Welcome to the 766th Metamorphosis Monday! I hope your week is off to a great start!
I have a couple of updates to share, one that’s kinda complete and another update that will happen this week. On Thursday, I’ll be saying goodbye to these 30-year-old, yellowed, dingy-looking blinds here in the basement and new custom-made, faux wood blinds will be installed on Thursday. I’m really looking forward to that!
I learned something new about the waterproofing I had done here in the basement. The owner of the company I used for this work corrected a misconception I had about the waterproofing process he completed. He said that the waterproofing that he did to the foundation in the front of the house and down the side, which involved sealing any small cracks they saw and applying an emulsion membrane and liner, should completely take care of the small amount of water that would seep into the basement near the knee wall every 3-5 years. He told me that the drain pipe he added is strictly a backup plan…an insurance plan just in case any water did find its way past the waterproofing/sealing that he completed, something he doesn’t anticipate happening.
That was one of the reasons I went with the company that I did because another well-known company in this area, which also has great reviews and from whom I got an estimate, had planned to only do the drainage pipe along the brick ledge/fingerspace. They never mentioned waterproofing the entire foundation as the company I chose recommended. Now I just need for it to rain all day long for 4-5 days in a row and then a tornado or hurricane to come through and dump a massive amount of rain on an already saturated ground, as a test. So glad to have this done so I can move on to more fun things now.
Cabinetgate
I’ve given up on getting two new cabinets for the basement, at least for now. You may remember that UPS kept sending the 2 cabinets I ordered for the basement out with a female driver who told me that she was physically unable to get the 145 lb boxes off her truck. She was going to have them returned since the boxes were damaged and ripped open, which I knew from past experience meant the cabinets inside would be damaged. (This isn’t my first rodeo with these cabinets so I know what to expect when damaged boxes are delivered.)
The cabinets were not returned as she stated they would be, and the damaged, half-opened, taped-up boxes were dumped off and left leaning against my home a day or two later.
After I got an Amazon delivery guy to help me get them off the side of the house and down onto the ground, I did indeed find them damaged in multiple places inside.
An Amazon supervisor encouraged me to order them again stating that normally if cabinets arrive damaged, they will use a different carrier the next time. I hoped that meant they would be delivered by two Amazon guys as these cabinets below were a few months ago. They arrived in perfect condition. So I did a test order, ordering just one cabinet. As soon as I saw that it was scheduled to be delivered by UPS, I tried to cancel the order. Amazon told me that it couldn’t be canceled since only the label had been printed.
On the day of the delivery, I watched the delivery truck online on the UPS website moving along its route. When I saw that the truck was getting close to my home, I waited by my garage door for the delivery guy to arrive so I could request that he place the cabinet on the ground and not lean it against the wall where I wouldn’t be able to move it to open it.
As I sat waiting just inside my open garage, my ring doorbell went off indicating someone was at my front door. I walked around the side of my home to find the same female UPS driver standing on the walkway. She looked at me and said, “So you’re not going to believe this!” Yup, they had placed the new cabinet on her truck, and again, she couldn’t get it off to deliver it.
At that point, I requested she return it, knowing that whenever UPS hauls these cabinets on and off trucks, that’s when they get damaged, so if it was taken back to the warehouse and loaded on another truck for another delivery, it would most likely arrive damaged. She agreed and said she would return it–but the very next day a big UPS truck pulled up to my home. Before the driver removed the cabinet, I asked if he would take a look at the box and see if it looked okay. He said, “There’s a big gash across the front of it, do you still want it?” I said, No–please return it.
The next day I found the damaged box leaning against my house right in front of the garage door. I couldn’t open the garage door because I was pretty sure the garage door would hit it if I attempted to open the door to leave my home. I could see the large gash on the other side of the box that the driver had mentioned the day before. I called Amazon and requested it be picked up. The next day when I needed to leave for an errand, I pushed the box off the house and away from the garage door so I could back my car out.
So, are you ready for this? Two days later my doorbell rang and it was the female UPS driver. At this point, she and I have become pretty good friends and are on a first-name basis. She told me that she couldn’t pick up the box and wasn’t sure what to do. Fortunately, we’ve been having beautiful weather and rain wasn’t in the forecast, so at least the box hadn’t been rained on, yet. She suggested several things including listing it as being “Not available” (meaning I hadn’t put it out for pickup) so they would send out another UPS driver the next day to try again, but then she noticed the ticket said to make 1 attempt. I didn’t like that idea anyway since it was clearly outside.
She then suggested I call and request another pickup. I wasn’t keen on that suggestion either, having already spent way too much time on the phone with Amazon’s customer service and various Amazon supervisors trying to solve this delivery issue. In the end, she found someone at UPS who was able to track down another driver in the area. He arrived, backed his truck down the driveway, and dragged the large box onto his truck. He didn’t seem happy about this late Friday afternoon interruption in his day, I guess it delayed the start of his weekend.
So I’m done ordering cabinets for now. I’m just going to leave my Halloween and Christmas decorations stacked against the wall and maybe deal with this again after Christmas. What a nightmare!
I want to leave you on a positive note this Monday morning. If you have gold or silver jewelry that could use a bit of polishing, I love these Connoisseurs polishing cloths. I’ve often used them on gold bracelets but I just learned this weekend that they also work on gold-plated hardware that you sometimes find on handbags. That’s a tip I picked up online this weekend in an online forum where someone was lamenting how the rose-gold (plated) hardware on their handbag had changed to gold. The cloth turned it back to rose-gold with just a few swipes! You’ll find these cloths for both gold and silver jewelry available here: Connoisseurs Jewelry Cleaning Cloths.
Looking forward to all the great Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!
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So sorry about your cabinets. I copied you a couple of years ago and ordered 2 for my new craft room. Same problem…damaged. Called Amazon for return and they sent 2 young females to load them It took all 3 of us to do it. I found the same cabinets at Lowes and they had them in stock. They loaded them and then we were able to unload them from the boxes in our minivan one piece at a time. I am super happy with them and intend to show you the craft room soon…needs to be cleaned up first! Ha! I will say my husband was not happy putting them together..they are not simple!
I think that’s what I’m going to have to do. When they kept being delivered damaged for the garage a few years back, I finally started buying them from Walmart and having them delivered to a Walmart Market about 1/2 mile from my home. I would drive there, two guys would put the cabinet in the back of my SUV, and once back home I would open the box inside the SUV and take each piece out, one at the time. If Amazon would just use their own delivery guys, there wouldn’t be any problem. They did a fantastic job delivering the three I have in the basement. I’m glad you found a way to get them home, Sheri! The only part I don’t like about assembling them is attaching the doors. The doors are a pain in the tush. I saw a comment at Amazon a few months back where a guy gave a tip on how he does that and it helped a lot the last time I put one together. I think I mentioned it in a post a few months back. I also found a trick that has really helped me in making sure the cabinet is “square” before attaching the back…that’s another sticking point during the assembly. I do love how they look once assembled! Can’t wait to see your craft room!!!
I might need this drain specialist can you please send me the name of the company as I want the it done right
Carol, it’s a waterproofing company and they work in the Metro Atlanta area. The name of the company is The Waterproof Group.
Makes you wonder how much merchandise is damaged and time is lost because someone won’t deal with the real problem. I finally received an order after 3 weeks. It was suppose to arrive between 5 PM and 6 PM. I heard a thump about 10:30. Left on the porch in the rain even though there was a note on the door. One item was wrong. If I had not checked again, all of it could have been stolen as they were large items and visible, but not heavy.
It’s about to get extra busy for all the delivery companies with the holidays coming up.
This reminds me of the ordeal I had when my cooktop decided to crack. Everytime the replacement arrived which was also delivered by UPS it was shattered. This happened three times. Very annoying!
Wow, that’s a lot of broken cooktops! Sounds like my crazy cabinets.
Have MERCY! The whole cabinet delivery situation had me fuming just reading about it! I am a redhead, though, and my husband says I can get a little more worked up over things then others. Ha! But as you said, I will end on a positive note. You always have the BEST tips and I’ve learned so much. I appreciate the tip on the water proofing as we have a little “issue” as well. Have a good day, Susan…and I hope the poor female UPS driver does too. You both deserve it!
Thanks so much, Kat! It has been frustrating, I felt bad for her, too. Not sure why they keep putting the cabinet boxes on her truck.
Wow! Perfect timing on your part, Susan. I was just thinking about purchasing a polishing cloth for my gold jewelry. Are you psychic, by any chance? lol
I purchased the silver one and the gold one. Thank you so much for sharing your great ideas and finds!
🙂 I wish I was psychic, well, at least some of the time. lol Hope you find those helpful, Barbara!
XXX
*GULP*
I have no words. Just wow.
I know, don’t know why they can’t figure this out. Maybe some folks just keep the cabinets because it such a hassle to box them back up.
Hi Susan,
Thank you for the link to the polishing cloths.
Do you have a link for a little brush/pen for polishing gem stones and diamonds?
Thank you!!
For pieces that have small diamonds in them, I use Tiffany & Co. jewelry cleaner that I purchase online at Tiffany. It comes with a little brush. It is a bit pricey but it lasts a long time and makes a diamond absolutely sparkle out of this world. I was visiting with my daughter-in-law a few years back and while there I ordered some T & Co cleaner. My DIL tried it and was amazed. She said that her wedding set looked so much better than when she had it cleaned in the store where the set was purchased. Here’s a link to it on the Tiffany and Co. website: https://www.tiffany.com/gifts/product-care-items/tiffany-jewelry-care-kit-63364940/
Be careful about what cleaner you use on certain gemstones. I was surprised to read a few years back that some gemstones can not be cleaned with the type cleaner you use might use for diamonds. So be sure and “Google” how to clean a particular gemstone before you do clean it.
Wow…you just can’t win with those cabinets – can you ??? Your storage space looks great so it is worth the trouble, but WOW! I ordered one of those cloths the last time you posted about them and I really like the way it makes my jewelry sparkle. Thank you! Have a great October!
Thank you, Susan.
I usually use their silver jewelry cloths but am happy to find out about their liquid cleaner!
Oh my gosh Susan! I can see why you wanted a break for a while. You wouldn’t think it’d be so hard to get a couple cabinets delivered … ! Thanks for the tip about the polishing cloths. Hope you have a nice relaxing week with no more waterproofing or weird deliveries! And thanks for hosting, of course! 🙂
What a total nightmare Susan! This story just blows my mind. I can’t believe the way this went down with these cabinets. Yep, I’d be waiting a while too before attempting to order them again. Unreal that they keep sending them through UPS. And the poor UPS lady, I guess you both are on a first name basis. LOL I feel for the both of you! Hugs, Brenda
Thanks again for hosting this wonderful party every week! I know how much time goes into doing so and I want you to know that it I truly appreciate it!! I hope you have a great week!
Hugs,
Deb
Susan, it’s still a mystery about the pipe in the exterior wall. Are there drain holes in the end that goes in the house ? It took me hours today to get my cell phone back to where it was, so a lot of things are a mystery.
To get off topic, what kind of security system do you have ? After reading a lot of reviews, I need advice from you and the other consumers on here. You are the best.
It’s kind of complicated to explain but if you get estimates for your basement, they should bring out drawings/diagrams to show how things are all connected. I just know that the drain they installed fits into what’s called the “fingerspace” because it’s not uncommon to have an issue along the brick ledge area, which I think is where the brick siding of a home meets the ledge of the foundation. But every situation is completely different, so if you are having any issues, it may be a different problem.
I recommend getting several estimates, the more the better, because you want to make sure that whatever the issue is that you’re having, gets diagnosed correctly and fixed the right way.
In my case, the drain is not the main fix, it’s the backup/insurance plan. All the waterproofing he did to the foundation is the real solution in my case. He explained that the drain is just a backup solution and apparently, it’s very common since both companies I got estimates from recommended it.
My security system is wired into my home, all the windows and doors and is monitored 24/7. It was here when I moved in and I’ve had it upgraded twice to keep it up to date. It has a battery backup in case of a power outage and I also added some additional features like glass-breakage units, cameras, etc… Again, the best way to get that done is to get estimates from companies with the best reviews in your area. I do recommend having it professionally installed on not just the doors, but on all the windows, too.
Myrna, one more thing…my security system has its own Fire/Smoke detector that is wired into the system, so if a fire occurred, it would alert them and the fire dept would be alerted. I once had men here working to install hardwood flooring in the upstairs and the smoke/dust that their equipment/saws released, set off the fire alarm since it’s near the top of the stairs. They called me in a panic and the fire dept ended up coming. In addition to all the other smoke detectors in the house, it’s good to have your security system wired with one so it will call and alert someone if you’re not home.
OY, Susan!!! What an ordeal. I guess we have been extremely lucky with deliveries so far….but what a cautionary tale. Good luck in your search for more cabinets…eventually, when you can face the ordeal again. 🙂