The LAST big upgrade

[michika]

Mmmm BBQ!

[michika]

The HVAC quote came in at about double what we were expecting. With some recent job drama, and more potentially on the horizon, we aren't sure what we are going to be doing now. HVAC is definitely the way to go, however we aren't in a position right now to dig up the extra money for this particular quote.

Right now we're just going to focus on doing some more clean-up work, and pulling out some more of the basement. We're waiting on news about my job before we can make plans about our next move, and getting an HVAC system installed.

[Delphinus]

Sorry to hear about the cost.. I love how companies can claim that there's no cost-of-living increases right now because the house market is down, whereas anything you actually pay for otherwise is up.

[fishytime]

Boooooo to crappy job situations and delays

[michika]

Quick update:

1) My job and I got a stay of execution until August 31st!
2) Fish room planning problems have been solved on paper, they just need to be taped out for confirmation
3) Still move demo to do, mostly pulling down the rest of the ceiling, which takes forever since its so dusty
4) Re-wiring the basement can commence in the near future, however we are delayed because we require a new panel first, which means we need the utility company to disconnect power to the house temporarily
5) My discretionary budget is still super small but now that derby is over for the summer (yay Lassies - Season Champs!), we have more cash to spend but figuring out where to start is really hard.

Right now we've pretty much come to the end of the planning portion of things. We have to confirm measurements on some supplies but for the most part we're ready to roll. We now just need the capital to finance the project. Unfortunately fish tank stuff comes last after bills, savings and RSP contributions, so its creating an unfortunate delay.

I am however actively watching for rock, cured or un-cured, along with some equipment such as reflectors, monster-skimmers, and old tanks to serve as a sump, refugium, prop tank, QT, and cryptic tank. We are still adopting livestock, however right now we're leaning mostly towards maintaining the 180g, and putting all our extra cash at the new system rather then splitting it between aquiring livestock and building the new system.

Next steps:
- finish the clean up (ceiling tear down)
- get tank stand ordred and in place
- start re-wiring (electricity, cable, CAT5, etc.)
- start gathering rock

We have a great quote on our tank stand, so now we just need to figure out how to get it into our basement, I want to order this stand ASAP as its the first big piece of the puzzle after the demo. We we're on such a great roll before then things picked up and it got left behind.

Maybe someone here has a suggestion. We have vintage 1950s windows that only allow for an opening of 17" from top to bottom. I believe the windows are 3ft wide. Originally we were planning on separating the stand into two lenthwise pieces, so 2 mini stands of 10ft x 18" x height, however obviously 18" doesn't fit in 17". Any other ideas? We want the total stand dimensions to be 10ft long, 3 feet deep, and we believe 3-3.5ft tall.

[JDigital]

Upgrade the house with new, larger basement windows? while the old ones are out, bring in the stand, then get the new windows installed.

[muck]

Hire a crane and lift the house off the foundation.

[michika]

The 17" is with the window, minus the sash taken out! Although I do want new windows...hmmm how to swing this in favour of Tibet....

[Alberta-newb]

I would suggest making two bases around 3'L x 3'W x 3.5'T, these would be small enough to carry down the stairs (if your hallways are wider than 3') Then I would mount a one piece top 3' x 10' that you can fit through the window (shouldn't be a problem since you need to get the tank bottom in the same way) The one piece top should be rigid and dead flat to ensure there are no stresses on the tank. My thought's anyway...

Francis

[michika]

I like how you think! I'm bringing that one to the stand builder tonight as a possiblity.