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This is a self sighting.
I've been doing some housework on my time off from school. I spent a good amount of time cleaning the house, and decided to tackle a home improvement project I've been meaning to do since I bought the place three years ago.
I loathe aluminum blinds. I'm not a big fan of blinds to start with, but the alternatives aren't a whole lot better, and one bedroom window faces the street I live on.
I finally decide on some white faux wood blinds at the Big Orange Apron. They look nice but are inexpensive. They're two inch blinds, which I like much better than the typical 1 inch aluminum blinds.
So I get measurements for the windows in my bedroom. I have three: one on each side of the room that is an outside wall (the 4th is an indoor wall).
Oh the fail!
Fail 1: I didn't bother to measure all three windows. I measured one, and bought 1 blind so I could install it and see if I liked it installed.
Fail 2: The blind I took down was a different window from the one I actually measured. It faces the street, so once I start, I'm committed.
Fail 3: I remove the old brackets and go to install the new ones. Then I realize: the molding of the window frame won't let me do an inside the window install because the new bracket is twice as wide.
Fail 4: I call Evil Empryss and ask her what kind of saw I need to enlarge the cut in the molding so I can install the new bracket. After a false start in explaining what I want, she says what I really need is a chisel and hammer. She warns me to go slow and make sure I cut deep enough against the grain before cutting with the grain to avoid a long wise crack in the frame.
So I chip away, and of course do not go deep enough. Long vertical crack. Fortunately, it didn't completely break away and is easily repaired and concealed.
Fail 5: I put the brackets in sideways.
Fail 6: The blinds are the wrong size. Too small. 32 inches. My window is 40 inches.
So I run back to the Orange Apron. No 40 inch blinds in that style. 42, yes. 38, no. I pick up the 42 inch thinking I must have mismeasured.
Fail 7: I did not mis-measure. 40 inches. Back to the Orange Apron with the blinds. Fortunately, I remember they have a machine for cutting them to size.
Fail 8: I forget the valence.
Fail 9: Not so much a fail, but a brain burp. The guy who cut my blinds was training a new guy on the machine. He couldn't remember the code to activate the machine.
New Guy: How about 1234? *Nope, not it*
Guy realizes the code is written on the wall next to the machine. He enters it and it works. He has to cut on both sides of the blinds to make it even. He measures against the top of the old blind which I brought in with me to make sure it was cut to the right size. He lets New Guy cut the other side.
New Guy: I wish I'd known how easy this is, I'd have learned this awhile ago. *he hits the wrong button and machines does not activate*
Guy: It's not automatic. You have to pull the handle.
Fail 10: I don't match up the top of the old blind with the new one. I get home, and it still does not fit. It's a bit more than a 1/4" too long. Back to the Orange Apron. I bring the valence this time and get everything cut to size.
Fail 11: I remove the backwards brackets and move to reinstall them. Holes don't match up. I re drill the holes and install the brackets.
Finally, 2 hours after this saga began, viola! Blinds are installed and work.
I can't get the side valence in; the plastic brackets are too tight. I'm too tired to fight with them. Time for dinner. I'll do the other two windows tomorrow.
I've been doing some housework on my time off from school. I spent a good amount of time cleaning the house, and decided to tackle a home improvement project I've been meaning to do since I bought the place three years ago.
I loathe aluminum blinds. I'm not a big fan of blinds to start with, but the alternatives aren't a whole lot better, and one bedroom window faces the street I live on.
I finally decide on some white faux wood blinds at the Big Orange Apron. They look nice but are inexpensive. They're two inch blinds, which I like much better than the typical 1 inch aluminum blinds.
So I get measurements for the windows in my bedroom. I have three: one on each side of the room that is an outside wall (the 4th is an indoor wall).
Oh the fail!
Fail 1: I didn't bother to measure all three windows. I measured one, and bought 1 blind so I could install it and see if I liked it installed.
Fail 2: The blind I took down was a different window from the one I actually measured. It faces the street, so once I start, I'm committed.
Fail 3: I remove the old brackets and go to install the new ones. Then I realize: the molding of the window frame won't let me do an inside the window install because the new bracket is twice as wide.
Fail 4: I call Evil Empryss and ask her what kind of saw I need to enlarge the cut in the molding so I can install the new bracket. After a false start in explaining what I want, she says what I really need is a chisel and hammer. She warns me to go slow and make sure I cut deep enough against the grain before cutting with the grain to avoid a long wise crack in the frame.
So I chip away, and of course do not go deep enough. Long vertical crack. Fortunately, it didn't completely break away and is easily repaired and concealed.
Fail 5: I put the brackets in sideways.
Fail 6: The blinds are the wrong size. Too small. 32 inches. My window is 40 inches.
So I run back to the Orange Apron. No 40 inch blinds in that style. 42, yes. 38, no. I pick up the 42 inch thinking I must have mismeasured.
Fail 7: I did not mis-measure. 40 inches. Back to the Orange Apron with the blinds. Fortunately, I remember they have a machine for cutting them to size.
Fail 8: I forget the valence.
Fail 9: Not so much a fail, but a brain burp. The guy who cut my blinds was training a new guy on the machine. He couldn't remember the code to activate the machine.
New Guy: How about 1234? *Nope, not it*
Guy realizes the code is written on the wall next to the machine. He enters it and it works. He has to cut on both sides of the blinds to make it even. He measures against the top of the old blind which I brought in with me to make sure it was cut to the right size. He lets New Guy cut the other side.
New Guy: I wish I'd known how easy this is, I'd have learned this awhile ago. *he hits the wrong button and machines does not activate*
Guy: It's not automatic. You have to pull the handle.
Fail 10: I don't match up the top of the old blind with the new one. I get home, and it still does not fit. It's a bit more than a 1/4" too long.
Back to the Orange Apron. I bring the valence this time and get everything cut to size.Fail 11: I remove the backwards brackets and move to reinstall them. Holes don't match up. I re drill the holes and install the brackets.
Finally, 2 hours after this saga began, viola! Blinds are installed and work.
I can't get the side valence in; the plastic brackets are too tight. I'm too tired to fight with them. Time for dinner. I'll do the other two windows tomorrow.
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