The Attic and Other Things

Meagan came by yesterday afternoon to check on my latest problem with noises from vent pipes and the attic. I had not heard the noise from the fireplace vent pipe since early morning yesterday. I told Meagan I would like to have a Pulte supervisor who is most knowledgeable about framing to go up in my attic and give it a thorough check to see if he spotted any problems. I have been rather upset since I found they left the temporary braces in the attic. I want some assurance that there is nothing else up there that will cause problems in the future. Meagan emailed me later that she has arranged for a man who is Pulte's liaison with the city inspectors to come out on Tuesday. She also has asked the fireplace company to come and check on the fireplace vent piping again. Pulte/Del Webb is doing everything possible to correct the problems in this house. They have changed their procedures for the houses that are being constructed now. The problems I have could have been avoided if the work had been more closely supervised during construction.

 

For several days I have been reading reviews on towels. I subscribe to the online version of Consumer Reports. They rated towels in October. I also found an article from the Good Housekeeping Institute which rated towels. For years I bought Fieldcrest Royal Velvet towels. All I had to do was wait for them to go on sale. Life was simple Fieldcrest/Canon went bankrupt four or five years ago. Martex was the only other brand of towels that I would have considered. They are still in business, but their towels are nothing like the ones they used to produce. Two years ago I bought Wamsutta towels. They produce an unbelievable amount of lint. After two years, they still produce a great deal of lint. My laundry room is in the center of the house. The dryer vent runs up to the attic and has a long slanting run to the roof. I have been reading about how clogged dryer vents cause problems with the Kenmore Elite Oasis dryer which I bought. I want to get towels that do not produce so much lint. Consumer Reports gave Wamsutta towels their top rating. They were mostly concerned with how the towels shrink and if the colors fad. There was not one word about lint. The number two towel is a brand called Charisma. I read reviews on the Macy's website that said this towel produces very little lint. The problem is the Charisma towels cost twice as much as most of the other top quality towels. The only places that seem to carry them are Macy's and a catalog outfit called The Company Store. I found another towel that is not included in the ratings which is made by Martex. It is currently on sale at very attractive prices. It is sold by Neiman Marcus and the Horchow Collection. Neither of these companies are known for low prices. I am totally confused on what to buy.

 

I called the company that installs garage cabinets yesterday. The man said he already had an appointment in Frisco Lakes for this morning. He said he could come by and give me an estimate after his first appointment. I asked if he had already installed cabinets at Frisco Lakes. He said he gave four or five estimates, but they were all for houses that are under construction. I definitely want to see his work before I make a commitment.

 

The outside sensor for my new wireless weather station fell off the wall yesterday. I had used the sticky pad that came with it. At the time I put it up I doubted the sticky pad would hold over time. They included screws which I am now going to use. Fortunately the sensor does not seem to have been damaged. I put it on the opposite side of the house from the base unit, and it is giving a reading that is very close to what the base unit is showing.