my disability and his disapproval of how I choose to spend my free time like the dude is my dad or something. And an hour later I heard that the company was making deals with other companies for NEN3140 Certifications.

I had already smelled something fishy a week before Gus no longer wanted to work with me and had taken prudence to look for another company that would be happy to have my presence and the payment they’d get for having me over 4 mornings of the week.

The following morning I was called over and they started to tell me about the job at a major company in the area, upwards of 1500+ appliances. My boss was very enthusiastic about it (who wouldn’t be for 30k Euro/33.5k USD?) and that I needed to do that job under Gus’ supervision. Meaning Gus would drive me out to there, to then leave me there to do his own workload. Then pick me up again at quitting time.

I told the boss that I was happy for him landing such a big job and I enthusiastically told him that I just got hired somewhere else, and because I’m unpaid I had no obligation to give prior notice. Boss went white as a sheet, trying to tell me that I couldn’t just do that, and that I had to have a 3 month exit period. I knew it wasn’t true, so I just laughed myself all the way out the door to my new ‘job’ that certainly appreciated me more than this company.

(source) story by (/u/Tommyg930)

[ijustcantshutup-blog]

Are liberals the new slave traders?

I have had a really difficult time the past two years trying to rectify in my mind what liberals can possibly mean by not wanting to have immigrants become legal citizens.  I, and my family, have lived in some very immigrant heavy areas.  None of us ever had any problem at all with neighbors from other countries, ethnic backgrounds or religious differences.  Living in any immigrant area will simply blow the "immigrants are lazy" argument out of the water.  I watched those immigrants work so much harder than most people I knew.  Some of them lived next door and spoke no English.  I didn't care, we figured out how to talk to each other.  A big smile and a happy "Hello" in any language will let a person know that they are appreciated and recognized.  What a big happy hello won't do is let people know exactly how much you value them, how very appreciative people are of the work that is done, or any other things that we might want to convey.

The next door neighbors paid roughly 2 times what their house was worth.  It was in poor repair when they bought it.  Oh, and did they work.  That house was so clean on the inside, the yard was swept and raked, yes I said swept.  Four people bought and lived in a 3 bedroom house, about 1100 square feet.  They were always working, they worked on different shifts so there were always people at home and always people working.  When we were moving we had a home inspector by.  He was appalled at the structural condition.  When he found out they were not here legally, I was clued in; usurious loans

Hellos and smiles only go so far.  Living in the USA only goes so far when the chips are down or people want to get ahead.  Being in the United States will not put a roof over anyone's head or put food on the table.  It will not guarantee your child is afforded the same education, help or guidance.  I personally witnessed elementary school children who were in the ESL classes prK-3 being excluded from state mandated testing.  I was heavily into volunteering from the time my son started Kindergarten through 2nd grade.  K-1 were horrible years.  I volunteered for 8 hours/day 5 days/week.  I volunteered in the library because they needed the help.  I worked with a lot of children and parents who spoke no English.  Most of the teachers liked me.  One first grade teacher detested me and my son because he could read before Kindergarten.  She was angry with me for showing the first graders in her ESL class where the older child bilingual books were located.  She got angry with me for helping them check out very basic books in all English to compare with the same book in Spanish.  Their parents liked this.  Their parents came in to check out books to read to their kids.  I worked on the parents and pretty soon they were getting those books.  The next obstacle was the PTA. Two white women ran the PTA devoid of any Hispanic officers, influence or input.  I'm white.  I wasn't standing for it.  I was elected President.  I didn't want to be President of the PTA, but I was.  I did some things that were not 100% altruistic.  I was opposed to no changes.  I got rid of the other 2 officers who were elected with me, and put in place the vice President and Treasurer who were on board with the changes.  Changes were made, the vice President was fully and truly bilingual.  All meetings were conducted bilingually, all flyers were bilingual aside from the one time my devious little mind sent home all Spanish flyers.

.

We moved to another state, also with a very high immigrant population.  Ethnic make-up has never been important to us when relocating.  Crime rates, proximity to the things we need, affordability and other important issues are what have always driven our relocation choices.  I was not in the least concerned by a very high Sikh population or a high Hispanic population.  We're all just people doing the best we can for our children and family.  I figured my son would branch out from Mexican food, slang, attire and vocal affectations to explore other cultures and learn new things.  He kind of did, but old roots run deep.  I saw a lot of the same issues, but as he aged, his friends aged and we all talked more.  I found out a lot more.  I learned that migrant field workers aren't given the same rights and privileges at work that US citizens are.  I also learned that they don't complain because they have no recourse.

We moved where we are currently.  This is the first time, since I was 15 years old, that I've lived in an area that's almost all white.  My son came home after the first day or so of school totally confused because he'd never seen that many white children in his life.  Third grade was the first time he was not the extreme minority in a school system or neighborhood.  Being here, we've learned that liberals just need to stop this crazy crap.

If any liberal or democrat truly cared about immigrants it seems to me that they'd want what would be most beneficial to immigrants and that's equality.  How on Earth in anyone's addled mind can they believe that it's in any way beneficial to an immigrant to be denied treatment, fair representation, be denied a good safe affordable home, have their children be ostracized in class or be treated like they are intellectually inferior when it comes to reading?  How is preventing people who came here for a better life helping anyone?  It seems that those who employ them may benefit, so might those who have hazardous or damaged property to rent or sell at ridiculously high prices and others who prey on people who just don't know better or don't have the right to appeal.

I want people to come here.  I want immigrants to feel welcome.  I am excited when people become citizens.  I want neighborhood diversity.  I want my son to experience other cultures here at home.  I fully support education programs and initial aid programs.  A good well rounded citizenship program would have access to classes in citizenship a safe place to stay during the learning process, it would ideally be staffed with recent college graduates in a work/ loan payoff program.  Student debt is too high, so why not allow immigrants, volunteers, and new graduates in debt work together to ensure brighter futures for all.  Teachers, doctors, lawyers, social workers, finance specialists, dentists, nutritionists, agriculture workers, job placement specialists... at least some of these people have loans and may be more than happy to work off all or part of that debt.  Many new graduates can't get a job without experience, this would be that experience to help them get a leg up and a job offer.  The new immigrants would emerge as newly minted citizens.  They would ideally have secured jobs, housing, bank accounts, voter cards and transportation.

There are so many places where this could be done.  Old vacant military bases have dorms, hospitals, grounds and all the amenities for a small community., empty hospitals, old schools, empty auditoriums, any old but structurally sound building will do.  I'm sure carpenters, masons, electricians, architects and plumbers have loans that they can't afford too,   It would be so much more cost effective to implement this training program than what is currently being done.  I have no facts or figures, just my own thoughts.

If we want a better world, it we want a better USA, we have to find solutions not divisions.

[jpbuildersus]

How to Flip a House in Los Angeles

Have you ever seen house flipping shows where they renovate a house and make $50,000 in two weeks? It can be done, but these “reality TV” only captures part of the hefty workload going in to flipping a house. House flipping takes a lot of work, and it takes a lot more than two weeks to see your project through. Hefty returns are possible, but you need to make sure you understand the risk and steps involved into making a project profitable. If you’re thinking about flipping a house in LA, here are 8 steps you should understand before if you want to maximize your return: 1) Research a the LA real estate market Not every market is good for flipping houses. Luckily, the Los Angeles real estate market is one of the most the most desirable places to invest in the world. If you put in the time to find good deals, and your timing is good, the profits can be substantial. It’s important to look into up and coming neighborhoods. You should consult a real estate agent to get professional and timely advice. 2) Set a budget and business plan Real estate investors are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs need a business plan. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, but it has to include a budget, a timeline, and a project scope. How much are you investing? Do you have enough to cover renovation costs? What kind of scope are you comfortable tackling? We usually recommend starting with cosmetic updates for the first house flip or two, including bathroom renovation and a kitchen remodel. New flooring, paint, and fixtures go a long way as well. Try to avoid structural problems, as well as electrical and plumbing. These will require more permits and slow down your project. Your margin will be lower with cosmetic house flips, but the project will be faster, less risky, and cost substantially less. 3) Line up your financing before you need it Before you start making offers, make sure you have a lender who can fund your deal. If you don’t have a lender in mind, talk to your real estate agent and ask for recommendations. 4) Start networking with LA contractors You need to start building relationships with trustworthy general contractors in Los Angeles. You may want to start getting quotes before the property is even under contract. An important piece of learning how to flip houses is building a network of great contractors: general contractors, electricians, roofers, plumbers, painters, and HVAC professionals. If you need help with finding great contractors in LA at affordable prices, reach out to us and we can connect you to our network. 5) Find a house to flip Finding good deals is an essential part of flipping houses in Los Angeles. Ideally you want to find properties below market value, but with wide enough margins to cover your expenses. Recognizing good deals in LA is a massive topic in itself, but a good real estate agent can point you in the right direction. 6) Buy the house Once your offer is accepted it’s important to hire a home inspector to know what you’re up against. Home inspections take several hours and are comprehensive. Get quotes from contractors once you know the scope of the project and schedule them to start work right away. 7) Renovate Once the house is yours, it’s time to start the work. You’re on the clock from day one. Every month that goes by, the more interest you pay and the less profit you’ll make. Efficiency is extremely important when it comes to renovations. Too often contractors will tell you they can finish a project in a week, but they end up fiddling around with the details for up to a month. 8) Sell This part is largely handled by your realtor. Make sure you hire and expert in your specific market. Final Thought on Flipping Houses in Los Angeles Flipping a home for the first tan can be stressful. Lean on experts including your lender, contractor, inspectors, and realtor for advice. When in doubt, get additional opinions. Extensive research and preparation will help you avoid mistakes. Decisive action will move your project forward and will create results that will earn you profit. If you are interested in flipping a house, and are looking for a general contractor in LA to help with your renovations, contact us to day for a quote.

[handymanremodeling8151]

Best Electrician Service and Cost in Albuquerque NM |Best Albuquerque Handyman & Remodeling

 More information is at: http://handymanalbuquerque.org/electrician-service-near-me/

 Electrician Service near Albuquerque NM : Are you looking for the Best Electrician Service near Albuquerque NM ? Best Albuquerque Handyman & Remodeling, Our electricians are in your area daily to provide you with a convenient, fast and reliable service. We specialize in serving owners of prime residential and commercial properties, as well as offering emergency service for all of our clients. Cost? Free estimates! Send us a message or call us today. Best Electrician Service around Albuquerque NM. We serve Albuquerque NM and other areas. Get a Free Quote Now!

 ELECTRICIAN SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE NM

ALBUQUERQUEELECTRICIAN

  Fully Licensed Albuquerque NM Electricians

Electrician Service near Albuquerque NM : Best Albuquerque Handyman & Remodeling is a fully licensed, electrical contracting company incorporated in the State of Albuquerque NM.

We are licensed Master Electricians, working in the Five Borough area and are approved building contractors for primeAlbuquerque NMbuildings. Located in the heart ofAlbuquerque NM City, we are readily available to handle all of your electrical and data needs promptly and efficiently.

Our electricians are in your area daily to provide you with a convenient, fast and reliable service. We specialize in serving owners of prime residential and commercial properties, as well as offering emergency service for all of our clients.

Quality Work

Safety is a huge part of the way we do business. All of our employees are OSHA certified, and we make sure to instill a safety culture within the workplace. No project will be handled without taking proper safety precautions.

Best Albuquerque Handyman & Remodeling is a business built on not only on reputation, but on building long-lasting relationships. Our mission is to surpass client expectations while raising the bar in quality and satisfaction throughout the industry. We take pride in our quality of work, reliability, and convenience.

 About Best Albuquerque Handyman & Remodeling

Electrician Service near Albuquerque NM :Best Albuquerque Handyman & Remodelingis a fully licensed, electrical contracting company located in the heart of Albuquerque NM City. It began as a small, residential electrical contracting business decided to move to the United States from Poland, starting the business from scratch. His dream was to build a company based on reputation and to become a premier contractor in one of the world’s most competitive cities.

Today, Best Albuquerque Handyman & Remodeling comprises over 50 employees serving all five boroughs ofAlbuquerque NM City. We specialize in high-end residential and commercial properties with a readily available team of licensed master electricians. Our dedicated service department is there to take care of client requests and to keep projects running efficiently. We also offer emergency services to all of our clients.

 COST

How Much Does It Cost Of  An Electrician?

Typical Range: $160 - $508

 Electrician Hourly Rates & Costs

Electrician Service near Albuquerque NM :Electricians usually charge between $50 to $100 per hour. For the entire project, you'll spend an average of $322, or within a range between $160 and $508 or more. Both hourly and project rates vary depending on the type of project, license and experience of the service provider.

Frustrated by the lack of outlets when your cell phone, laptop or pad starts to die? Want to install a dimmer, fix a light or upgrade your home's security? Old electrical systems often can't keep up. Because smart homes and personal electronics are becoming commonplace, electricians are increasingly in demand to update and modernize the aging home.

 Electrician Cost Per Hour and Guarantees

Electrician Service near Albuquerque NM : Licensed electricians can charge anywhere from $50 to $100 an hour depending on experience level, license type and complexity of the job. This does not include additional costs for parts or minimum trip fees. An apprentice electrician could charge less than this for simple jobs.

The average cost to hire an electrician is $50 to $100 per hour

It's important to note that there are two hourly rates when it comes to most electricians. There is a difference between the rate the electrician gets paid and the rate the electrician will bill. Travel, supplies and overhead are sometimes included in the hourly rate, though some electricians provide a detailed line item bill with hourly rates separate from all other costs. This guide references what a licensed electrician will charge.

Most large companies don't do small jobs like fixing a light. Some electricians will do side work, or work without the overhead of an electrical company. In these cases, you may be able to find electricians working at a slightly lower rate than a professional shop charges.

There are a few minor cost factors to consider when hiring a local electrician:

●      Distance. Electricians will figure in the cost of travel to and from your home and any supply stores into project and hourly costs.

●      Accessibility. Is the project simple, like installing a light fixture, or complex like running a new circuit through finished walls? Complex jobs will increase the time of the project.

●      Experience. There are three license grades for electricians: Apprentice, Journeyman and Master. Each increasing grade requires more knowledge, experience and testing which all translates into higher rates. We'll dive into the specifics below.

Electrician Service near Albuquerque NM : Most will bid a total cost for the project. Get multiple, detailed bids on the price of parts and labor for each project in your home. Additionally, make sure all expectations are in writing and that you completely understand the terms and conditions of the work. Talk to your contractor about what happens if you aren't satisfied or if unforeseen circumstances cause changes in the bid. Review all warranties and understand everything included in the estimate. Make sure your electrician is licensed and bonded.

 Service Call, Consultation, No Call, and Inspection Rates

Minimum electrician trip free is $25

Service calls or consultations, or any job that needs a diagnosis, typically cost between $50 to $100 per hour. Homeowners usually pay more for the first hour - up to $150. This helps cover gas, travel time and small parts. Contractors bill for large parts separately. Consultations and inspections are usually considered service calls and fall in the same range. Estimates to fix already identified issues are usually free.

Inspections vary depending on type. An inspection to diagnose a problem is a service call. Inspections for code compliance are usually free and performed by the local electrical inspector. An electrical inspection may also be part of a complete home inspection and costs between $200 and $500. And don't miss your appointment. Many electricians charge a no show/no call fee, often the first hour of work to cover travel expenses. If you can't make the appointment, let them know well ahead of time.

 Average Prices Per Task

Often, an electrician will charge a minimum trip fee for a job, averaging around $25. This is sometimes figured into the first hour of labor, which tends to be at 1.5 times the usual hourly rate. Since you may be paying a minimum fee just for the visit, it's better to get a quote for everything you want done at one time instead of piecemeal one-off bids.

Do you want to install a ceiling fan? Add an outlet? Rewire a plug? Do you need dedicated circuits for your high-end electronics? Maybe you need to install an electric vehicle charging station in your garage. The possibilities are endless and doing a quick walk-through of your home to see where you might need work might save you time and money in the end.

 Average Electrical Contractor Project Rates Services        Avg Project Costs

Generator Services                                                                                    $250 - $1,000

Outlet & Switch/ Socket Installation                                         $150 - $250

Wiring a House                                                                               $550 - $750

Light Fixture Work                                                                         $150 - $750

Electrical Breaker                                                                           $100 - $160

Attic Fans                                                                                          $200 - $400

Ceiling Fans                                                                                      $50 - $200

Smart Home Installation                                                              $400 - $2,000

 Generator Services

Electrician Service near Albuquerque NM : Installing a generator costs an average of about $3,500 or anywhere between $1,000 and $6,000. Having one repaired will only run about $250. Generators for backup power, off-grid living, and recreational vehicles are increasing in popularity. Keeping them running gives peace of mind and security in extreme situations.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When is it time to call an electrician?

When you are resetting circuit breakers or changing fuses too often. When you turn on your air conditioner and the lights dim in the room. When your lights flicker or go on and off. When you can smell electricity burning. When you have six electronic devices going into one outlet in back of your electronics center. When you have receptacle outlets overburdened by multi-plug strips. When a three-prong plug needs a two-prong adapter. If you have to run extension cords to plug in electrical devices.

 What size electrical service system do I install in my home?

Most states call for 100 amps minimum, but with all the new electronic devices, air conditioning and electric heat, I would suggest 200 amps especially in new homes. This also gives you some space for future additions. This is not a job for an unlicensed person to attempt. In most cases it involves replacing everything from the service loop (this is the wire that extends from the top of your meter to the utility tie in ) up to and including the main panel.

 What are the common Electrical Acronyms and what do they stand for?

G.F.I. – Ground fault circuit interrupter. It is an electrical wiring device that disconnects a circuit whenever it detects that the electric current is not balanced between the energized conductor and the return neutral conductor. Such an imbalance may indicate current leakage through the body of a person who is grounded and accidentally touching the energized part of the circuit. A lethal shock can result from these conditions. GFCIs are designed to disconnect quickly enough to prevent injury caused by such shocks. They are not intended to provide protection against overcurrent (overload) or short-circuit conditions.

 How much electrical work should I attempt on my own?

A.)At the present time most states allow you to do whatever you want in your own home. But, doing electrical work yourself is dangerous and could result in costly repairs as well as making more problems within your home’s system.

 How much are you willing to risk to save money?

There is a reason why it takes so much training to become an electrician. Do not make a mistake by taking electricity lightly, even the smallest job could be a safety hazard. Why take a chance. Get a professional to do this work. Also In some states the homeowner can pull his own Electrical permit for work in his single family home, what he does not know is that in case of damage or fire caused by his work, his homeowners insurance will not pay, they will only if the work is done by a licensed Electrical Contractor.

 How often should you check and replace electrical wiring?

Checking circuits on time is something good. But, sometimes electrical wiring issues create trouble for homeowners. If a house or condo has surpassed 40 years, residents will need to keep in mind that there might be an issue with electrical wiring in the walls. Thus, a timely checking is a must so that if there is a need to change the electrical wiring, you get to know this on time.

 What does the electrician need to make your renovation or repair a success?

While you might consider how the rooms will be coordinated and where to locate the features, it is important to plan so that your electrical outlets and the wiring for your communication devices are situated in the suitable places. Well, in that case, a qualified, talented and experienced electrician is needed to discuss to make our home coordinating electrics.

 Is it necessary to ask for a reference of their happy customer?

Well, if you are hiring a qualified electrician for some important work of yours then it is a must to ask for a reference. If you are dubious around an individual ask them to give references from past happy clients. Request these referees to clarify the work they had done and how satisfied they were with the job done.

 CALL FOR US:

●      Electrical Contractors Near Albuquerque NM

●      Electrician

●      Electrician Salary

●      Electrician Service

●      Licensed Electrician

●      Electric

●      Non Union Electrical Contractors

●      Electrician Service Call Rates

●      Electrician Prices List

●      Electrician Near Albuquerque NM

●      Electrician Cost Calculator

●      Electrical Work Price Per Point

●      Pricing Electrical Work Per Point

●      Electrical Work Price List

●      How Much Does An Electrician Cost Per Hour Albuquerque NM

  BEST ELECTRICIAN SERVICE IN  ALBUQUERQUE NM

BEST ALBUQUERQUE HANDYMAN & REMODELING

REQUEST MORE INFORMATION. CONTACT US NOW!

 Contact us:

Best Albuquerque Handyman & Remodeling

Best commercial residential handyman maintenance renovation professionals in Albuquerque, NM

CALL (505) 859-3902 HANDYMAN 1

CALL (505) 404-7167 HANDYMAN 2

CALL (505) 225-3810 CLEANING

CALL (505) 570-4605 JUNK REMOVAL

CALL (505) 850-3570 MOVING

Located in Albuquerque, NM

WEBSITE:

www.handymanalbuquerque.org

http://www.handymanservicesofalbuquerque.com/

http://www.serviceabq.com/

SERVICE AREA:

18 Cities within 30 miles of Albuquerque, NM

Algodones, NM | Belen, NM | Bernalillo, NM | Bosque Farms, NM | Casa Blanca, NM | Cedar Crest, NM | Corrales, NM | Isleta, NM | Jarales, NM | Kirtland AFB, NM | Los Lunas, NM | Peralta, NM | Placitas, NM | Rio Rancho, NM | Sandia Park, NM | Tijeras, NM | Tome, NM | Torreon, NM | Alameda, NM | Five Points, NM | Los Padillas, NM | Los Ranchos, NM | Los Ranchos De Abq, NM | Los Ranchos De Albuquerque, NM | Los Rnchs Abq, NM | Manzano Base, NM | Metropolitan Detention Ctr, NM | Public Service Co, NM | Sandia Base, NM | Univ Of New Mexico, NM | Univ Of Nm, NM | UNM, NM | Village Of Los Ranchos, NM

Albuquerque, NM - Standard ZIP Codes

87101 87102 87104 87105 87106 87107 87108 87109 87110 87111 87112 87113 87114 87115 87116 87120 87121 87122 87123 87124

[beyondtrends]

Are you planning to sell your home? Here’s all you need to know.

Getting Home Inspection Services for domestic inspections can help you avoid a lot of headaches as a buyer or a seller.

If you're buying a place, an assessment might uncover issues you never would've noticed. An inspection can need the seller to settle what needs settling before you purchase the home. If you are a seller, an assessment can assist you to discover issues before you put the home on the market, letting you make the repairs without wrangling over the cost with a possible buyer.

A normal domestic inspection covers all major mechanical frameworks, basic integrity, cosmetic features and other perspectives of the house. This includes:

·         Heating and cooling arrangements

·         Electrical

·         Plumbing

·         Interior and exterior

·         Carports

·         Washrooms

·         Kitchen, which incorporates cabinets, counters, sinks, and other built-in devices

·         Bugs

·         Exterior walls

·         Walls, trim

·         Chimney

·         Foundation

·         Slabs

·         Basement and crawl space

·         Review of the attic and roof to evaluate the insulation, ventilation, framing, roof surface, blazing, infiltrations, sewerage, suspensions, drains and downspouts

The job should take two to four hours or more, depending on the intricacy of the assignment.

What to expect on inspection day?

On the day of the evaluation, the examiner conducts an initial site assessment. Then the examiner takes you on a visit to identify the assets as well as any possible issues. Pay attention, observe, inquire and learn.

At the end of the review, you get a composed report enumerating all the findings. The report ought to contain photos and descriptions of any harm or defects found amid the inspection as well as minutiae on the area of the damage.

So how can an examiner have mastery in so numerous distinctive things? Well, the answer is, some do not. That's why it's critical to check an inspector's background and references. Most domestic inspections are thorough, but even the finest inspectors might not catch all the things.

Here’s how to find the correct home inspector:

Look     for an inspector before you shop for a home. In case you select a home     first, time is crucial, and you'll feel pressured to choose the first     examiner you meet.

Ask     companions and family for suggestions.

Do     your research and inquire lots of questions of prospective examiners,     including their backgrounds, the amount of time they've been in the     business, the number of reviews they've performed and what kind of report     they'll provide.

Look     for a reviewer with a wide knowledge of a home's frameworks and     structures, not just a specialized person such as an electrician or a     plumber.

If     your state regulates home auditors, check with the state office to confirm     the inspector's permit and check his record for objections.

Make     sure your inspector is fair, autonomous and does not have any association     with the real estate business offering the home.

Choose     an examiner who carries insurance.

Take     the time to talk with a few reviewers.

Choose

Professional Home Inspection Services

which can provide a finished report with lots of time for analysis.

[thorne93]

Not What You Thought It Was (Part 5)

Prompt: What happens when Victor Frankenstein and an electrician’s assistant meet? History.

Word Count: 2234

Warnings: Spoilers, if you have NOT seen Victor Frankenstein and want to - TURN BACK. Maybe language. gore, etc.

Notes: This took me forever to write, and for that, I’m angry. But thanks to @queendivaofthedark I finally got it. Also, this is based on the 2015 Victor Frankenstein with James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe

Tagging: @cocosierra94​

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had just gotten home from work when Victor and Igor were discussing plans.

 “Now we can enact my true vision. You and I will take life's raw elements, its base components, and we...shall assemble them to our own specification, to our own design. For tonight we begin our model...of Prometheus,” Victor announced.

 “Um...Tonight... actually, Victor, I was...I've been invited to a ball,” Igor tried, worried about Victor’s response. You hung your coat, listening carefully for his response.

“A what?” he questioned, distracted.

 “A ball. Lorelei’s asked me.”

 “Lorelei?”

 “Yes.”

 “Hmm… Lorelei….I shall stay here and work with Y/N.”

 “I’m sorry, Victor,” Igor tried.

 “No need to apologize. You should go off and enjoy yourself. You deserve it. You've earned it. You can go now.”

 Igor began to leave, nodding at you. You returned the gesture and strolled up to Victor, putting your arms around his waist from behind.

 “I missed you,” you said as you rested your head against his back. He was working with chemicals and not paying any attention to you.

 “Yes...yes…” Victor hummed, more to himself.

 “You know,” you started, rounding so he had to face you, putting yourself between him and the experiments. “I could help you. I know Igor is better than me, but I could still help.”

 Victor’s gaze finally broke from the items and looked at you.

 “You’d do that?”

 You laughed. “Of course, my love. Just tell me what you need.”

----------------

 You were awoken with a banging to the front door.

 “What in bloody hell?” Victor groaned as he rolled over and got up.

 “Frankenstein, open this door! We'll break it down! Open this door now! Scotland Yard! Frankenstein! Open the door!”

 Both of your and Victor’s eyes flew wide as you raced to the open part of the flat. The banging continued.

 “Help me get the essential equipment,” he ordered.

 “Victor--” you started before he cut you off.

 “Hurry!”

 You two raced back into the bedroom to throw on the closest clothing you found. The knocking and pounding on the door was relentless as you flew down the stairs to the basement. You worked to destroy what needed to be destroyed and disconnected crucial pieces.

 “Where’s Igor?!” you shouted over the machines and pounding. They’d moved from the upstairs front door to the wide, large, double doors that lead to the basement. Your blood was rushing, your heart pounding. If they found anything incriminating, you’d be in jail for sure.

 “I don’t know,” he responded, trying to focus and ignore his irritation.

 They were still working on bringing down the doors as your hands shook, trying to work, trying to destroy what wasn’t as important and gather the crucial papers for research.

 “Victor, we have to leave!” Igor suddenly said, his voice coming out over everything.

 “And just where in the bloody hell have you been?!” you shouted.

 “I was with Lorelei,” he answered as if it didn’t make a difference.

 “Oh, yes. Courting the uneducated girl. How great. Meanwhile they’re trying to take our work apart!” you scoffed.

 “Meanwhile, we’re left with this mess.”

 “We need to leave, you two! Come on.”

 “I’m about to overload the conductors,” you answered.

 “Conductors? Forget the conductors.”

 “And let them have my machines? Not bloody likely! I’ve sent for one of Finnegan's men to provide a carriage,” Victor informed. That must’ve been what he was doing before he got down here. “Trap door to the sewers…it's the only way out. Try and open it. Pickaxe on the ice closet,” he instructed Igor. Igor stood a moment before Victor shouted again at him.

 Igor made his way to the closet as you busied yourself with the electrical machines. Suddenly, Igor was quiet, and you looked to see why he wasn’t moving.

 “Igor! We have to--” but you were silent. “Oh...my...God.” A blood curdling scream started to leave your throat before Victor ran and put his hand over your mouth but your legs gave way and you fell against him. A current of emotions rushed through you at the sight of a dead man encased in ice.

 “What...What is that?” Igor demanded.

 “Oh, Uh...Igor Straussman, meet Igor Straussman,” he explained as if he were introducing a dinner guest, all the while trying to keep you upright. You shoved him away from you, not wanting him to touch you.

 “What did you do to him?!” you screamed.

 “I found him like that, my love. He overdosed a couple months ago so I--”

 “You took his eyes! How could you?” You backed away from him as he came closer to you. “No! Stay away from me!”

 “My love, please. We can argue later about the ethics of what I’ve done, but right now, we need to leave otherwise we’ll die in prison.”

 You weighed your options, looking into his eyes, trying to decide whether to turn him in or help him. You loved him beyond any comprehension though, and in that moment, in his eyes, you saw he was mad, utterly, but he wasn’t a murderer.

 “Fine.” You grabbed the axe from Igor and started to hack at the sewer door.

 “Hunchback!” Turpin shouted, pointing a gun at all of you.

 You stopped swinging the axe, numbness settling over your body. This was it. This was the end of the line.

 “Drop the weapon!”

 You slowly put it on the ground and held your hands up.  

 Turpin turned to Igor and said, “Do you see the truth now? This is the man who took you from the circus. Who would gouge the eyes from a dead friend.”

 Victor moved to the axe and Turpin aimed his gun at him, making you want to move to cover him.

 “Move once more and I'll kill you,” Turpin promised, the threat making your heart constrict with panic.

 “Do as you wish. I have no fear of death!” Victor announced. You wanted to put your hand over his mouth, to silence his madness for just this once.

 “Really? I do. I lost my wife...to a malign growth. And in my suffering I know about death. That it's an abyss from which no man nor woman can be returned.”

 You furrowed your brow at him and softly asked, “Would you not rather have her by your side? To see her, alive again? Surely at some point, you bargained and said you’d do anything to have her alive again.”

 “I will be. When I die, I’ll be by her side in God’s house.”

 “You trust in fiction,” Victor countered.

 “And you will be forgotten,” Turpin argued, his dark eyes on your fiance. “That's right. History will bury you, Frankenstein...and no man will remember your name.”

 Victor shook his head. “No, you're wrong. Igor, no!”

 You were confused, Igor hadn’t moved. Then, suddenly, Victor charged at Turpin, taking the chance for the distraction and throwing the inspector off.

 “You'll remember me now,” Victor said darkly.

 You needed to save him. Now was the time. You weren’t sure what you were going to do, but he was obviously willing to stop at nothing to make sure his experiment became successful. Your heart was breaking at the sight he was becoming. You had wanted this, you’d wanted the very same thing for years, but you hadn’t been all-consumed by your grief like he had. Perhaps it was the circumstances. Victor had to prove he could bring life back, since he felt responsible for taking it.

 Victor was insane, mad, off his rocker, but he wasn’t an entirely hopeless case and he wouldn’t be for as long as you lived. You never regretted helping him, his vision the same as yours, but now...now, he had dissected a friend and attacked a police officer.

 In a rush, Victor had pushed you down into the sewers where you ran into a carriage. The entire time, your mind on auto-pilot. How had you let this happen? How had your fiance grown this...rapid without you noticing?

 You rode to the estate of the young, wealthy, fellow student of Victor’s. He explained what was happening and Finnegan offered to help hide you all and give you a lab, stating that he had a castle in Scotland. He went to prepare the coach for you all.

 “Victor,” you finally breathed, turning to your fiance in the expansive library. “Our home...our lives…”

 “Well have a new life in Scotland.”

 “Will we? You kept it from me that Igor was dead. What’s worse is you harvested his eyes.”

 “My love, I promise you, you’re being irrational.”

 Your anger boiled. “Irrational? Irrational?! Victor, a man was dead in our downstairs and for months you didn’t have the decency to tell me. We’ve been together for three years. How could you do this?”

 “Victor, she’s right,” Igor added. “This is complete madness. You kept this from me, let alone your fiance. How could you kill a man?”

 “I told you, I did not kill Straussman. You're overreacting,” he said, his anger barely in check.

 “His eyes!” Igor shouted.

 “Details. He was a waste of space. This fanfare from both of you is more than his own family will give him.”

 The man speaking was not your fiance, but you had to hold your horror in. You stood quietly as Finnegan returned, telling you the carriage was ready.

 You two started to stroll away with Victor and Finnegan.

 “Come, Igor. We'll talk about this on the way,” Victor called over his shoulder.

 “No,” Igor said defiantly.

 “What?” Victor demanded.

 “What you're doing is wrong,” he answered.

 “You’ve gone mad. Come,” Victor tried again.

 “Y/N, don’t go with him. How can you join him?” Igor asked incredulously, his gaze shifting to you now, instead of Victor. “You must see this is wrong. If you love him, you’ll stop him.”

 “I--” was all you could say. You weren’t sure how to respond. You had to be with Victor, you loved him, but that didn’t mean you would go along with his plans entirely. But that damn piece far down inside your heart made you wonder if you could achieve the (thought to be) impossible.

 “It’s gone too far,” Igor said.

 “We have to go,” you said. “We can discuss this on the way to Scotland,” you tried.

 “No, I’m not going,” Igor retorted.

 You were riddled with anxiety. You knew Igor was Victor’s friend but he was abandoning him. He wasn’t showing him how to be better.

 “Listen to me. You have the chance here to be part of--”

 “Of what? Of being lied to by you? Of being hunted by the police and chased by monsters?” Igor demanded, angry.

 “Well, if you're going to concentrate on the dark side…” Victor said, trying to deter the questions.

 They continued to bicker until Victor said something a little hateful and below the belt.

 “What will you do? Go back to the circus? Resurrect your illustrious career as--”

 But Igor stopped him. “It’s none of your concern.”

 You knew at this point, both men felt betrayed, angry, the panic and anxiety of the police were probably getting to them.

 “Victor, please, we need to leave,” you begged.

 Victor looked back at you and then back to Igor. “You're a fool. I created you. You think that just because I put you in a back brace and you cut your hair…you can turn your back on me? That you can walk out into the world on your own? See how far you get with your acrobat and your morals and your new life. Just come with me.”

 You chewed your lip as you sadly watched Victor try and go back between being defensive to hide his pain and offensive to protect himself. He was trying desperately to hide his feelings of abandonment.

 Igor didn’t respond, he merely stared at Victor defiantly.

 “Fine. I’m done with you. Come, Y/N, we need Igor no longer.”

 You escaped into the carriage and Victor took your hand.

 “Thank you, for not leaving me,” he whispered.

 “I never will,” you promised. “But why didn’t you tell me about Igor?”

 “Because I knew you’d want him to go to the hospital, for a proper funeral.”

 “And you wanted to use him…”

 “It helped our research,” he said simply.

 “I just wish you would’ve told me. If he was really as...useless as you say he is, I would’ve found a way to get past it, to know that his body was being used for science.”

 “Really?”

 “Really. I wish you would trust me,” you said sadly.

 “I do.”

 “Then show it to me. No more lies, please.”

 “I promise.” He kissed your hand and the ride became a quiet one, granting you to think more about the situation at hand.

 How were you going to do this? You still wanted the experiment to move forward, for your sake and Victor’s. You had to know. You had to know if this was possible. You knew he would never listen to you to stop it. All you could do was let this run its course.

 You thought and thought, wracking your mind for every possible way to get him to become less insane. You were fugitives, your lives were ruined. Suddenly, maybe there was one thing you could offer him, something that no one else could.

[thorne93]

Not What You Thought It Was (Part 3)

Prompt: What happens when Victor Frankenstein and an electrician’s assistant meet? History.

Word Count: 2633

Warnings: Spoilers, if you have NOT seen Victor Frankenstein and want to - TURN BACK. Maybe language. gore, etc.

Notes: This took me forever to write, and for that, I’m angry. But thanks to @queendivaofthedark I finally got it. Also, this is based on the 2015 Victor Frankenstein with James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe

Tagging: @cocosierra94​

~~~~~~~~

That night, you lay next to a sleeping Victor remembering how you met him three years ago. You remembered your sister Margaret. She was gorgeous and full of life. She was all you had after your parents died when you were four. She was eight years older than you, almost like a parent. But she was so wonderful. She was kind, sweet, caring, lively…Until that blasted sickness took over.

When she was gone, you were devastated, you’d gone half mad. You dedicated your time to reading anatomy and studying medicine, all of the usual non-lady-like activities. When you tried to apply to medical school and they denied you, you decided to do something that you didn’t need a school for. You worked with electricity as an apprentice under a very open minded man. You’d gotten very good in a year and that’s when he walked in - Victor Frankenstein.

“Excuse me, is there a Mr. Wexley here?” he asked as he approached.

“No, I’m sorry, sir, he’s out for the day. Could I help you?”

 Victor seemed intrigued at first, eyeing you up and down as you were dirty, in breeches and a shirt and boots, your hair not styled for fashion but functionality.

 “Perhaps. Do you work here?”

 “I do.” You wiped your hands on a rag as you stood behind a counter.

 “Well, I need a machine, could you fashion me one?”

 “I can fashion whatever you please,” you said with a smile.

 “Very good then.”

 After that, he told you the contraption he desired and you set to work, delivering it to him after two weeks. You arrived to his flat, the contraption on a small dolly.

 “Oh, splendid!” he cheered when he opened the door. You wheeled the device in and he had his hands clasped together.

 You two stood there awkwardly before you said, “Well, I better be going.”

 “No, wait. Uh, would you like to see my lab?” he asked.

 You grinned a wide grin and said yes. He showed you to the small lab in his small library.

 “I’m actually going to put the device here too.”

 “May I ask what it’s for?” you questioned as you looked at all of his little trinkets and books.

 He turned and faced you, sizing you up, seeing if you were worthy to tell.

 “Do you believe in life after death?” he asked cautiously.

 “Like Heaven and Hell?”

 He shook his head. “More like…return of life after death. Reanimating a body that’s been long gone.”

 You thought about it awhile before answering. “I suppose anything is possible, Mr. Frankenstein. Why?”

 “Please, call me Victor. What would you say if I…if I was attempting to do just that?” he questioned carefully, scrutinizing any minute flicker in your face.

 “I would say that’s ambitious…but I would like to see if you could achieve that.”

 In that moment, his eyes lit up. He knew by his peers he was called crazy, by his father, but you…you hardly knew him and you believed in him.

After that, he asked you to court. You two had a few normal, casual, traditional dates of dining or picnics, but soon you realized your minds wandered to talk of science. So before long, the dates ended up being in his lab, and he eventually showed you his basement where the true science happened. It only took about a month for him to explain why he was doing it. He had felt so safe with you, and you with him. You confided in him that you wanted to see his work succeed to see your sister again.

You worked together for years, trying to get the technology to work. Now that it had, now that you had Igor to help…you were now skeptical like Igor was. You wanted to support Victor, you wanted to see if this science would work, you wanted to see Margaret again but what if…what if what was brought back to life was not Margaret? What if this technology merely brought back a…zombie? An empty shell of nothing to behold.

But what if it truly brought her back to you?

This was the question of ethics that plagued you all night.

—————-

The next day, late in the afternoon, you were working with Victor down in the basement. He hadn’t said anything about his outburst last night and was diligently working on blueprints for the new being. You were mulling it over with him but he was too resigned in himself today to function. Just as you were about to ask him to snap out of it, Igor was at the bottom of the stairs.

Victor wasn’t paying attention so you said, “Yes, Igor?”

“There’s an inspector here for Victor…”

“For what?” you asked incredulously.

“Possibly about the circus…”

“What happened at the circus?” you questioned your eyes darting from Igor to Victor, your eyes searching him for any recollection, but he seemed so lost. He almost acted as if he was the only one in the room. You clapped your hands in front of him and he jumped back with a glare.

“What?” he barked as his eyes went from you to Igor.

“An inspector is here for you,” you answered as you put your hands on your hips.

“Oh.” He put down his pencil and smoothed out his attire as he grabbed a fashionable coat. You followed up behind the men.

You and Igor stood back as the inspector pelted question after question toward Victor.

“I’ve informed the college I would happily pay for the damage. Just a bit of broken glass,” Victor tried, his best effort to minimize the situation.

The Inspector said, “An animal was involved apparently.”

Victor nodded. “There was indeed. Mr. Straussman, Ms. Y/L/N, and I are currently involved in the study of…chimpanzees. It’s quite… quite fascinating, actually. We have discovered that by using emotional cues…we can teach them primitive belief systems. Of course, it’s only because they are not yet capable of higher logical thought.” He seemed to be pulling this lie off, except his speech was increasing and you knew the inspector would see through a terrible lie, but so far this sounded satisfactory.

Turpin inquired, “Where is the creature now?”

Without a hesitation on his part, Victor responded, “Dead.” Turpin’s eyebrows shot up and Victor quickly worked to remedy the situation. “Poor thing. Had to be put down, didn’t it?” He turned to look back at you and Igor.

Both of you nodded and you politely added, “Yes, yes it did.”

“Why would the police be interested in such a trifle?” Victor asked.

“There may be a connection with a murder investigation of ours.”

Victor seemed shocked, almost theatrically so. “Murder investigation? Igor, Y/N, this is a murder investigation! Am I to understand we have to summon the chimpanzee’s lawyer?” You internally groaned, wanting to simultaneously smack him, kiss him, and strangle him. Most of the time, his smart-assery was loved by you, but in this situation, his humor was not nearly as funny as he thought it was. You tried desperately to will him to shut up in your head.

As you highly suspected, Turpin found this not humorous. “Mr. Frankenstein, I warn you that there are consequences for obstructing police work. I should like to see records of your experiments for the past twelve months. If you cannot cooperate, then, by God, I’ll conduct a thorough search of these premises.”

At his words, your blood chilled, running like ice through your body. A search? They want our records? What on Earth for? It didn’t matter. If they knew you and Victor and Igor had been stealing animal parts and conducting experiments to raise the dead, the penalty could be hefty.

You wanted to lunge to cover Victor’s mouth before he answered the next thing asked by Inspector Turpin, but alas, that would raise suspicion. So you willed yourself to stay planted, forced to listen to your fiance’s answer.

“‘By God,’ you say? Inspector, I must inform you…that you are currently in the home of rational, free-thinking men and women. To violate it or my research would require a proper legal warrant. And God has no authority here.” Victor leaned forward a bit threateningly.

His response, while not outwardly a threat, was still ill-advised. You again felt the need to groan.

A dark sort of light flickered in Turpin’s eye as his head whipped more toward Victor. “

Tread lightly, sir. You may insult me, but you impugn the Lord at your peril. I should remind you that life is a sacred creation.”

You closed your eyes, you knew this would set Victor off and you wanted desperately to be by his side and to calm him. To put yourself between him and the inspector so you could make him forget what he just heard.

A smirk found his face as Victor snapped, “Are you a police officer or a theologian?”

“Victor,” you chastised.

But he ignored you and continued. “Let me tell you something for nothing. Life… I’ll say this very slowly… is merely…the application and outcome of applied chemistry.”

You curled your toes, swallowed, and dug your fingernails into your palms as Igor tensed beside you. This was going poorly, rather rapidly.

The Inspector was quick to turn the question on Victor. “And did you or did you not apply such chemistry at the Royal College of Medicine two days ago?”

Victor spun back to you two. “Igor, when was the last time you went to confession? The good friar has come to see whether we have sinned.”

You bit your tongue, as did Igor.

“I’ll ask you again,” the Inspector said.

Victor was thoroughly fired up but the Inspector seemed cool as ice. “And I will ask you again, sir: Why are you so interested, nay, infatuated with this case? Surely there are more interesting mysteries to be solved in London. Or…is it precisely because this experiment, which you imagine took place…may very well discredit your own primitive belief system? Uncover what you will about me, Inspector. Men like you have always stood in the way of progress and invariably been left in its wake. My creation–!”

You sucked in a breath as you realized Victor was burying himself further with every word he uttered. He realized his mistake too and stopped himself, thank God.

The Inspector promised he’d be back with a warrant and left.

“Some help you two were,” Victor bellowed once he was gone. “Was it fun to watch me fumble? To watch me nearly expose us?”

“You did that yourself,” you argued. “I tried to stop you but you were so determined to get under his skin. To prove him wrong. Victor, the only thing that’s standing in our way right now, is you!”

You grabbed your jacket and stormed out of the apartment.

You returned after a long walk around the town. You window shopped, stopped in at the market and deli but you were too upset to even think of food. Eventually, you headed back to the apartment. When you returned, Victor was madly scratching out a chalk portion of the new creation on the floor.

“Victor,” you said softly as you kneeled next to him, touching his shoulder. He yanked away from you.

“What?” he spat, not looking away from his work.

You sighed. “I’m sorry for what I said, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

“I just don’t want your temper to get any of us in trouble, or hurt, or to stop the research.”

“It won’t be my failing that causes that,” Victor said. “I’m committed to this. Are you?”

You grabbed the chalk from his hand and he looked at you before frowning.

“Give me that back!”

“I’m committed to you,” you assertively said as you grabbed his face with both hands. “I love you, Victor. I love what we’re doing. Don’t let the police or Igor or anything come between us and our work, okay?”

He softened in your hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry too.” He turned and kissed your palm. Then leaned forward and kissed you. The kissing quickly turned into something else entirely and you found yourselves lying in bed.

[theoriginalkidwithapen]

Principia – De Motu Corporum XI

CW:  politics, foul language, abuse, violence against children, death, murder, drinking, generational trauma, alcoholism

Moreover... we may discover the proportion of a centripetal force to any other known force, such as that of gravity. For if a body by means of its gravity revolves in a circle concentric to the earth, this gravity is the centripetal force of that body.

– Sir Isaac Newton, “Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica”

The Southeast Corridor was a long tunnel 30 meters across.  Like with other examples of Lunar construction, it had been bored and excavated from an existing lava tube long ago, and was not covered from floor to ceiling in buildings, bridges, catwalks, and canopies, all punctuated and interwoven with pipes, ducts, and conduit placed wherever it would fit.  The lighting was warm and homely, the air rich is the strong, hearty smell of a dozen aromatic spices, and to Sara’s awe and perplexion, the tunnel walls rang with the sound of hundreds of people singing, accompanied by steady rhythmic clapping and the low drone of a didgeridoo.  All of this came together to create an atmosphere of primality and modernity, jubilation and solemnity, ritual and extemporanity, it was a hauntingly beautiful and profoundly…  human experience. “That’s amazing,” Sara half-whispered in awe, “What are they doing?”

“Havin’ a sing-songs,” Tahlia said contentedly as their coworkers began to join in, “Ahh, nothing like being back on colony after a hard day’s work, ay?” “I… wouldn’t know,” Sara said, somehow feeling a sense of loss at the richness of culture around her and the…  happiness, as if to spite the poverty present here, like in the other Selenite spaces she had seen here on the Moon, “Back home, everyone’s always so miserable and beaten.  You’d never have something like this in the Wards.” “Can you say that?” Tahlia asked, surprised, “Well, stay close to me, ay?  We’ll get you busted out laughing so we can scare those lows away, unna?”

Tahlia led Sara and, by extension, the rest of the group, left to the tunnel wall, up the stairs two floors, then a right, down past the large air vent with wind chimes hanging off the front, and another right across a bridge until they came to a triangular sign with 10 black circles connected by black lines to look like a shrugging cross, laid against a yellow background.  Sara had seen thee signs along their path, and that Tahlia had turned every time they encountered one, as if she were avoiding them. “Catchya inna bit, fullas,” Tahlia called out to the others, “The Earthfulla here needs some schooling.” The others let out a hearty laugh and continued ahead.  Tahlia directed Sara’s attention to the shrugging cross sign.  “That right there is a marker for the Mara-Tea Dreaming,” she began, “It’s important to my mob and to my colony, which is why it marks our custodial lands.  We fullas are the Chladni Community of Sinus Medii – our roots, customs, and culture came from the custodians of the lands of Australia way back in the way backs, but in the centuries since, we’ve welcomed Moonfullas from other backgrounds into our colony.” “And how does Sharqi fit in with all this?” Sara asked. “He’s one of us,” Tahlia replied, “Earthgubbahs put him in welfare during the moonquake of ‘49, so he never got reared up proper – he got sent to an Earthfulla family that were part of the Organisation.  He came back all growed up, and in a real blackfulla way, he uses his position to get us Moonfullas jobs so fewer of us have to be on the pension.” “You sound like you admire him,” Sara said. “For a Stolen Gen,” Tahlia replied, “he’s a fulla who’s strong in his culture.  Now, let’s get some grub, ay?”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The inside of the restaurant was lively and raucous, full of people talking, laughing, eating, drinking, even singing – and just generally enjoying each other’s company.  The air was alive with the smell of hearty food grilled in the open air – the aroma of onions and bell peppers, cooking oils and barbecue sauces, marinated meat and golden grains – Sara had never salivated like this before. The fry cook behind the counter was a giant Aboriginal man with both arms heavily scarred at the elbows, which was where flesh and bone abruptly gave way to the metal and silicone of his cybernetic replacements.  His apron had the words, “Black And Proud” printed in large, friendly letters across the chest. “Ay, there you are, sistagirl,” he said jovially, “I was wonderin’ what a fulla’d have to do to get his li’l darlen to come back to her dad’s!” He noticed Sara quietly following her, unsure of how to interact in this sort of setting.  “Tahlia,” he asked, “who’s that fulla?” “This fulla’s our new gunna be docker, Sara,” Tahlia replied, “She came up here from America.” “Shair, auntie girl,” he scolded, “Are you ignorant or what?  You know gubbahs don’t get us.” “This one ain’t a gubbah,” Tahlia explained, “Nan says she’s my sista from another mister, and I believe her.” “Shame job, Doris,” he sighed, and he gestured to the TV on the far end of the bar, which was airing an interview with the next prime minister of United Earth, a morbidly obese blowhard whose spray tan and toupee were in such appallingly bad taste that they had to be some kind of incomprehensible fashion statement, “Earthfullas are all like that one – they’ve got no respect.” “I’ll flog her myself if she doesn’t,” Tahlia said to Sara’s astonishment. “I’m still here, you know,” Sara commended, “and I’ve picked up enough Moonfulla talk today to know that you don’t like me very much, and I gotta know if we have a problem.” “Ay, little woman now,” the man answered, “don’t be a sookie.  I don’t bar fullas unless they’re violent or mission managers.  What’ll you have?” “Two of your finest,” Tahlia ordered, “and a flagon each.  Don’t skimp on the peppers this time, ay?” “Got it, Tahli,” he affirmed, “Ay, Christo!  Fill two gooms for these fullas ‘fore I bust you up!” “Ay, boss!” a younger Aboriginal man shouted in response before filling up two fist-sized glasses with some kind of clear liquor from a tap made from old copper pipes.  He slid the two glasses down to Tahlia as the older cyborg turned to his stovetop to grill up their orders. “I’d watch out, if I were you,” Tahlia cautioned as she handed Sara her drink, “This grog’s deadly solid, and it has but one redeeming quality.  Mooms up!” Sara joined her in knocking back the sterile, corrosive liquid, fighting the gag reflex its stench evoked as it went down her gullet.  Apart from the overpowering alcoholic sting, it had a distinct metallic tang, probably from the pipes and whatever it was stored or distilled in.  Even she, a seasoned moonshine drinker, found herself coughing and wheezing after choking it down. “Damn, that’s fucking good!” Sara winced. “It’s also too deadly a machine degreaser,” Tahlia concurred, just as impaired. “Literally,” Sara groaned as she struggled to find her equilibrium, “I might need a new liver after this.” “Dad’s right,” Tahlia said, “You are a sookie.” “Am not!” Sara protested. “Therem therem, sookie,” Tahlia teased, “Auntie Tahli’s gonna love you long time.  Two more, Christo!” “Ay, tidda!” Christo called out in response. “Maybe we should go slow on this next round,” Sara suggested, “You have any mixers back there?” “Got some cookin’ oil in the deep fryer!” Chrito replied loudly. “Ay, don’t try to be a blackman now, Christo!” Tahlia yelled, “You’ve got lemon juice and sugar back there, unna?  Mix us some hard lemonades, budj!” “Yeah, ay?” Christo answered, “Ay, she’s a big shot now, unna?” “True that, buddah!” half of the people in the room called out in response before going back to their business. “Shame,” Tahlia muttered to herself.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The headquarters office for the Life Support Utility company’s Grimaldi branch was a cylindrical prefabricated structure that jutted out from the water treatment plant like a barnacle, as if it were tacked on as an afterthought.  Finchley noted the enormous water main going up through the cavern ceiling to the space elevator.  It was the non-descript jugular vein that provided the water, air, and propellant that without which, Grimaldi Station and all aboard would die. He and Nguyen continued across the stark concrete bridge that spanned the trench housing the electrical conduits servicing the power needs of the entire Grimaldi Space Elevator complex, and approached the front gate, which wasn’t really much more than a steel barricade set inside a gap in the chain link fence surrounding the facility.  Finchley pressed the button on the intercom.  Nothing happened.  He pressed it again.  Still nothing.  Nguyen began restlessly looking around, and noticed that although the door’s security equipment was in place, the bolt holding it locked had been cut. No, burned. Nguyen thought that a laser cutter or acetylene torch had been used here. With one hand and a sideways motion, Nguyen slid the barricade aside with little difficulty, to Finchley’s surprise.  “Ewan,” she said as she pulled a bundle of wires out from behind the intercom, which had been cut with electrician’s pliers, “just how, exactly, did you become an inspector?” “My maths were too poor to be an accountant,” Finchley confessed dryly, “and I’m too much of an arsehole to be a project manager.” “So much for the excellence of United Earth’s Civil Service,” Nguyen snarked.  She and Finchley drew their sidearms and cautiously approached the office building. They crept up to the front door and flattened their backs against the wall, flanking the doorway.  They could hear muffled, indistinct voices on the other side.  Nguyen pressed the button to talk on her collar microphone.  “Nguyen to Stationhouse,” she whispered urgently, “I’m with an MOI inspector at the LSU Grimaldi Branch HQ.  Possible breaking and entering, requesting immediate backup.” She glanced at Finchley, and he returned her gaze.  Finchley stepped in front of the door and, after silently counting down from three, he kicked the door open violently and entered, with Nguyen following closely. “Ministry of Inquiry!” Finchley barked at the occupants, “Don’t move!” The six people inside, all wearing LSU uniforms, looked up from apparently mundane tasks with surprise and alarm.  Everyone waited in apprehension as detective and technician alike were unsure of how to proceed.  Finchley and Nguyen slowly lowered their guns. “Stationhouse, this is Nguyen,” she reported in annoyance, “disregard.  Situation is under control.” “Are we under arrest?” a supervisor-type asked obliviously. “No,” Finchley replied with greater annoyance than his partner, “No, you’re not fucking under arrest, you twit!”  He holstered his weapon, and Nguyen did the same. “Good,” the supervisor said, “Now, if you don’t have any business here other than harassing utilities technicians, please leave.  We are extremely busy!” “Obviously,” Finchley snarked, “You didn’t notice that someone had disabled your security system.  We thought someone had broken in!” “You didn’t notice it either,” Nguyen commented offhandedly. “A break-in?” the supervisor asked, “We’ve detected no break-in here.” “How could you?” Nguyen countered, “All the security devices at your front gate have been disabled!” “Besides, you didn’t detect us until after we kicked in the door,” Finchley added. “Fair point,” the supervisor conceded, “and I would send someone out to repair them if I could spare anyone, but I’ve been down to a skeleton crew here ever since all those algal blooms cropped up in Surveyor City.  Even with everyone working on that crisis, we’re still working double and triple shifts every day.  You can thank your wretched colonial government’s shortsightedness for that!” Nguyen put a hand on her hip.  “That’s a hell of an opinion,” she critiqued, “especially for an employee of that government.” “Is it?” the supervisor asked, “I guess I’ve been too busy making sure that half a million people don’t die to notice.” “Right…” Nguyen narked as she rolled her eyes. “That said,” the supervisor said, “I must insist:  What business do you have here?” “We’d like to talk to you about the technician you sent to service the CELSS unit at the Governor’s Residence the other day,” Finchley said. The supervisor paused.  “Kovac, take over here for a minute,” he ordered, “Officers, step into my office, if you please.  I think we may want to discuss this in private.” They followed him to a plexiglass cubicle with no door.  The supervisor plopped down in the swivel chair behind the desk and turned to face the detectives. “You wanted to know about a technician that LSU sent to the Governor’s Residence?” he asked as he tapped his desk with his finger, calling up a holographic display with graphs, charts, spreadsheets, and tables, all hovering like cyan specters, “Ah, here it is.  Konstantin Dibra, Journeyman Utility Technician Grade 1, assigned to perform the monthly diagnostic test on the Governor’s Residence CELSS unit for January 2293 on 22930112.” He poked the work order for more information.  “Huh,” he said in subdued curiosity, “It says here that he accepted the job and completed it within the time allotted, but never reported in for his next job.  In fact, he didn’t show up for work today.” “Is that unusual for him?” Finchley asked. “Most definitely,” the supervisor replied, “Konstantin started here as a Grade 4 Apprentice, and in the 12 years he’s worked for the company, the only time he’s ever taken off from work was during the labor strike of ‘87.  The man’s a workaholic – he’s always taking extra shifts whenever they become available – even the few times he’s been sick or injured, he insisted on working his full shift.” “The ‘87 labor strike?” Nguyen asked, “So he’s political?” “I don’t have that information,” the supervisor said, “but everyone in LSU was there protesting the pay cuts and having to pre-fund 100 years of retirement pension payments, thanks to your wretched colonial government again.  I don’t think he had the time to get involved in politics, he was just standing up for his livelihood like the rest of us.” “But he’s still a trade unionist,” Nguyen pressed, “Doesn’t that imply a political affiliation?” “Not necessarily,” the supervisor corrected, “Everyone – and I mean everyone, down to the secretaries – who work at LSU is a card-carrying member of the LLT.  They don’t have to agree with the League’s politics, they don’t even have to like it, period, as long as they pay their dues, they get to work here and receive all the benefits that League membership confers.  Konstantin’s paid his dues on time every quarter for 12 years now.” “Could we get a copy of his employee jacket?” Finchley asked. “Certainly,” the supervisor answered, and summoned the technician’s dossier, which he sent to the detectives’ handsets with a flick of his wrist, “Anything else I can do for you?” “No,” Finchley concluded, “but we’ll contact you if we have further questions.” “Well then,” the supervisor dismissed, “good day.”  He gestured for them to leave. As they exited the building, Nguyen spoke up.  “So, where to now?” she asked. “I’ll question Ms. Yousafzai again,” Finchley stated, “I want you to go follow up on the Dibra lead.  Go to his home, try to locate him.” “Understood,” Nguyen responded.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A savory, meaty, bready aroma heralded the arrival of Sara’s salivatory entreé – a breaded steak, buttered mashed potatoes and gravy, collared greens, and a pair of southern-style biscuits.  Never before in Sara’s life had she seen such a feast, let alone had one prepared for her.  She found herself unsure of how to attack it. Tahlia saw the apprehension in Sara’s eyes.  “Somethin’ wrong with it, darlen?” she asked. “No, it looks great,” Sara said, “I just can’t believe that all this is for me.” “Well, eat hearty,” Tahlia advised, “A docker’s gotta keep up her strength, unna?”  She took her own advice and began cutting into her steak. Sara stuck her fork into her cutlet and carved off a lice.  She put it in her mouth and began to chew, and the flavor – the tang of the salt, the cream of the buttermilk, the sinus-clearing power of the peppers and the garlic – it was more than merely delicious. It was painfully, profoundly beautiful. As she swallowed, she could feel her eyes moisten.  The moisture turned to wetness, the wetness to tears that rolled slowly down her cheek in the 1/6th gravity.  Before she knew it, she was sobbing uncontrollably, grieving for…  something.  The girl she was never allowed to be; who could have eaten like this sooner, perhaps.  Her grief turned to regret and self-hatred.  She wished she had never tasted such a morsel – that way, she wouldn’t have ever known that such a delightful thing could possibly exist, or that she could ever sample such a glorious delicacy.  She felt as if she had taken her knife and fork and cut out a piece of herself instead.  It hurt her more deeply than any wound she had ever suffered in her life, and it was agonizing. Good things didn’t happen to her.  She couldn’t accept that they might. Tahlia was surprised at Sara’s reaction.  Her dad’s cooking was good, but she had never heard of anyone being reduced to tears after only one bite.  “What’s wrong?” she asked. Sara continued to bawl inconsolably.  Tahlia didn’t know what to do – she had never seen a grown woman have a sook like this before.  Her tears weren’t born of pain or petulance, or of grief or gladlessness, or of heartbreak or hopelessness.  Hers were complex, conflicting tears which tugged at the tapestry of her soul in every direction until the threads frayed and it began to come apart at the seams. Tahlia couldn’t comfort Sara because Sara didn’t know what she was feeling herself. “Mad deadly, ay?” Tahlia asked Sara tenderly, “Gorn den, the second bite’s better’n the first.” Sara wiped her tears away on her sleeve, almost stabbing Tahlia with her steak knife on accident.  She regained just enough composure to take Tahlia’s advice and eat another bite of her impossibly heavenly steak dinner. “Why now?” Sara wept wretchedly, “Why not sooner?” “My dad cooked it as quickly as possible,” Tahlia replied, trying to raise Sara’s spirits by comically missing the point. “Not that,” Sara continued, “I just…  never ate like this before.  Nothin’ like this where I’m from.  I’m not sure I deserve this.” “Can you say that, auntie girl?” Tahlia asked, “You deserve to eat hearty and be happy like any fulla.  Now eat up.  Auntie Tahli’s gonna treat you right, ay?” Sara kept eating, still weeping as she did so.  Tahlia turned to face her dad behind the counter. “Ay, dad!” she called out, “Is he ignorant or what?” “Who?” he asked back. “That gubbah,” Tahlia clarified as she nodded in the direction of the screen, which was still showing the interview with the overflowingly gelatinous Prime-Minister-In-Waiting from the United States, George Paramount, “He’s got so much shit packed in his head, it’s spillin’ out his mouth!” “Ayy, no respect that one,” Dad replied, “They had him on earlier, busted for behaviour his nan shoulda flogged him for when he was a little fulla.  He’s got no shame.” “What sort of behaviour, dad?” “Oh, he was yarnin’ up big time about grabbin’ mootchas and other shameful shit on an Earth chat show last month,” Dad explained, “and get this – the host let rip on him for that talk, and the dish licker called her a liar, even when she showed him the fucking video of him sayin’ his exact words!  Then he stood over her and lapped her up over mobbin’ him up with slander and fake news!” “You’re gammon!” Tahlia dismissed, “Good go, dad, but not even!” “I’m bein’ straight out, baby girl, I’d swear he was grog sick there,” Dad contested, “The loon’s an even bigger sookie than this one, here!  If that’s the flashest the Earthgubbahs can pick, we Moonfullas might be best off lettin’ rip on those mission managers in the Colonial Government and stand up for our land rights.” “Nahhh, Earthgubbas have got all of the guns and none of the respect,” Tahlia countered, “If we rise up against them, they’ll turn the city’s tunnels into one great massacre site, and then we’ll all be in for some sorry business, unna?” “Shair, auntie girl,” Dad articulated, “There hasn’t been a massacre on Luna in a hundred years.  Gubbahs haven’t got the boobles for more than the occasional bust up.” “Dad,” Tahlia protested, “Mum and Nan were killed in the last ‘bust up.’  I don’t want any more in my mob to die.” “Is it better for us Moonfullas to die slowly as the Earthfullas replace us?” Christo chimed in. “Fuck off, Christo!” Tahlia snapped, “I swear to God I”m gonna bust you if you don’t!” “Then let’s get busted!” Sara shouted, “Christo, two more!” “That’s ‘hammered,’ sista from another mista,” Tahlia corrected.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Amsha was rudely awakened by percussive, metallic banging on the door of her cell before the bolt slid open and the door swung open, blinding her bleary eyes with the light from the corridor outside.  A short, stocky, night-black silhouette blotted out the light and set foot in the room.  Amsha quickly wrapped herself up in her bedsheets to preserve her modesty, but she wasn’t quite able to cover one of her ankles in the confusion. “Tell me about the LSU technician,” Fichley asked without breaking stride, “Every detail, you can remember, every impression you had of him, everything!” “What is going on!?” Amsha asked in a shocked manner. “The technician!” Finchley repeated, “Tell me now!” Amsha had to take a moment to organize her thoughts and recall what had been a routine and thoroughly forgettable encounter. “The technician was courteous, efficient, professional,” she replied nervously, “The job was completed within half an hour – at the time, I thought it was satisfactory – there weren’t any problems with security, no apparent difficulties or delays–” “Describe the technician,” Finchley ordered, “How tall was he?  Was he an Earther?  Spaceborn?  Selenite?  Did he have any identifying features, like scars, birthmarks, prostheses, tattoos?” “Th-the technician was 170-odd centimeters tall,” Amsha anxiously answered, “I think she might have been an Earther, but it was hard to tell with her baggy coverall–” “Wait a minute,” Finchley interrupted, “‘She?’” “Yes,” Amsha affirmed. “The LSU technician was a woman?” “Surely that’s not unusual.” “It isn’t,” Finchley interrogated, “but in this case, it’s impossible.  The technician that LSU dispatched to the Residence was male.” “What?” was all that Amsha could manage in her astonishment. “The technician, Konstantin Dirba, was a man,” Finchley clarified. “Your information must be wrong,” Amsha denied, “The technician who came to the Residence was definitely female.” “Ms. Yousafzai,” Finchley said sternly, “why are you lying to me?” “I’m not,” Amsha countered, “I was there.  I spoke with her for five minutes.  I am certain that she was as much a woman as I am now.” “Indulging in this ridiculous fiction will not derail this investigation,” Finchley accused, “Who is it that you are protecting?” “I’m not protecting anyone!” Amsha protested, “With merciful God a witness, the technician was a woman!  Why won’t you believe me!?” “Because your story is unbelievable,” Finchley conjectured, “Now, let’s try this one:  Your sister died from anatoxin poisoning due to contamination in the water supply, which the terrorist organisation he belonged to attributed to deliberate incompetence on the part of the Earth-appointed colonial government.  Grief-stricken and grasping for meaning, you joined up with the Selenite Liberation Front to carry on your sister’s work.” “This can’t be happening,” Amsha whispered with a quivering voice, “I’ve never committed a crime in my life, I’ve never harmed anyone–” “After being radicalised by Selenite nationalists, the Front exploited your exemplary criminal record to infiltrate you – a sleeper agent – into the Governor’s staff,” Finchley raised his voice as he speculated, “When the time was right, all you needed to do was look the other way while a Front operative sabotaged the Residence’s life support system, and avoid drinking the water while you stood by and watched the maladroit magistrate got his just desserts – death by anatoxin poisoning, just like your sister and thousands of other Selenites.” “–How many times must I tell you that I’m innocent?” Amsha continued, “Why do you keep accusing me of a crime I didn’t commit?” “Of course, your role in this sinister plot could be easily dismissed a negligent, for want of conclusive evidence or culpability,” Finchley pressed, “but under section 132 of the United Earth Code of Laws, lying to an Inspector of the Homeworld is considered perjury, which is a felony offence punishable by up to 120 months’ hard labour, a fine of more than 20,000 Global Exchange Option credits but not exceeding 25 million, or both.” Amha was aghast.  20,000 GEOs was more than she made in a month, and the Lunar Civil Service paid her for her work in the Residence much better than most jobs her fellow Selenites languished in.  She wasn’t even sure that she had 20,000 GEOs saved. A perjury conviction would ruin her, but she knew that she was not wrong about the sex of the LSU technician.  She had no choice but to persist. “I’m not lying, Inspector,” she answered with renewed determination, “the technician was a woman, and I had no knowledge of a plot to sabotage the Residence or assassinate the Governor-General.  You can check the security logs, they’ll prove that I’m telling the truth!” “We’ll see,” Finchley said coldly, “Get dressed.  We’ll start again in five minutes.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

It wasn’t until she knocked back her fifth “flagon” of “grog” that Sara loosened up, stopped crying, and felt that warm, contented feeling she remembered from the hard-drinking days of her squandered youth. The booze was her happy chemical. “Auntie Tahli?” she drawled at her drinking companion, “I think I’ve found the grog’s one redeeming quality.” “Yeah, deadly ay?” Tahlia slurred back, “I’ll admit, you smashed those flagons like a killer, sistagirl!” “I can thank my dad for that,” Sara uttered, “It’s because of that motherfucker that I can hold my booze like I do.” “Was he a drunkard?” “Yeah,” Sara miserated, “Hardly had any money for food, but somehow he could always afford a bottle of moonshine for himself.  Whenever he got drunk, he’d hit me ‘til I was blue all over.  He wouldn’t stop until he passed out, and I learned to cherish those moments when he was too drunk to hurt me.  I’d bandage myself up as best I could, get a couple hours of quality shuteye, and pretend that he hit me because he loved me.” “Aww, poor darlen,” Tahlia commiserated, “How’dja get out?” “I was 8 when I got the idea that it was the booze that made him violent,” Sara yarned, “So one day, after I got thrashed so hard that three of my teeth broke, li’l Sara waited until he passed out, then stole his booze and ran away to throw it out somewhere.” Sara gulped nothing before continuing.  “Of course,” she confessed, “it wasn’t until I was halfway to the river that I realized that my dad would hit me for takin’ his rocket fuel away, so I decided not to go back home, which turned out to be the best decision I ever made.  I knew that alcohol made for a good disinfectant, and because I was still bleeding from my dad’s ham-fisted dental work, I took a swig from the bottle, endured the burning and the pain, and after a few more self-medication sessions throughout the day, I developed a taste for white liquor.” “Your mob’s river people?” Tahlia asked, apparently only catching the middle part of Sara’s tale. “Yeah, that’s us,” Sara sighed drunkenly, “Minneapolis – the Megacity of Lakes.  Straddling both banks of the mighty Missississ…  Mithithipp…  some big-ass river south of Canada, anyway, like a hooker fucking a storm drain.” “That’s a big fucking hooker,” Tahlia mused disjointedly. “Chonky,” Sara concurred. They sat there for about a minute, basking in the sophisticated poetry they had just crafted collaboratively.  They expected to win the 2293 Rhysling Award for their creative genius. “Mississippi!” Sara shouted out victoriously, “That’s the name of that goddamn river!  Fuck, I’m wasted!” “Glad we got that sorted,” Tahlia declared as she stood up, “I’m gonna go ring my flannel.”  She lurched over to a door marked, “Djillawa,” and stumbled inside. The George Paramount interview was interrupted by a news flash.  “Breaking news at this hour,” an impossibly comely news anchor announced, “Farouk Al-Amir Najjar, Governor-General of the Lunar Colonies, was found dead earlier today in the Governor’s Residence from anatoxin poisoning.” “Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving gubbah,” Dad grumbled as he wiped the counter down with a microfiber towel. “What’d he do?” Sara asked with inebriated curiosity. “That dish-licking mission manager’s been bleeding us Moonfullas dry for over 30 years,” he replied bitterly, “His ‘work programmes’ created thousands of jobs for Earthfullas while millions of Moonfullas are starving in the tunnels.  His government have prioritised tourism over life support, pouring money into expensive hotels overlooking the Apollo sites while children suffocate in their homes and algae blooms kill their parents.  He and his predecessors have been perpetrating a genocide so they can replace us with Earthfullas who will do as they are told, and every time we hoola to be heard, they make us drink contaminated water, breathe unrecycled air, and starve on crumbs thrown to us by ignorant visitors who care nothing for the hardship we Moonfullas suffer at their own hands.  That is what that Douligha fucker has done!” Sara paused for a moment.  “I’m one of those ignorant Earthfullas sent to replace you, you know,” she countered. “Tahlia says you’re a goodfulla,” Dad replied, “That’s good enough for me.” Sara thought about that for a moment, and she decided that she liked that.

“How did you get a job on the docks, anyway?” Dad asked, “The LLT aren’t in the business of giving jobs to Earthfullas.” “Sharqi pulled some strings,” Sara answered. Dad’s expression was one of understanding.  “A jambi job, unna?” he wondered, “That fulla’s a cheeky one, ay?  Must be because he’s a Stolen Gen.” “Why does a crime boss have so much pull over the Moonfulla community?” Sara asked. “He’s got no more ‘pull’ than anyone else, at the end of the day, we’re all just blackfullas anyway,” Dad answered, “but there’s no denying he’s a respected person in our mob – he’s done more for the Moonfulla community in five years than the Earthgubbahs have in fifty.  The Organisation give the LLT the moolah and the muscle they need to stand up to the ration dolers in the colonial government.  LLT protect legit jobs for Moonfullas, while the Organisation look out for our little buddahs and sistas who have to act shameful to keep from cadjing in the tunnels.  Since Sharqi took over the Organisation, fewer blackfullas have gone missing, especially the sistas.” “So they throw you a bone every now and then, and in return criminals get your undying loyalty?” Sara asked, “Sounds like a bad deal for you fullas.” “Don’t be a mission manager like those fullas,” Dad scolded, “We’d rather not be associated with criminals, but the Earthgubbahs have left us no choice.  When the rules are made to keep you under some other fulla’s heel, no one should be surprised when you don’t follow the rules.” “Naw, I get it,” Sara replied, “I really do.  Where I’m from, following the rules means a race between overwork and starvation, and see which kills you first.” “For more, we go live to our correspondent on the scene at the Governor’s Residence, Guiseppina Conti,” the anchor reported, “Peppi?” “Grazie,” an Italian reporter said as the screen switched over to her, “The Governor died while eating dinner, when he was served drinking water contaminated with anatoxin-a, a neurotoxin created by the bacteria that live inside toxic algae blooms.  He was dead within minutes.” “Does the investigation have any suspects?” the anchor asked. “They have the murderer in custody,” Peppi answered, “and there’s a manhunt for a co-conspirator going on as well.  While official sources refuse to comment on whether this was an isolated incident, reliable sources close to the investigation have indicated that the Selenite Liberation Front, a terrorist group operating in the Lunar colonies, may have ordered the Governor’s assassination–” The bar erupted in an uproar. “Ay, look out!” Christo shouted, “There’s gonna be blood on the walls now, buddahs!  True!?” “True that, buddah!” the patrons of the bar shouted in response. “Listen up now, young ones!” Dad roared, “Now I don’t wanna hear no more talk of risin’ up or of revolutions or of havin’ a crack at the Earthgubbah, at least not when they might be within cooee, unna!?” The uproar died down abruptly.  “That’s him,” Dad said with satisfaction, “Now, they’re just trying to flush us out, ay?  They’re out to irritate us – pull our beards, flick our faces – to make us fight on their terms.  Now, when the time is right, we and the other communities will sing out, and we will be heard.  Until then, we just oughta take a deep breath and cool our jets.  No sense in getting violent when it would do no good, ay?” “True that, Elder,” the bar murmured.  Dad turned the screen off. “Now clear off,” he said, “Go home and get some rack time.  Another hard yakka await you in the morning.” The bar began to empty out, and Dad clapped a synthetic hand onto Sara’s shoulder.  “You too, sistagirl,” he said, “Bar’s closed.” Sara got up and stumbled out the door.

“Ay, Sara!” Tahlia called out from behind her, “Where you goin’?” “Home,” Sara muttered distantly, “wherever that is…” She continued to follow Sara for a bit, until Sara stopped at the mouth of the tunnel. “Ay, I’m such a boofhead!” Tahlia declared, “Your salary won’t come ‘til sundown, so you’ve got nowhere to go!  Cooee, you can camp with me ‘til then, unna?” “Only one day?” Sara asked despondently, “Where will I stay tomorrow?” “Nah, auntie girl,” Tahlia said reassuringly, “sundown’s not for 18 days.  Sunup-to-sunup here on Luna is about a month long.” “All right,” Sara consented, “let’s go.  Lead the way, Auntie Tahli.” Tahlia turned Sara around and led her back into the tunnel.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Finchley exited the interrogation room and answered his handset.  “Inspector Finchley,” he said. “Ewan, it’s Anh Lihn,” Nguyen replied, “I’ve given Dibra’s hole a once-over.  He hasn’t been home since Wednesday morning, when he left for his first LSU job.” “He’s been gone for nearly two days?” Finchley asked, “Did any of his jobs require that he stay overnight elsewhere?” “No, they were all within two hours’ travel on the metro,” Nguyen answered, “The last job he accepted before he disappeared was the routine diagnostic of the Residence’s life support system.  How’s the interrogation proceeding?” “It’s been three hours, and she still professes her innocence,” Finchley answered, “She insists that the LSU technician she met was a woman.” “A we saw, the security footage was inconclusive,” Nguyen acknowledged, “but I came across an entry in his diary which describes a recent romance with a woman.  Apparently his work schedule required that they postpone a romantic getaway several times, and they were about to finally go when Dibra was called away to work on his last job.” “Did he call for a replacement?” Finchley asked, “Did LSU send someone in his place?” “No,” Nguyen replied, “he accepted the job, and later submitted a completion report.  As far as we know, that’s the last anyone heard from him.” “Try retracing his steps,” Finchley ordered, “I’ll follow up on the girlfriend.” “Got it,” Nguyen affirmed, and hung up. “Have Ms. Yousafzai moved back to her cell,” Finchley ordered one of the guards, “we’ll hold her for further questioning.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“...Reliable sources close to the investigation have indicated that the Selenite Liberation Front, a terrorist group operating in the Lunar colonies, may have ordered the Governor’s assassination…” the screen in Sharqi’s champagne room played.  The room was dark, and Sharqi was brooding.  Esteri and Rosita had been showering him with affection, and he them, until his consigliere told him to watch the news.  Now, they were torn between trying to cheer him up and their own terrible awe at what their ears were telling them.  Sharqi tapped the tabletop exactly thus, calling his consigliere.

“Forbes,” he said between gritted teeth, “get me Rong She immediately.  I want to know what that serpentine fucker and her psychopathic sister were thinking when they had the Governor murdered.”

[ldsfitnessnetworks]

List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak

New Post From The Franchise King®

Did you ever think there would be a time in your life in which only “essential businesses” would be allowed to remain open? Me either.

That said, when it comes to determine what’s essential and what’s not, states, cities and towns decide. But some businesses have been deemed essential by pretty much everybody. In any event, it is what is is.

That’s why I thought it would be interesting (and maybe even useful) to put a list of essential franchise businesses together. Times being what they are. But I actually have two reasons for doing it.

First off, as a consumer, it’s nice to know what’s open and what’s not. All of us still need products and services to live our lives. So feel free to bookmark this post for future reference. You never know what you’ll need.

Second of all, if you’re looking to become the owner of a franchise someday, knowing which ones are essential franchise businesses (as opposed to which ones are non-essential businesses) up your game in a serious way.

That’s because you won’t have to guess if your business will be affected by an unforeseen event, like a Coronavirus outbreak for instance.

  Attention: Franchise Business Buyers

Franchise Buying Tip: When you do your franchise research (with the help of “The Definitive Guide To Franchise Research“), you need to ask the following (new) question when you’re talking to the franchise development representative:

“Is this franchise business considered to be an essential business?”

If you’d like to know what other crucial questions you need to ask franchisors and franchisees when you’re doing your research, grab my guide. I’ve included 75+ of the best questions to ask, so you can the facts you need to make a smart, profitable choice in a franchise to own. Click The Cover Now!

Now, before I begin, I want you to know that if you feel I missed a franchise business that’s essential, you can add it (with a link to the web page) to the comment section below. Okay?

  List Of Essential Businesses (Franchises) That Are Open

The following franchise businesses are-or should be deemed “essential,” and should remain open at all costs.

  via GIFER

  Disaster, Recovery And Restoration Franchises

From an article I wrote for The U.S. Small Business Administration:

“Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires destroy homes and business every year. The homes and businesses affected need to be cleaned up and restored back to their original condition.”

Basically, evil, highly contagious viruses have no problem living on surfaces that have been destroyed and/or altered by natural disasters. They go on doing what they do.

That’s why franchise businesses like Rainbow International Restoration, SERVPRO and the like need to stay open. They help people get back into their homes and offices.

In addition to the crucial cleanup these businesses do after floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters, they also perform another important job. They get rid of black mold that grows in basements and other areas of homes and businesses.

Here is some information about black mold, from Medicinenet.com:

“Sometimes, people may develop severe reactions to mold exposure. Symptoms of severe reactions, which are uncommon, include fever and difficulty breathing. People with compromised immune systems or patients with chronic lung disease can develop serious infections of the lungs due to molds.”

The Bottom Line?

It’s essential for black mold to be removed.

And that makes it essential that franchise businesses that do mold remediation (and disaster cleanup) remain open.

  Automotive Franchises

Almost without exception, the types of automotive franchise businesses that need to remain open are the ones focused on repair.

For instance, if you’re out driving and a half-dollar sized pebble gets kicked up by the car in front of you and cracks your windshield, it’s essential for you to get it repaired.

First off, it’s dangerous to drive around with a broken windshield, as the break can quickly become larger and well…

Second of all, if your vehicle is used for work-or to go to work, if you can’t drive it you can’t bring home a paycheck.

Now, the same goes for a mechanical problem. If it’s preventing you from going to your job and earning a living, it needs to get repaired.

If that’s the case, automotive franchises like Meineke Car Care Centers, AAMCO or others, can you get back on the road so you can feed your family. It’s pretty essential that you have the ability to do that, huh?

  Pet-Related Businesses

Did you know that retail stores like Pet Supplies Plus® are open for business, and that they’re deemed to be essential?

The reason?

A lot of people own pets and all pets need food.

Another pet-related franchise business that’s been open for business since the Coronavirus appeared?

Pet Butler. (Marketing client)

Do you know why?

Because part of what Pet Butler franchise owners and/or their employees do, is scoop poop. Dog poop. And dog poop is bad.

According to the experts at Pet Butler, “Hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms are commonly known gastrointestinal parasites that shed eggs in dog feces. Human activities such as gardening, walking barefoot in the yard, or playing sports increase the risk of encountering those parasite eggs and subsequent larvae.”

In other words, it’s a public health hazard to leave dog poop around.

So please make sure you don’t leave it around.

Or just call Pet Butler. Your local franchise owner will get it handled.

  Packing And Shipping Franchises

One franchise business segment that is seemingly immune to the COVID-19 outbreak is the packing and shipping segment. But is it really an essential business?

  (Graphic courtesy of The UPS Store® consumer website)

We’ll go with a yes. The UPS Store, Postnet® (some stores may have limited hours, or not be open, depending on the area), Craters & Freighters and others have been designated as essential businesses.

And if it wasn’t for franchises like the ones I mentioned above, it would be quite challenging to get the items we are forced to purchase online shipped to us.

  Fast Food Franchises

I’m willing to bet that you’ve sat (semi-patiently) in the drive-thru line at one of your local fast food franchise operations.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of drive-thrus.

But when you’re not permitted to walk into a restaurant to order-or even eat a meal, drive-thrus are the bomb. And these days, most food franchises have drive-thrus or possibly (now) curbside pickup.

Better yet, in most cases, if you have the right App, you don’t even need to touch paper money, as you can pay through your App. Taco Bell here I come!

Furthermore, almost every food franchise is now offering delivery, so you don’t have to leave the house-or your job.

FYI: Did you see what I wrote about the growth of delivery?

    Pest Control Franchises

There is no doubt that bugs carry diseases.

In addition, some of them bite or sting. And sometimes they build nests in your home. That’s a problem.

  That’s why pest control companies like Orkin® are considered to be essential businesses.

  Home Service Franchises

If pest control services fall into the essential category, there must be others in the home-services arena that do too.

Well, there are. Check out what Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently proclaimed:

“Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, inspectors and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, construction sites and projects, and needed facilities.” More

  To that end, the following franchise businesses (and their competitors) all get to remain open. Yes!

Mr. Handyman

Mister Sparky

Pillar To Post

Rooter-Man

Maid Brigade

Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning

  Senior Care Franchises

Without a doubt, caregivers who work with our senior citizens are critical. Especially now. And there are dozens of senior care franchise businesses, with thousands of local franchisees all over the country. And these franchisees employ thousands of healthcare workers. But they have to do things right. Especially now. Case in point, BrightStar Care.

From their website:

“Every locally owned and operated BrightStar Care agency follows The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals, including infection prevention, which minimizes the risks of disease transmission as seen in viruses like COVID-19. Each of the preventative measures recommended by the CDC are already standard practice across our agencies, and all professional care staff complete stringent training administered by a Registered Nurse on topics critical to keeping clients safe such as infection control (IC), proper hand washing, and cough and cold etiquette. As a best practice, we follow both Joint Commission and CDC guidelines.”

That’s how to do it, folks.

Go here to see a list of senior care franchises.

  Moving Companies

Is it time to move?

If so, moving businesses are definitely up and running. And one of them, the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise, changed everything (in the moving business).

  By “everything,” they forced independent moving companies to step up their marketing and advertising game. Why?

Because there was finally a brand. One everyday consumers could relate too.

But is TWO MEN AND A TRUCK still operating during the COVID-19 crisis?

From their consumer website:

“Yes, our independently owned and operated locations, across 44 states, are still in operation. To confirm a specific location you’ve booked with is still operating, you can contact them directly at their office. If you aren’t sure how to reach them, call 877.720.0411. When calling this number, you will be asked to provide your ZIP code to connect you to your nearest location.”

Are you looking for a mover?

In conclusion, it’s important to know which businesses are open and which ones are closed during times like these.

And now you have a (partial) list of the ones that are open.

Essential businesses.

Essential franchise businesses.

P.S. If you know of a franchise business that’s been deemed essential, and it’s not here, go ahead and put the name of the franchise and a link to the website in the comment section below. You never know who may see it.

  FAQ’s

Who decides what businesses are essential?

State and local goverments decide what are essential and non-essential businesses.

What are considered to be essential franchise businesses?

Disaster and Recovery Franchises, Packing and Shipping Franchises and most Food Franchises to name just a few.

Are pet franchise businesses considered to be essential businesses?

Some, like ones that pick up dog feces are, because feces can carry disease, which is considered to be a public health hazard. In addition, pet supplies stores can remain open since they sell food and some medicines.

Twitter 191 Facebook 0 LinkedIn Pinterest0

The post List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak appeared first on Best Franchise To Own | The Franchise King®.

Originally posted on List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak via Starting a Franchise Information

syndicated from List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak via Sheldon Ingram

Syndicated from List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak via LDS FITNESS NETWORKS

[lisarendallblog]

List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak

New Post From The Franchise King®

Did you ever think there would be a time in your life in which only “essential businesses” would be allowed to remain open? Me either.

That said, when it comes to determine what’s essential and what’s not, states, cities and towns decide. But some businesses have been deemed essential by pretty much everybody. In any event, it is what is is.

That’s why I thought it would be interesting (and maybe even useful) to put a list of essential franchise businesses together. Times being what they are. But I actually have two reasons for doing it.

First off, as a consumer, it’s nice to know what’s open and what’s not. All of us still need products and services to live our lives. So feel free to bookmark this post for future reference. You never know what you’ll need.

Second of all, if you’re looking to become the owner of a franchise someday, knowing which ones are essential franchise businesses (as opposed to which ones are non-essential businesses) up your game in a serious way.

That’s because you won’t have to guess if your business will be affected by an unforeseen event, like a Coronavirus outbreak for instance.

  Attention: Franchise Business Buyers

Franchise Buying Tip: When you do your franchise research (with the help of “The Definitive Guide To Franchise Research“), you need to ask the following (new) question when you’re talking to the franchise development representative:

“Is this franchise business considered to be an essential business?”

If you’d like to know what other crucial questions you need to ask franchisors and franchisees when you’re doing your research, grab my guide. I’ve included 75+ of the best questions to ask, so you can the facts you need to make a smart, profitable choice in a franchise to own. Click The Cover Now!

Now, before I begin, I want you to know that if you feel I missed a franchise business that’s essential, you can add it (with a link to the web page) to the comment section below. Okay?

  List Of Essential Businesses (Franchises) That Are Open

The following franchise businesses are-or should be deemed “essential,” and should remain open at all costs.

  via GIFER

  Disaster, Recovery And Restoration Franchises

From an article I wrote for The U.S. Small Business Administration:

“Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires destroy homes and business every year. The homes and businesses affected need to be cleaned up and restored back to their original condition.”

Basically, evil, highly contagious viruses have no problem living on surfaces that have been destroyed and/or altered by natural disasters. They go on doing what they do.

That’s why franchise businesses like Rainbow International Restoration, SERVPRO and the like need to stay open. They help people get back into their homes and offices.

In addition to the crucial cleanup these businesses do after floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters, they also perform another important job. They get rid of black mold that grows in basements and other areas of homes and businesses.

Here is some information about black mold, from Medicinenet.com:

“Sometimes, people may develop severe reactions to mold exposure. Symptoms of severe reactions, which are uncommon, include fever and difficulty breathing. People with compromised immune systems or patients with chronic lung disease can develop serious infections of the lungs due to molds.”

The Bottom Line?

It’s essential for black mold to be removed.

And that makes it essential that franchise businesses that do mold remediation (and disaster cleanup) remain open.

  Automotive Franchises

Almost without exception, the types of automotive franchise businesses that need to remain open are the ones focused on repair.

For instance, if you’re out driving and a half-dollar sized pebble gets kicked up by the car in front of you and cracks your windshield, it’s essential for you to get it repaired.

First off, it’s dangerous to drive around with a broken windshield, as the break can quickly become larger and well…

Second of all, if your vehicle is used for work-or to go to work, if you can’t drive it you can’t bring home a paycheck.

Now, the same goes for a mechanical problem. If it’s preventing you from going to your job and earning a living, it needs to get repaired.

If that’s the case, automotive franchises like Meineke Car Care Centers, AAMCO or others, can you get back on the road so you can feed your family. It’s pretty essential that you have the ability to do that, huh?

  Pet-Related Businesses

Did you know that retail stores like Pet Supplies Plus® are open for business, and that they’re deemed to be essential?

The reason?

A lot of people own pets and all pets need food.

Another pet-related franchise business that’s been open for business since the Coronavirus appeared?

Pet Butler. (Marketing client)

Do you know why?

Because part of what Pet Butler franchise owners and/or their employees do, is scoop poop. Dog poop. And dog poop is bad.

According to the experts at Pet Butler, “Hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms are commonly known gastrointestinal parasites that shed eggs in dog feces. Human activities such as gardening, walking barefoot in the yard, or playing sports increase the risk of encountering those parasite eggs and subsequent larvae.”

In other words, it’s a public health hazard to leave dog poop around.

So please make sure you don’t leave it around.

Or just call Pet Butler. Your local franchise owner will get it handled.

  Packing And Shipping Franchises

One franchise business segment that is seemingly immune to the COVID-19 outbreak is the packing and shipping segment. But is it really an essential business?

  (Graphic courtesy of The UPS Store® consumer website)

We’ll go with a yes. The UPS Store, Postnet® (some stores may have limited hours, or not be open, depending on the area), Craters & Freighters and others have been designated as essential businesses.

And if it wasn’t for franchises like the ones I mentioned above, it would be quite challenging to get the items we are forced to purchase online shipped to us.

  Fast Food Franchises

I’m willing to bet that you’ve sat (semi-patiently) in the drive-thru line at one of your local fast food franchise operations.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of drive-thrus.

But when you’re not permitted to walk into a restaurant to order-or even eat a meal, drive-thrus are the bomb. And these days, most food franchises have drive-thrus or possibly (now) curbside pickup.

Better yet, in most cases, if you have the right App, you don’t even need to touch paper money, as you can pay through your App. Taco Bell here I come!

Furthermore, almost every food franchise is now offering delivery, so you don’t have to leave the house-or your job.

FYI: Did you see what I wrote about the growth of delivery?

    Pest Control Franchises

There is no doubt that bugs carry diseases.

In addition, some of them bite or sting. And sometimes they build nests in your home. That’s a problem.

  That’s why pest control companies like Orkin® are considered to be essential businesses.

  Home Service Franchises

If pest control services fall into the essential category, there must be others in the home-services arena that do too.

Well, there are. Check out what Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently proclaimed:

“Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, inspectors and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, construction sites and projects, and needed facilities.” More

  To that end, the following franchise businesses (and their competitors) all get to remain open. Yes!

Mr. Handyman

Mister Sparky

Pillar To Post

Rooter-Man

Maid Brigade

Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning

  Senior Care Franchises

Without a doubt, caregivers who work with our senior citizens are critical. Especially now. And there are dozens of senior care franchise businesses, with thousands of local franchisees all over the country. And these franchisees employ thousands of healthcare workers. But they have to do things right. Especially now. Case in point, BrightStar Care.

From their website:

“Every locally owned and operated BrightStar Care agency follows The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals, including infection prevention, which minimizes the risks of disease transmission as seen in viruses like COVID-19. Each of the preventative measures recommended by the CDC are already standard practice across our agencies, and all professional care staff complete stringent training administered by a Registered Nurse on topics critical to keeping clients safe such as infection control (IC), proper hand washing, and cough and cold etiquette. As a best practice, we follow both Joint Commission and CDC guidelines.”

That’s how to do it, folks.

Go here to see a list of senior care franchises.

  Moving Companies

Is it time to move?

If so, moving businesses are definitely up and running. And one of them, the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise, changed everything (in the moving business).

  By “everything,” they forced independent moving companies to step up their marketing and advertising game. Why?

Because there was finally a brand. One everyday consumers could relate too.

But is TWO MEN AND A TRUCK still operating during the COVID-19 crisis?

From their consumer website:

“Yes, our independently owned and operated locations, across 44 states, are still in operation. To confirm a specific location you’ve booked with is still operating, you can contact them directly at their office. If you aren’t sure how to reach them, call 877.720.0411. When calling this number, you will be asked to provide your ZIP code to connect you to your nearest location.”

Are you looking for a mover?

In conclusion, it’s important to know which businesses are open and which ones are closed during times like these.

And now you have a (partial) list of the ones that are open.

Essential businesses.

Essential franchise businesses.

P.S. If you know of a franchise business that’s been deemed essential, and it’s not here, go ahead and put the name of the franchise and a link to the website in the comment section below. You never know who may see it.

  FAQ’s

Who decides what businesses are essential?

State and local goverments decide what are essential and non-essential businesses.

What are considered to be essential franchise businesses?

Disaster and Recovery Franchises, Packing and Shipping Franchises and most Food Franchises to name just a few.

Are pet franchise businesses considered to be essential businesses?

Some, like ones that pick up dog feces are, because feces can carry disease, which is considered to be a public health hazard. In addition, pet supplies stores can remain open since they sell food and some medicines.

Twitter 191 Facebook 0 LinkedIn Pinterest0

The post List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak appeared first on Best Franchise To Own | The Franchise King®.

originally posted at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheFranchiseKing/~3/-ElAGVyL-hU/essential-businesses

[rwep2014blog]

List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak

New Post From The Franchise King®

Did you ever think there would be a time in your life in which only “essential businesses” would be allowed to remain open? Me either.

That said, when it comes to determine what’s essential and what’s not, states, cities and towns decide. But some businesses have been deemed essential by pretty much everybody. In any event, it is what is is.

That’s why I thought it would be interesting (and maybe even useful) to put a list of essential franchise businesses together. Times being what they are. But I actually have two reasons for doing it.

First off, as a consumer, it’s nice to know what’s open and what’s not. All of us still need products and services to live our lives. So feel free to bookmark this post for future reference. You never know what you’ll need.

Second of all, if you’re looking to become the owner of a franchise someday, knowing which ones are essential franchise businesses (as opposed to which ones are non-essential businesses) up your game in a serious way.

That’s because you won’t have to guess if your business will be affected by an unforeseen event, like a Coronavirus outbreak for instance.

  Attention: Franchise Business Buyers

Franchise Buying Tip: When you do your franchise research (with the help of “The Definitive Guide To Franchise Research“), you need to ask the following (new) question when you’re talking to the franchise development representative:

“Is this franchise business considered to be an essential business?”

If you’d like to know what other crucial questions you need to ask franchisors and franchisees when you’re doing your research, grab my guide. I’ve included 75+ of the best questions to ask, so you can the facts you need to make a smart, profitable choice in a franchise to own. Click The Cover Now!

Now, before I begin, I want you to know that if you feel I missed a franchise business that’s essential, you can add it (with a link to the web page) to the comment section below. Okay?

  List Of Essential Businesses (Franchises) That Are Open

The following franchise businesses are-or should be deemed “essential,” and should remain open at all costs.

  via GIFER

  Disaster, Recovery And Restoration Franchises

From an article I wrote for The U.S. Small Business Administration:

“Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires destroy homes and business every year. The homes and businesses affected need to be cleaned up and restored back to their original condition.”

Basically, evil, highly contagious viruses have no problem living on surfaces that have been destroyed and/or altered by natural disasters. They go on doing what they do.

That’s why franchise businesses like Rainbow International Restoration, SERVPRO and the like need to stay open. They help people get back into their homes and offices.

In addition to the crucial cleanup these businesses do after floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters, they also perform another important job. They get rid of black mold that grows in basements and other areas of homes and businesses.

Here is some information about black mold, from Medicinenet.com:

“Sometimes, people may develop severe reactions to mold exposure. Symptoms of severe reactions, which are uncommon, include fever and difficulty breathing. People with compromised immune systems or patients with chronic lung disease can develop serious infections of the lungs due to molds.”

The Bottom Line?

It’s essential for black mold to be removed.

And that makes it essential that franchise businesses that do mold remediation (and disaster cleanup) remain open.

  Automotive Franchises

Almost without exception, the types of automotive franchise businesses that need to remain open are the ones focused on repair.

For instance, if you’re out driving and a half-dollar sized pebble gets kicked up by the car in front of you and cracks your windshield, it’s essential for you to get it repaired.

First off, it’s dangerous to drive around with a broken windshield, as the break can quickly become larger and well…

Second of all, if your vehicle is used for work-or to go to work, if you can’t drive it you can’t bring home a paycheck.

Now, the same goes for a mechanical problem. If it’s preventing you from going to your job and earning a living, it needs to get repaired.

If that’s the case, automotive franchises like Meineke Car Care Centers, AAMCO or others, can you get back on the road so you can feed your family. It’s pretty essential that you have the ability to do that, huh?

  Pet-Related Businesses

Did you know that retail stores like Pet Supplies Plus® are open for business, and that they’re deemed to be essential?

The reason?

A lot of people own pets and all pets need food.

Another pet-related franchise business that’s been open for business since the Coronavirus appeared?

Pet Butler. (Marketing client)

Do you know why?

Because part of what Pet Butler franchise owners and/or their employees do, is scoop poop. Dog poop. And dog poop is bad.

According to the experts at Pet Butler, “Hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms are commonly known gastrointestinal parasites that shed eggs in dog feces. Human activities such as gardening, walking barefoot in the yard, or playing sports increase the risk of encountering those parasite eggs and subsequent larvae.”

In other words, it’s a public health hazard to leave dog poop around.

So please make sure you don’t leave it around.

Or just call Pet Butler. Your local franchise owner will get it handled.

  Packing And Shipping Franchises

One franchise business segment that is seemingly immune to the COVID-19 outbreak is the packing and shipping segment. But is it really an essential business?

  (Graphic courtesy of The UPS Store® consumer website)

We’ll go with a yes. The UPS Store, Postnet® (some stores may have limited hours, or not be open, depending on the area), Craters & Freighters and others have been designated as essential businesses.

And if it wasn’t for franchises like the ones I mentioned above, it would be quite challenging to get the items we are forced to purchase online shipped to us.

  Fast Food Franchises

I’m willing to bet that you’ve sat (semi-patiently) in the drive-thru line at one of your local fast food franchise operations.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of drive-thrus.

But when you’re not permitted to walk into a restaurant to order-or even eat a meal, drive-thrus are the bomb. And these days, most food franchises have drive-thrus or possibly (now) curbside pickup.

Better yet, in most cases, if you have the right App, you don’t even need to touch paper money, as you can pay through your App. Taco Bell here I come!

Furthermore, almost every food franchise is now offering delivery, so you don’t have to leave the house-or your job.

FYI: Did you see what I wrote about the growth of delivery?

    Pest Control Franchises

There is no doubt that bugs carry diseases.

In addition, some of them bite or sting. And sometimes they build nests in your home. That’s a problem.

  That’s why pest control companies like Orkin® are considered to be essential businesses.

  Home Service Franchises

If pest control services fall into the essential category, there must be others in the home-services arena that do too.

Well, there are. Check out what Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently proclaimed:

“Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, inspectors and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, construction sites and projects, and needed facilities.” More

  To that end, the following franchise businesses (and their competitors) all get to remain open. Yes!

Mr. Handyman

Mister Sparky

Pillar To Post

Rooter-Man

Maid Brigade

Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning

  Senior Care Franchises

Without a doubt, caregivers who work with our senior citizens are critical. Especially now. And there are dozens of senior care franchise businesses, with thousands of local franchisees all over the country. And these franchisees employ thousands of healthcare workers. But they have to do things right. Especially now. Case in point, BrightStar Care.

From their website:

“Every locally owned and operated BrightStar Care agency follows The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals, including infection prevention, which minimizes the risks of disease transmission as seen in viruses like COVID-19. Each of the preventative measures recommended by the CDC are already standard practice across our agencies, and all professional care staff complete stringent training administered by a Registered Nurse on topics critical to keeping clients safe such as infection control (IC), proper hand washing, and cough and cold etiquette. As a best practice, we follow both Joint Commission and CDC guidelines.”

That’s how to do it, folks.

Go here to see a list of senior care franchises.

  Moving Companies

Is it time to move?

If so, moving businesses are definitely up and running. And one of them, the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise, changed everything (in the moving business).

  By “everything,” they forced independent moving companies to step up their marketing and advertising game. Why?

Because there was finally a brand. One everyday consumers could relate too.

But is TWO MEN AND A TRUCK still operating during the COVID-19 crisis?

From their consumer website:

“Yes, our independently owned and operated locations, across 44 states, are still in operation. To confirm a specific location you’ve booked with is still operating, you can contact them directly at their office. If you aren’t sure how to reach them, call 877.720.0411. When calling this number, you will be asked to provide your ZIP code to connect you to your nearest location.”

Are you looking for a mover?

In conclusion, it’s important to know which businesses are open and which ones are closed during times like these.

And now you have a (partial) list of the ones that are open.

Essential businesses.

Essential franchise businesses.

P.S. If you know of a franchise business that’s been deemed essential, and it’s not here, go ahead and put the name of the franchise and a link to the website in the comment section below. You never know who may see it.

  FAQ’s

Who decides what businesses are essential?

State and local goverments decide what are essential and non-essential businesses.

What are considered to be essential franchise businesses?

Disaster and Recovery Franchises, Packing and Shipping Franchises and most Food Franchises to name just a few.

Are pet franchise businesses considered to be essential businesses?

Some, like ones that pick up dog feces are, because feces can carry disease, which is considered to be a public health hazard. In addition, pet supplies stores can remain open since they sell food and some medicines.

Twitter 191 Facebook 0 LinkedIn Pinterest0

The post List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak appeared first on Best Franchise To Own | The Franchise King®.

Originally posted on List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak via Fitness Franchise Opportunities in the UK

syndicated from List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak

syndicated from Originally posted on List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak

[sheldoningram]

List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak

New Post From The Franchise King®

Did you ever think there would be a time in your life in which only “essential businesses” would be allowed to remain open? Me either.

That said, when it comes to determine what’s essential and what’s not, states, cities and towns decide. But some businesses have been deemed essential by pretty much everybody. In any event, it is what is is.

That’s why I thought it would be interesting (and maybe even useful) to put a list of essential franchise businesses together. Times being what they are. But I actually have two reasons for doing it.

First off, as a consumer, it’s nice to know what’s open and what’s not. All of us still need products and services to live our lives. So feel free to bookmark this post for future reference. You never know what you’ll need.

Second of all, if you’re looking to become the owner of a franchise someday, knowing which ones are essential franchise businesses (as opposed to which ones are non-essential businesses) up your game in a serious way.

That’s because you won’t have to guess if your business will be affected by an unforeseen event, like a Coronavirus outbreak for instance.

  Attention: Franchise Business Buyers

Franchise Buying Tip: When you do your franchise research (with the help of “The Definitive Guide To Franchise Research“), you need to ask the following (new) question when you’re talking to the franchise development representative:

“Is this franchise business considered to be an essential business?”

If you’d like to know what other crucial questions you need to ask franchisors and franchisees when you’re doing your research, grab my guide. I’ve included 75+ of the best questions to ask, so you can the facts you need to make a smart, profitable choice in a franchise to own. Click The Cover Now!

Now, before I begin, I want you to know that if you feel I missed a franchise business that’s essential, you can add it (with a link to the web page) to the comment section below. Okay?

  List Of Essential Businesses (Franchises) That Are Open

The following franchise businesses are-or should be deemed “essential,” and should remain open at all costs.

  via GIFER

  Disaster, Recovery And Restoration Franchises

From an article I wrote for The U.S. Small Business Administration:

“Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires destroy homes and business every year. The homes and businesses affected need to be cleaned up and restored back to their original condition.”

Basically, evil, highly contagious viruses have no problem living on surfaces that have been destroyed and/or altered by natural disasters. They go on doing what they do.

That’s why franchise businesses like Rainbow International Restoration, SERVPRO and the like need to stay open. They help people get back into their homes and offices.

In addition to the crucial cleanup these businesses do after floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters, they also perform another important job. They get rid of black mold that grows in basements and other areas of homes and businesses.

Here is some information about black mold, from Medicinenet.com:

“Sometimes, people may develop severe reactions to mold exposure. Symptoms of severe reactions, which are uncommon, include fever and difficulty breathing. People with compromised immune systems or patients with chronic lung disease can develop serious infections of the lungs due to molds.”

The Bottom Line?

It’s essential for black mold to be removed.

And that makes it essential that franchise businesses that do mold remediation (and disaster cleanup) remain open.

  Automotive Franchises

Almost without exception, the types of automotive franchise businesses that need to remain open are the ones focused on repair.

For instance, if you’re out driving and a half-dollar sized pebble gets kicked up by the car in front of you and cracks your windshield, it’s essential for you to get it repaired.

First off, it’s dangerous to drive around with a broken windshield, as the break can quickly become larger and well…

Second of all, if your vehicle is used for work-or to go to work, if you can’t drive it you can’t bring home a paycheck.

Now, the same goes for a mechanical problem. If it’s preventing you from going to your job and earning a living, it needs to get repaired.

If that’s the case, automotive franchises like Meineke Car Care Centers, AAMCO or others, can you get back on the road so you can feed your family. It’s pretty essential that you have the ability to do that, huh?

  Pet-Related Businesses

Did you know that retail stores like Pet Supplies Plus® are open for business, and that they’re deemed to be essential?

The reason?

A lot of people own pets and all pets need food.

Another pet-related franchise business that’s been open for business since the Coronavirus appeared?

Pet Butler. (Marketing client)

Do you know why?

Because part of what Pet Butler franchise owners and/or their employees do, is scoop poop. Dog poop. And dog poop is bad.

According to the experts at Pet Butler, “Hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms are commonly known gastrointestinal parasites that shed eggs in dog feces. Human activities such as gardening, walking barefoot in the yard, or playing sports increase the risk of encountering those parasite eggs and subsequent larvae.”

In other words, it’s a public health hazard to leave dog poop around.

So please make sure you don’t leave it around.

Or just call Pet Butler. Your local franchise owner will get it handled.

  Packing And Shipping Franchises

One franchise business segment that is seemingly immune to the COVID-19 outbreak is the packing and shipping segment. But is it really an essential business?

  (Graphic courtesy of The UPS Store® consumer website)

We’ll go with a yes. The UPS Store, Postnet® (some stores may have limited hours, or not be open, depending on the area), Craters & Freighters and others have been designated as essential businesses.

And if it wasn’t for franchises like the ones I mentioned above, it would be quite challenging to get the items we are forced to purchase online shipped to us.

  Fast Food Franchises

I’m willing to bet that you’ve sat (semi-patiently) in the drive-thru line at one of your local fast food franchise operations.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of drive-thrus.

But when you’re not permitted to walk into a restaurant to order-or even eat a meal, drive-thrus are the bomb. And these days, most food franchises have drive-thrus or possibly (now) curbside pickup.

Better yet, in most cases, if you have the right App, you don’t even need to touch paper money, as you can pay through your App. Taco Bell here I come!

Furthermore, almost every food franchise is now offering delivery, so you don’t have to leave the house-or your job.

FYI: Did you see what I wrote about the growth of delivery?

    Pest Control Franchises

There is no doubt that bugs carry diseases.

In addition, some of them bite or sting. And sometimes they build nests in your home. That’s a problem.

  That’s why pest control companies like Orkin® are considered to be essential businesses.

  Home Service Franchises

If pest control services fall into the essential category, there must be others in the home-services arena that do too.

Well, there are. Check out what Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently proclaimed:

“Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, inspectors and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, construction sites and projects, and needed facilities.” More

  To that end, the following franchise businesses (and their competitors) all get to remain open. Yes!

Mr. Handyman

Mister Sparky

Pillar To Post

Rooter-Man

Maid Brigade

Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning

  Senior Care Franchises

Without a doubt, caregivers who work with our senior citizens are critical. Especially now. And there are dozens of senior care franchise businesses, with thousands of local franchisees all over the country. And these franchisees employ thousands of healthcare workers. But they have to do things right. Especially now. Case in point, BrightStar Care.

From their website:

“Every locally owned and operated BrightStar Care agency follows The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals, including infection prevention, which minimizes the risks of disease transmission as seen in viruses like COVID-19. Each of the preventative measures recommended by the CDC are already standard practice across our agencies, and all professional care staff complete stringent training administered by a Registered Nurse on topics critical to keeping clients safe such as infection control (IC), proper hand washing, and cough and cold etiquette. As a best practice, we follow both Joint Commission and CDC guidelines.”

That’s how to do it, folks.

Go here to see a list of senior care franchises.

  Moving Companies

Is it time to move?

If so, moving businesses are definitely up and running. And one of them, the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise, changed everything (in the moving business).

  By “everything,” they forced independent moving companies to step up their marketing and advertising game. Why?

Because there was finally a brand. One everyday consumers could relate too.

But is TWO MEN AND A TRUCK still operating during the COVID-19 crisis?

From their consumer website:

“Yes, our independently owned and operated locations, across 44 states, are still in operation. To confirm a specific location you’ve booked with is still operating, you can contact them directly at their office. If you aren’t sure how to reach them, call 877.720.0411. When calling this number, you will be asked to provide your ZIP code to connect you to your nearest location.”

Are you looking for a mover?

In conclusion, it’s important to know which businesses are open and which ones are closed during times like these.

And now you have a (partial) list of the ones that are open.

Essential businesses.

Essential franchise businesses.

P.S. If you know of a franchise business that’s been deemed essential, and it’s not here, go ahead and put the name of the franchise and a link to the website in the comment section below. You never know who may see it.

  FAQ’s

Who decides what businesses are essential?

State and local goverments decide what are essential and non-essential businesses.

What are considered to be essential franchise businesses?

Disaster and Recovery Franchises, Packing and Shipping Franchises and most Food Franchises to name just a few.

Are pet franchise businesses considered to be essential businesses?

Some, like ones that pick up dog feces are, because feces can carry disease, which is considered to be a public health hazard. In addition, pet supplies stores can remain open since they sell food and some medicines.

Twitter 191 Facebook 0 LinkedIn Pinterest0

The post List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak appeared first on Best Franchise To Own | The Franchise King®.

Originally posted on List Of Essential Franchise Businesses That Are Open During The COVID-19 Outbreak via Starting a Franchise Information

[lovewesternelectricposts-blog]

Basic Residential Wiring

https://youtu.be/qGYKRvJKt

Basic House Wiring the Safe Way You never want to work on basic house wiring in your home with the power on. See the article 'Electrical Safety Tips' for more information. Just shutting off a switch is not enough. On the job electricians use lock out tag out procedures to make sure circuits are not inadvertently turned on while they are being worked on. You turned off the switch, so everything is fine right?

It is much safer to turn the circuit off at the panel before working on the device. Someone could accidentally turn on the switch by mistake and an accident ensues. You should additionally tape off the breaker and mark it as being worked on. <strong>Does you teenage son know where the electric panel is? What will he do if his stereo or video game goes off?

WARNING!! Make Sure the Power is OFF Before Working With Electricity!!! WARNING!!! In addition you need to take it one step further. Have a non contact voltage tester with you and check the box before you mess with it. It is possible for more than one circuit to run through the same box. You may have shut one of them off, but there could still be hot wires in the box. The number of combinations you can find in basic house wiring is staggering. Always double check.

The opportunity to repair fundamental house wiring in your soul house is an art you can buy. Wires inside a residential house isn't that complicated, but it may be harmful. An effective knowledge of the way the wiring and electrical fixtures jobs are essential.

This information will show you the sources that provides you with the understanding that you'll require. If you're searching for info on a particular problem, begin to see the article on 'Home Electrical Repair', it's listings on all the major electrical and wiring problems you'll probably encounter in your house.

Some popular pages associated with residential wiring are, 'Doorbell Wiring', 'Phone Jack Wiring', 'Installing Electrical Outlets', 'Wiring an easy Switch' and 'Wiring a Ceiling Fan'.

Understanding Residential Wiring

Most homes within the U . s . States have two hot wires and something neutral entering them. Offering a mentioned 240/120 volts. The particular current received is generally slightly less 230/115 volts. This kind of power is generally known as single phased power. Most residential homes have this kind of fundamental house wiring.

The ability entering your house is also known as alternating electric current. You will find people on the planet that may explain what which means exactly, but not one of them are penning this article. Alternating electric current can be used to permit electricity to become transported over lengthy distances. Let it rest at this, the people that may explain it'll talk inside a language you will not understand.

The very first power plant using alternating electric current came online in Niagara Falls, New You are able to in 1894. Nikola Tesla is credited with the introduction of a method the allows capacity to sent lengthy distances. Thus, which makes it practical.

If you use one hot wire and also the neutral you receive 115 volt power. Most small electrical devices and lights operate on this current. Durable products like ranges, warm water tanks and dryers use both hot wires and also the neutral to attain 230 volts.

You might not wish to tear into replacing you electrical service, but doing a bit of fundamental house wiring might not be unthinkable. The very first factor for you to do is obtain a healthy respect for electricity. It's harmful and may hurt or kill you. Take safeguards when working around electricity.

Fundamental House Wiring Rules

The very first rule to keep in mind is the fact that fundamental house wiring could be harmful. Never attempt to get it done with no good knowledge of how it operates and safe work practices. This information is meant to provide fundamental information and isn't an extensive discussion of every aspect of house wiring. Begin to see the article on 'Electrical Safety Strategies for Homeowners' to learn more.

Additionally local and national electrical codes apply. You will have to talk to your local building department to obtain info on what's appropriate for fundamental house wiring in your town.

Fundamental House Wiring the Safe Way

You won't ever wish to focus on fundamental house wiring in your house using the turn on. Begin to see the article 'Electrical Safety Tips' to learn more. Just turning off a switch isn't enough. At work electricians use lock-out tag out procedures to make certain circuits aren't unintentionally switched on while they're being labored on. You switched from the switch, so things are fine right?

It's much far better to turn the circuit off in the panel before focusing on the unit. Someone could accidentally switch on the switch in error as well as an accident ensues. You need to furthermore tape from the breaker and mark it labored on. <strong>Does you teenage boy know in which the electric panel is? What's going to he do if his stereo or gaming beeps?

WARNING!! Make Certain the ability is OFF Before Dealing With Electricity!!! WARNING!!!

No Power = Little Difficulty

The important thing to safe fundamental house wiring is definitely bearing in mind that electricity packs a large, and deadly, punch. The most trained professional takes their existence within their hands when they don’t follow fundamental safety procedure. The very best preventative measure you are able to take, whether you’re installing fundamental wires, or simply analyzing the wiring you have, would be to always make certain the ability is switched removed from the beginning. Whether you’re re-wiring your whole home or simply replacing a faulty outlet, take a visit to the user interface and cut the ability towards the area you’re focusing on.

Know Your Electrical Code

With electrical work there's never a reason to not follow rules and rules. As pointed out before, electricity could be a harmful animal whether it isn’t treated correctly. Your locality’s codes and rules regarding residential wiring happen to be set up for any reason: to safeguard you, the homeowner. As you are dealing with fundamental house wiring, study on standard procedures which means you don’t place your family or yourself in risk. And when you’re undertaking a significant home wiring project, get aquainted together with your local inspector. Don’t view them like a hurdle to beat, but because an invaluable resource you are able to use to complete the job right.

Aspects of Fundamental Wires

Besides safety factors and rules, another factor you need to understand may be the constitute of your house wiring. It boils lower to 3 fundamental components:

Service Entry. This refers back to the point in your house where your electrical service ranges from the primary grid to your home. Your merchandise entry is crucial and you will find a couple of items to monitor. To begin with, make certain any entry line is a minimum of 10 ft over the ground, inaccessible from home windows, and free from obstructions for example tree braches. On top of that, make certain your merchandise entry is correctly installed so no water can penetrate the entry way.

Panel Board. Your panel board is the control center with regards to wires. Whether you’re installing a dishwasher or running wiring to a different addition, this is actually the placed you trip to ensure electricity is stop when you begin your projects, where you put in new breakers if you are having a major remodel.

Branch Circuits. This refers back to the remote areas of areas of your house where your panel board directs electrical currents. It’s the main reason you are able to cut capacity to your kitchen area while departing all of those other house operational. Understanding how and where each branch circuit operates is crucial to performing any fundamental house wiring project.

The opportunity to repair fundamental house wiring in your soul house is an art you can buy. Wires inside a residential house isn't that complicated, but it may be harmful. An effective knowledge of the way the wiring and electrical fixtures jobs are essential.

This information will show you the sources that provides you with the understanding that you'll require. If you're searching for info on a particular problem, begin to see the article on 'Home Electrical Repair', it's listings on all the major electrical and wiring problems you'll probably encounter in your house.

Some popular pages associated with residential wiring are, 'Doorbell Wiring', 'Phone Jack Wiring', 'Installing Electrical Outlets', 'Wiring an easy Switch' and 'Wiring a Ceiling Fan'.

Understanding Residential Wiring

Most homes within the U . s . States have two hot wires and something neutral entering them. Offering a mentioned 240/120 volts. The particular current received is generally slightly less 230/115 volts. This kind of power is generally known as single phased power. Most residential homes have this kind of fundamental house wiring.

The ability entering your house is also known as alternating electric current. You will find people on the planet that may explain what which means exactly, but not one of them are penning this article. Alternating electric current can be used to permit electricity to become transported over lengthy distances. Let it rest at this, the people that may explain it'll talk inside a language you will not understand.

The very first power plant using alternating electric current came online in Niagara Falls, New You are able to in 1894. Nikola Tesla is credited with the introduction of a method the allows capacity to sent lengthy distances. Thus, which makes it practical.

If you use one hot wire and also the neutral you receive 115 volt power. Most small electrical devices and lights operate on this current. Durable products like ranges, warm water tanks and dryers use both hot wires and also the neutral to attain 230 volts.

You might not wish to tear into replacing you electrical service, but doing a bit of fundamental house wiring might not be unthinkable. The very first factor for you to do is obtain a healthy respect for electricity. It's harmful and may hurt or kill you. Take safeguards when working around electricity.

Fundamental House Wiring Rules

The very first rule to keep in mind is the fact that fundamental house wiring could be harmful. Never attempt to get it done with no good knowledge of how it operates and safe work practices. This information is meant to provide fundamental information and isn't an extensive discussion of every aspect of house wiring. Begin to see the article on 'Electrical Safety Strategies for Homeowners' to learn more.

Additionally local and national electrical codes apply. You will have to talk to your local building department to obtain info on what's appropriate for fundamental house wiring in your town.

[canadianhomerenovation]

The Right Way to Find a Contractor

Renovating often is an difficult experience, as long as you can eradicate prospective issues before they happen, you can do it.

The most frequent problems I listen to from my home owners who converse about previous stories with different builders : The residents on their own needed to perform an excessive amount of the work.

By “work” I don’t imply demolition and construction ; obviously the property owner does most of that. Precisely what I am talking about is the fact that a number of builders request that the property owner to look for their personal designer, pluming company, painter as well as other professionals, in order to organize their plans so everyone will get there at the ideal time.

It’s a whole bunch less complicated and significantly less irritating to employ 1 all-purpose building contractor who can perform the entirety of that for you.

An ordinary builder frequently charges you slightly beyond what, say, a local plumber who claims he’ll arrange your washroom renovation venture and then leaves it to someone else locate a drywall installer, a cupboard installation technician, a granite fabricator, a ceramic tile specialist as well as an architect or even interior specialist to determine where you should place it all. Exactly the same applies to a woodworker who can perform a stunning job with modern cooking area drawers and shelving, nevertheless won’t fix the gaps he needs to create in the wall structure or perhaps paint the space next. That portion, he’ll inform you, isn’t precisely what he performs.

I’d insist that small amount of upcharge for a one-stop-shop is definitely worth the nights and days of your time and diligence you need to invest determining where you can find the additional tradesman. It’s well worth not having to commit holidays waiting around in your house to allow a number of supplementary technicians inside the house. Not to mention it’s deserving of the reassurance that accompanies recognizing the general builder you believed in enough to employ for your work will come with the experts he trusts to make your guy — as well as your residence, needless to say — look great.

However not enough property owners recognize the large, significant difference between selecting a general builder and selecting a woodworker or an electrician to handle their renovating jobs. Professionals generally target solely on their niche. General technicians possess many of these professionals on their staffs — or at best they already have familiar associations with them, to enable them to bring these people along, plan them at the best time, reimburse all of them which means you don’t need to produce twelve totally different cheques, and also — most essential — ensure they complete the job and get it done right.

Always get Recommendations

Questioning buddies, loved ones and co-workers is excellent, however the ideal place to secure contractor recommendations is from your own neighbours. Tradesman that have labored on your neighbours’ residences will likely be acquainted with the varieties of properties in the area additionally they will definitely have interacted with regional inspectors. Think about paying a visit to your neighborhood do it yourself shop or lumberyard and questioning the employees for recommendations. They are going to have a very good notion of which installers pay for top quality supplies and are great to work along with.

Get in Touch with Several Businesses

Get in touch with at minimum ten contractors if at all possible locally. Odds are you’ll basically hear back from fifty percent these, and of the fifty percent you’ll probably solely receive quotes from two or three.

Take into Account the Quotes

The quotes you receive can vary greatly a lot from builder to builder, however don’t simply believe that the cheapest one is the right one. Talk with the builders to ensure you recognize how every quote is organized, making absolutely sure the estimates effectively echo the kinds of improvements you are looking for. Keep in mind that the quote is merely a ballpark amount and plenty can shift between the quote and the resulting range of work.

Make Inquiries

Before selecting a company ensure that you carry out a comprehensive interview. Continue asking them questions until you’re comfortable. For a list of suggested questions download my Contractor Interview Questions.

Verify Referrals

Definitely request recommendations from some other property owners the builder has dealt with. Inquire to observe a good amount of their existing work which is comparable in scope to your current expected job. Get in touch with those property owners and inquire further relating to their feeling. Discover whether they’re satisfied with the job on its own and precisely how it had been dealing with that individual.