We have a water heater! More big expenses looming before it's useable, though. Sales and shares needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Yes! We do. It took every single dollar we had in reserve for it, double what we expected, plus an extra $22, but it's done. It's also incredibly energy-efficient. This model is estimated to cost $168 a year (not a month; a year) in usage. It's hooked up, but the gas isn't live yet; that'll happen in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, we really do need to get a water softener for it, which is, parts and labor, another $1,700. Our water here is the best-tasting stuff in the world, but it's extremely heavy on lime, and things like this with small, delicate components get corroded and damaged much faster than in places like, say, NYC. After just a couple of uses, a new coffee pot is rimed with white, to give you an idea of just how heavy it is. I have no idea how we're going to manage it, but then again, I have no idea how we're going to manage installing an actual kitchen, either, and we need to do both, so we go forward.

That was not the only bit of plumbing today, either:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

In theory, the upstairs bathroom could be used now — well, aside from the lack of 1) a toilet seat; 2) a sink; and 3) hot water because of that whole gas-not-hooked-up-yet thing, but still. It works. So does the tub. So, presumably, does the shower, but since the crew had stashed boxes and other stuff in it, we couldn't test it.

Speaking of the crew, they got almost done with the upstairs flooring:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

The open area at the head of the stairs, otherwise known as my writing refuge, is done all the way back to the stairs (and the other two adjoining rooms). Sherm got started on the spare bedroom (which, in this photo, is out of camera range on the right):

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

That's about, hmm, a third of the way into the room, mas o menos, as the guys say. The reddish stuff in the foreground is not the red paint that's on the walls, but bright pink underlayment. Meanwhile, Tony was rockin' on the master bedroom, hall, and closet. Hall and closet need another hour's worth of work or so:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

But the master bedroom is done:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Tony also picked up the rest of the moulding for the baseboards on his way in this morning, and Reynaldo alternated between staining them and cutting flooring planks to fit in the small spaces (Marcos was tasked as go-between and helped Tony finish laying the bedroom).

On Monday, they'll finish laying what little is left of the floor, finish staining and sealing the baseboards and get them installed, and begin work on the stairs. Sherm will begin spec'ing out the deck, which they're going to install before doing the color coat, so as to save on scaffold requirements. Victor will be here to finish off the lighting install. And Randy may be back yet this week to begin tiling the downstairs bath. 

In the meantime, I got approvals on the kitchen cabinetry sent back last night, and they will likely be sent out for the quote on Friday. We have to figure out how to do all this labor, the cabinets, the appliances, the water softener, and the fix of that damn septic system now. I have no idea how, but we're going to push as far as we can.

Of course, as I said last night, this means that the pressure is now on me even more to make sales to make up the differential. It also means that the Home Depot and Lowe's gift cards become ever more crucial, given what we still have to buy to make the place livable. So here are the links:

• Wings's site, for sales;
• Lowe's cards (the physical version) via our Amazon wishlist;
• Lowe's e-cards (delivered via e-mail) here; and
• Home Depot cards via the company site. The e-version using my e-mail address is great; I take the tablet to the store with me, and they scan it off the screen.

Please share them all, as much as possible. One large sale would go a long way toward making up the difference (the water heater is paid in full, but now there's all the other stuff, including the softener that has to go in before hook-up; yes, it's expensive, but it's going to save us a ton in the long run). And I have more work to do, so I have to get on it. Many thanks and much love to all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.