and if you want your son to succeed, let him get Cs. nobody is going to care. just make sure he's good at sports and can hang out with the bros.
and then we can all continue to decline further into dystopia, together.
| item | total cost | amount
used |
did it work? | purchased from |
brand, link |
receipt | should i request costs? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| crack sealer caulking | 20x$3 + taxes ~ $70 | 17 so far | to a point | canadian tire | alex dap, link | i can't find them but they're around. | the windows and walls had a lot of cracks. this approach has kept out bugs and kept in heat. it's imperfect in terms of thermal insulation, but it helps a lot with the bugs, particularly ants and roaches. i'm also using paper towel and packing tape to create a kind of cheap blocking layer that helps dissuade rodents, although they could eat through. they don't like to chew through caulk or tape and avoid it, although they can. i created a weak barrier on purpose to figure out where they're coming in and they just didn't come in. fine. this would be a tenant cost of <$10 if it was one or two containers, but the fact that i've needed 17 contaners and counting makes it a landlord cost, imo; sealing drafts is tenant when it's minimal, but should really be landlord when it's dramatic, and the amount of sealing needed in this space has been dramatic. the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are basically done. i will likely need to buy another 5+ containers to finish up in the living room and hallways and need to take a different approach altogether in the laundry and front entrance. |
| pink interior insulation | 2x$25 + taxes ~ $60 | almost 1 of 2 | yes, so far | home hardware | owens corning, pink-panther r12, link | there's a large hole in the backyard leading directly into the laundry creating access for rodents and creating drafts. insulation should always be a landlord cost. certainly. | |
| 12 rat traps | $22.50 + taxes ~ $25 | all | not very well | amazon | lulucatch, link | this is a landlord responsibility, and my position is that whether the landlord should pay for tenants buying traps should be dependent on if it works. landlords shouldn't pay for tenants to aimlessly and ineffectvely hunt rats, but if a tenant does something that is effective, they should be compensated for costs. i did catch a few rats with these traps, and they did alter their movement, so they made a difference, but they mostly went around them. that was good enough for me in the short run. i haven't seen any rats in a few weeks. there was apparently some baiting done outside, and it has worked in the very short run for now, so this has been dealt with, at least for now. this is of least concern to me. maybe split it in the end. | |
| downspout extender | ~$20 | all | yes | amazon | binazon, link | the water is falling right on the foundation and leaking into the basement. this is absolutely a landlord responsibility to fix. | |
| water proof rubber sealant | ~$20 | all | tbd | amazon | flex seal, link | the holes in the sunroom, both on the side and in the front, and under the spout, are the result of poor work that was done. this sealant was purchased to address damage created by water leaking in from the downspout, coming off the roof. if there's any left, i'll use it to weatherize the hole on the side from the inside. the hole shoud also be bricked over from the outside. this is landlord, but i'd do it myself and not think about it, if there wasn't so much to do. let's see if it works. | |
| leak plugging tape | ~$17 | tbd | so far. no further leaks as of yet. | amazon | link | the window frame around the bedroom window has had difficulty keeping rain out during downpours. i tried to use the dap but it was not completely effective and gave out completely during the tornado last month. i applied the dap over what looks like an old application of great stuff, which was no longer working, if it ever did. this is again the result of poor previous work. so that doesn't seem to be the right approach. i believe the water is actually coming in from the upstairs window, which is open because it has an air conditoner in it. i will take a look outside soon to see if i can clean the area up and identify places the water is pooling. i was going to use some of the tape to weatherize the inside of the hole on the side, but i may re-evaluate, after noticing it was kicked in. due to the most recent vandalism, the exposed drywall may need to be completely redone before the outside is bricked over. this is landlord, but it's also the kind of thing i'd just do myself and not think twice about it, if it weren't for the fact that there's so much of it to do. let's see if it works. | |
| weather proofing tape | ~$23 | tbd | so far, yes, this has made a big effect on the drafts. | amazon | link | this is to address drafts inside the unit and keep heating costs down. i will run it around parts of the windows, around the doors |
|
| duct tape | ~$20 | tbd | so far | amazon | link | i had purchased some duct tape as well. it turns out the duct tape works better than the wood in blocking holes for now. i'm also noticing a developing roach problem that seems to be in the venting. i roach proofed the inside of the unit as the first order of business when i came in. the reason all of my food is secured was not for the rats but for the roaches. i half expected roaches. i didn't expect rats. i've lysoled around the areas in the ducts i can but i'm going to focus on sealing the ducts up with tape and on leaving the blower running for now. i have not seen roaches inside the unit proper but i'm increasingly seeing them in the laundry, only, and particularly around the ducts. again, i would just do this myself and forget about it, if it weren't for the compounding costs. let's see how much i use and if it works. | |
| running costs | $160 | $70 (caulkng) + $60 (insulation) + $12.50 (half of rat traps) + $20 (downspout extender) = $162.50
i'm not yet done with the sealant or the tape. this is discretionary and a request. i'm not going to sue you or anything. the rent is affordable. it would be different if the rent was higher, but it isn't; low rent comes with this kind of thing, and i expect it. but the flip side is that if i'm going to do this work as a tenant, a responsible landlord should volunteer to cover materials, and write off labour as the deal in the low rent, in my opinion. |