I've been in a holding pattern, and was awaiting certain things to sort themselves out. Here's the lowdown:
- Doors: I had found some fire doors on Craigslist, and awaited their arrival. All three doors, including the frames, arrive, and have finally been installed in the basement. (I had a tough time convincing my father, who was helping, that these doors were necessary, but that the rest of the house didn't need them... without mentiong the Zed word.) The one on the back of the house doesn't get seen by anybody but the few people who walk their dogs nearby, but it doesn't look like a regular door, so I had to paint it to look like all the other doors in the complex. It only looks "fake" when you're up close. Luckily, the door is in constant shade, and not near any foot traffic, so I'm good there. The front door will be an issue. I'm still looking into a suitable replacement. The sliding door in the basement is a huge concern (glass!), but having a lockable firedoor from that room to the rest of the house, which opens inwards to the room, helps maintain a safe domestic environment. (Note to self: banging on these doors is LOUD. Seek noise remedy.)
- Windows: The basement window (in the bathroom) has been barred. Only the General Lee could pull that thing clear. The Kitchen window and frosted window by the front door will be replaced by something sturdy when finances allow for it.
- Windows (part 2): I'm working on a way to "black out" the bedroom windows and the skylight in the stairwell, without looking like they're boarded up or blacked out. I don't want to draw attention to them from humans seeking shelter/protection/food during an outbreak. I want the place to look deserted, not fortified. At night, only the bedrooms will have lights on, so if it can look like the curtains are open, but it's dark inside, perfect.
- Solar Panels: I had been waiting to hear back from the Strata Council regarding installation of a few solar panels on the roof. After some back-and-forth correspondence, I convinced them that it wouldn't be very green of them to not allow me to install them "tastefully". I'm also going to cheat a little and use them to help me collect rain water, but Strata doesn't know about that. I'm currently negotiating purchase of a few panels with a few different suppliers.
- Attic: After poking my head through the ceiling to see what it was like up there, it's actually quite sturdy, but it's just beams and insulation; no flat surfaces. The access to it is less than 3 feet on a side, so it's not like I can just throw some plywood up there. Well, I can but I'll have to cut the sheets first so they'll fit. Once that is done (I have the required amount of plywood already), I'll be able to make a floor up there to store food and water.
- Water: Once the attic is fixed up, I'll be able to get the water collection started. I have the water mattresses, tubing, piping, valves, and charcoal filters, I just need to figure out where to put them, and where to cut the hole in the roof to bring the rainwater in. Once the solar panels are being installed, I'll be able to do this "undercover" at the same time. Should the mattresses fill up, and I'm running a surplus, I'm going to rig something to automatically fill the tank on the upstairs toilet so as to be a little "greener" in the meantime.
- Shark suit: I have not heard back from Neptunic regarding the shark feeder sleeves. I don't think they're taking me seriously. I don't think I should've mentioned "human bites" in my e-mail. If anybody knows how much these things go for (see Part 5, below), please let me know.
- Food: I've slowly been accumulating non-perishable food by the case. My wife will be happy once it finds a home out of sight. It's clogging up the basement hallway. It'll all end up in the attic, shortly.
- Stairs: I haven't touched them, yet. For now, they'll stay in one piece. (This whole exercise has been costly, this'll have to wait.) In the meantime, I have one very sharp axe. Very sharp.
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