The Caffeine Lab

This cut down shipping container called the Caffeine Lab is nearly 5 years old. The guy who owns it set it up after the February earthquake destroyed many inner city cafes, or they were caught in the red zone.

It's the closest cafe to my new office building but at $5 for a latte I won't be going often.

We started on our next chunk of big work today. This one won't be an agile sprint, but rather a slow half marathon for the next 5-6 weeks. It will bend our heads but we'll work it out and rise to the challenge.

This afternoon I had a house assessment with EQC (Earthquake and War Commission). It looks like I'll be shifting out again so my sub-standard repairs can be rectified.

It was a completely different experience to last time, with no bullying and instead a desire to put things right. I could freely ask questions, receive explanations, and show or explain the things I'm unhappy with.

All the things that were left off my original scope of works are now on it, including replacing a broken piece of pipe where a downpipe enters the ground. The ceiling in my bedroom will be replaced, and some sort of mesh will likely be applied to the bathroom lining to strengthen and fix it.

All of the painting needs to be re-done because it's never dried properly. Neither person from EQC had ever seen anything like it. I'll also have all my doors painted. They weren't quake damaged and I didn't expect them to be painted in my original repairs. But I didn't expect to return to my home and find most doors, doorways and my stairs knocked and in worse condition than when I left. My stair banister will be fixed and I'm pretty sure it's painted.

My range hood will be removed and the paint removed from it, or failing that it will be replaced. They agreed my house alarm system should have been removed. I'll ask my alarm man for a report, then submit it along with my invoices and I may be reimbursed for the call outs, servicing and eventual replacement of the system.

The first thing they do is test for asbestos. They seemed surprised I didn't have one last time. If asbestos is found that changes everything, and much more work will be done. 

It was positive meeting but I'll take it a step at a time. I'll wait to see the scope of works, and how I get on with the alarm. Then there will be a series of negotiations with me and EQC, and my insurance company to address who will pay for my temporary accommodation, the cat's hotel bill, removing pictures, curtains, curtain rails and blinds, putting them back up again, and packing and moving.

Fletchers will be involved again. Bugger. Curiously the government and EQC never attached any KPIs (key performance indicators) to Fletchers when they handed over millions and millions dollars to them. They're a smaller outfit now and hopefully there is now accountability.

Small steps but I think we're headed in the right direction.