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sewing jobs from the oddest places

We are still gathering information for our lawsuit against the previous owners of our house. The latest is having to get an estimate for totally gutting - as in so the inspectors can see all the plumbing work - the upstairs bathroom and then having it all redone again . The previous owners never got a plumbing permit, so the upstairs bathroom is illegal.

Anyway, I have some business cards with an address through yahoo on them. I asked that the estimates be emailed to that address (2 contractors here so far, 1 coming tomorrow afternoon). Well, I received a phone call about the first estimate so that we could go over the exact type of flooring and such that we currently have. Then "Mo" stated...."you sew." To which I replied that I did. Well, apparently she had thought that she could alter a dress for her step daughter, but then discovered that it was more than she had planned.....she's had the dress for a year already and can't get it right.

I picked it up today and can understand where she had problems - slinky chiffon and outer fabric and lining not even basted otgether in some places. OKay, I should have that one taken care of by the end of the week, early next week (have to get some more work done on bumper pads first).

Then, at my MOPS moms night out, we were talking about crafting and what we do...one mom had thoughts of doing a quilt and has all her squares cut out, then gave up. one mom has a side business making tote bags and does some knitting (first mom also does crochet). Then they got to me and we were talking about the quilting, apparel sewing, costuming, etc. that I do. Mom #1 asked if I do "side work" like alterations (hemming mainly) and such. I said yes, when I can fit it in and what not. So, she said she has some pants that need hemming and needs some curtains made.

I'll see when I can fit everything in, but I'm determined to at least cut out the bits I need for my wrap dress by the end of next week.

Larisa

Reply to
larisavann
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Well, you know what they say, sister - if you want something done, give it to a busy mother! :D

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

Let's hope the step-daughter hasn't grown or decided she hates the dress in the mean-time! Don't forget to charge them! Or you could choose to off-set your working hours against their charges (if you choose their estimate).

An acquaintance of mine (a cleaner) has just done that with someone she works for - free cleaning in return for free book-keeping.

Sarah

Reply to
Sarah Dale

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

They would have a hard time doing that here. Our house was built in

1927, and many modifications were done before it passed to us in 1980. In 1984, the sewer people put in a new manhole in our sidewalk. In 1990, a woman tripped over it and sued the city. They responded that they have no record of that manhole. From what I've been able to find out, they're really short on all kinds of records.

We did get a permit to put an outside stair up to our attic. When it was completed, I called for a final inspection, but was told that if we were happy with the construction, we could just take down the permit. They didn't have enough staff to come out. I carefully wrote down the woman's name, then took down the permit.

Reply to
Pogonip

singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth.milky-way.comhttp://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/I've talked with the building and permits office and talked with myrealtor and attorney and they have all said different things. Theattorney said we can't go after the inspector, the building andpermits office said that we should be able to after the inspector, therealtor said that she had no idea what we could do. SO.....we are going after the previous owners. Problem is that VA has an unwritten policy that it's buyer beware and we should have researched all the permits and such before purchasing the property. However, we were only here for 2 days to find a house, then had to go back to NY. We didn't know where the building and permits office was, nor that they had never gotten the final work done/inspected.

Ah well, life of homeownership, I suppose......we never would have bought this house if we had known that the additions hadn't been through their final inspections. Even though it has enough space and such, if we had only known, we would have gone onto our second choice

- closer to DHs work and not where we really wanted to live, but......

Larisa

Reply to
larisavann

After going through the "trip-and-fall" case, I can tell you that the city or county will do everything they can to avoid responsibility. Because of the way the law is, the woman ended up suing us as well as the city. Our insurance company represented us, and actually made her an offer, which she refused. So, they went to court. And went to court and went to court. The city got itself taken off the case in district court, but later the supreme court took us off and put the city back on. That was the last we heard. The woman was not very young when this happened, and one of our lawyers, who was much younger, died. It went on for about 15 years that I know of. At one point, her lawyer petitioned to be relieved because she hadn't paid them anything on their expenses, though I'm sure he took the case on contingency. What a mess!!!

Reply to
Pogonip

That type of thing happened with my dad when he built a house up in Gold Rush Country, but guaranteed it doesn't happen down here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

The home inspector definitely should have caught it -- that's part of their job.

However, it should be the owner's resp>

Reply to
Melinda Meahan - take out TRAS

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote in news:46f366e1$0$27158$ snipped-for-privacy@news.sonic.net:

this is where $250 for a prepurchase home inspection can save lots of headaches in the future..., but even with a qualified home inspector things hidden behind walls & under floors might be missed. i had an extra $8000 deducted from the sale price of the current house because there was a bend in the pipe to the septic that needed to be repaired (incipent break due to frost heave) & the leechfield needed to be regravelled, and the plumbing was a DIY mish mash of copper, iron and plastic. however, the inspection showed the structure was sound, no insects or rot, so with the extra deduction (and the seller paying for the septic repairs), it was worth what i paid to me. OTOH, the house across from me was just purchased, sight unseen, by a couple that remembered it from 40 years ago when it was owned my a master gardener & was a showplace home. unfortuately, in the intervening years it has been owned by an out-of-town religious group that used it as a rental & did absolutely NO maintainance. missing support beams, rotted sills & walls, all kinds of fun surprises... we've been over helping rebuild walls & replace windows this week, & i'm helping with the land clearing (as there are salvagable & pretty valuable specimen trees & shrubs still existant. i get to try some layering, rooting & grafting to root new copies of some of the over grown shrubs for them next spring. my payment is grafts/rootings for my garden :) ) OB sewing: i think i'll offer to make her some handkerchief linen curtains for her 'summer room'... it would look great with something really airy at the windows lee

Reply to
enigma

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