Started on my sound panels. The mass loaded vinyl is incredibly heavy but fortunately the roll is exactly 4' wide, the width of the plywood sheet. 1 cut to fit to size. Glued it down. Will wait 24 hours for glue to cure.

I don't know what I am looking at here. Is the vinyl underneath the plywood? Then you'll erect it on top of the cinder blocks?

The vinyl is under the plywood. I applied glue. The bricks are to put weight on until the glue dries.

Following all your convolutions over the months and years, biggerboat, makes me think I’m in a Monty Python Movie. I don’t know if that is praise or an insult. But it certainly isn’t dull.

Hehe, I aim to please!

LOL, I just got the second estimate out of the blue. Like 3 weeks later. wtf? If he had given it to me when he said he would have had the job. I guess it's better to know he's not reliable before I actually hire him.

all and i mean all that do work for me. never get ahead of me in the money . and understand once the job starts they stay on it until done. except for an emergency for a short time. if they leave me hanging then i will or might find someone else to finish and all of that comes off his payment.

too many get money in advance and then dont show up. or start and go to another job and juggle jobs around while your job is part finished and maybe open to the air.

and if i have to pay any for materials in advance then they get paid only when on the job and being installed. or to the supplier and them being delivered to the job. and paid for with a credit card good for one month. if he cant get credit i certainly dont want him to hold my money. all suppliers give credit to contractors that are reliable.

and ask when they are going to start and finish, and when will the estimate be. and why cant you give me one now. and is it an estimate or is it a bid. two different things.

Yeah, nothing makes me more upset than people going dark. Even if there's a problem, call and say, "hey something came up, the bid will be a few days late," rather than leave the customer wondering.

you have that worked out before he leaves after looking over the job. its a business deal not a casual meeting in the park.

if he cant give you a rough idea of the various costs while he is standing there with you. he isnt doing enough work to be qualified.

no,,
this is what i want done. him,, ill get back to you with an estimate. you ,,ok.

yes,,

this is what i want done. what is the material cost of the double door i want and labor to install.
and what is the cost of those 3 by 5 windows. and how long does it take to install one.

him,, $2000 for the door and two hours. windows 300 a piece, and one hour to install. that is if we dont run into difficulties.

you,, thks that gives me a rough idea. please finalize your bid . when will you have it so i can plan. and when will you start and finish?
payment upon completion or part on arrival of materials ok.

I've already settled on the last contractor I met with. They got my check and are ordering the doors. She said she would have a delivery date for me soon.

Well, at least the house will be nice and fixed up by the time the neighbors drive you crazy enough to move.

Yeah, that's sort of my backup plan. I've been able to shift my thinking at least a little on this. I figure this simply won't be our forever home, but, other than the house next door, we really like it here. So, we'll be fixing it up little by little. By the time the sliding glass doors are in, we should have the wall done, as well as the pavers. Then, hopefully we can start on the master bath.

Doors ordered today. Scheduled to be ready on 6/14.

Finished my first panel.

I have to say this was not one of my best ideas. It's really heavy. Maybe 100 lbs. or more. The glue didn't hold at all. The bolts work but it still "shifts" if you try to move it. I'm not sure they will butt up against each other without gaps. Plus, I'm pretty nervous about attaching this to the lanai. One good wind might bring the whole thing down.

I might just cut my losses here.

Finished filling the cinder blocks with concrete.

We hadn't planned in doing stucco today but we finished the concrete early and we had everything we needed so we decided to go for it.

I think I got the wrong stuff at home depot. I bought stucco cement which I don't think is stucco mix. When we got enough water in, the consistency didn't seem right. I figured it needed sand and fortunately we had some so I took a chance and mixed some in until it seemed right.

It went on really well. Much much easier than mortaring. Came out really good.

We were going to do the other side but it turns out he just painted the cinder blocks si we left it alone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanai_(architecture).

now put a mosaic on the wall

An X-rated one. Helps to make your garden parties more exciting!

A good placement of a well-painted trompe l'oeil might be absolutely perfect for your situation.

Maybe a seascape through a door or a window, along the lines of:

https://www.100talenti.it/articoli_i...ompe-loeil.htm

Interesting. Much better than the frat party I was hoping for.

Or maybe get someone to paint it as if the wall wasn't there. IOW, the exact perspective and view.

Less the renters, of course.

All good ideas. We actually might do something arty with it.

In the mean time, we did some pacer work today. Pretty happy with the result.

The last group next door left today. We counted 12 people. I complained several times to the owner.

He's probably already mad without me yakking at him. Right before he turned it into a rental, he had the yard sodded. The last two groups there parked in his yard.

Next time pix of the vehicles on the yard please.

Here ya go.

Well, **** him for turning it into a rental.