The Fishy Men
Okay, a few key things happened today, so I will try to categorize them in order.
(I ASK YOU AN IMPORTANT QUESTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS THAT ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER.)
Remember when I sent away the Cable Guy (on the day of the All Star Game--doh!) because he wanted to turn our new house into Seņor Bungalow?
Okay. Well, read back a couple of posts. We'll wait.
(hums to self)
Right then. So today the two guys from the "fishing cable though walls place" came...
I don't know what else to call them. I'm sure that there is not a yellow pages category for THAT.
They looked the situation up and down. String coaxial cable into the house (through the flimsy back wall which already has holes for phone cable) and down the length of the basement ceiling. Which they won't have to fish through because the ceiling is coming down anyway.
Up though the crawlspace under the sunroom (which I already cleaned out) and through the wall for a cable connection.
THEN...up the wall in that corner to the bedroom upstairs. This was the trickiest part because they would actually have to FISH the wire THROUGH something that wasn't coming down already. Then through the hole in the yucky, soon-departing, badly installed drywall ceiling that WE would have to cut FOR THEM. And then through the wall into the bedroom.
That will take 3 hours. And cost us $300.
I immediately dove for my computer to check out HGTV and Hometime's sites about how to do this ourselves. (By the way, these are great sites...when I had cable, I used to like to actually watch the SHOWS!) I mean, it isn't like we are asking for wire to be threaded through a pristine house...the work is practically ALL done for them. The destruction part that is. There is NOTHING TO THREAD THINGS THROUGH! Except up through the wall to get to the second floor.
New fishtape and about a mile of coaxial cable coming up, eh? Served hot with an adventurious attiutude. We're going in OURSELVES!
And look at the cool tools...sigh.
Nothing stands between me and the Daily Show anymore. NOTHING!!
p.s. Okay brave words, but are we nuts to try this ourselves? Be honest. Is this going to be a fiasco*? Or...more of a fiasco than anything else I'm usually involved in?
* Fiasco, This American Life, Episode 61...you can listen to it here.
(4)
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Comments
Nah...you're not nuts to try it yourselves. DH and I do practically everything ourselves if it's humanly possible. It costs less and we're sure the work is up to our standards. So far, the only work we haven't done ourselves was the sewer replacement, the HVAC replacement (new ductwork, new A/C, new furnace), and the basement waterproofing. Looking back, I now know that we could have done the sewer replacement and the waterproofing by ourselves, but time was of the essence. Fishing wire is definitely a do-it-yourself project in our house, so have at it!
Posted by: Kitschywoman | July 23, 2003 10:21 AM
Well, you are definitely not crazy for considering this. However, I do think you are a little loony (in an entertaiing way) thinking that the digital satellite will give off bad waves.
I suggest that you save all the heartache, money, and time and go for the digital satellite. If it can be planted where you need in order to fish through the proper side of the house, then, well, why not? I really don't think you'll get the side of the noggen cauliflower. I'd be more concerned about the asbestos in the tile you've been ripping up!
Back to fishing cable. It is mind numbing, uncomfortable labor...but not the most difficult skill. It's a good skill to have for home restoration, in my opinion. Fishing harmless coaxial cable is a good place to practice.
Cheers,
Tim
Posted by: Tim C. | July 23, 2003 12:13 PM
I think that is one of the easiest jobs in the world.
Just remember not to try to force the fishtape so hard it would go through a water pipe, ha, ha. No really you need to fish it up ? Nope, down is easier if you know about how much cable it will take.
Posted by: dad | July 23, 2003 7:58 PM
You should be able to handle it with no problem. You two sound very much like my husband an I. The only issue you might run into is that it's an older house, so there might be 'surprises' you come across in the walls. And 'dad' is right. Fish down, not up, if you can help it.
And if you're not going to be doing this often (let's hope not), you can always save even more money and simply rent the tools you'll need for the job.
Excuse me while I go to paint more trim. And my hair.
Again.
Posted by: Candace | July 24, 2003 1:18 PM