To answer your question, it is possible for running to cause enough vibrations that something in the condo below you is damaged. That does not mean, however, that the problems the woman below you is experiencing with her chandelier were caused by you and your boyfriend. What I'd do in this particular case is to gently inform the downstairs neighbor that you are of course perfectly willing to pay the cost for repair of any damage that you caused. And that when she presents to you a written analysis of the damage by someone expert in determining the cause of damage to lighting fixtures and that such analysis clearly indicates that the damage was caused in the past X months (X being the number of months you have lived in that condo) and that said damage could only have been caused by movement in the unit above the chandelier, you will be happy to pay. Because while your running may have contributed to the damage, I doubt very much that it was the sole cause. However, if you want to be a good neighbor, I'd stop the "playful chasing" completely. Running makes more noise than walking, and I wouldn't want to be living underneath adults who were running around in their unit. Do try to get back on good terms with your neighbors. Don't put anything on the stairs--people in their 70s have a very valid fear of falling and even if rose petals (which were a very sweet thought on the part of your BF) don't look dangerous to you, to someone who is at all unsteady on their feet, it's just one more thing that could cause a fall. Keep your things out of the common areas and confined to your unit. If she starts slamming her door, I'd go downstairs and ask what the problem is. If it is just the noise of people talking in your unit, while bearing in mind that you have every right to have guests and conversation, do what you can to appease her a little bit. Offer to move the conversation to another room, if that would bother her less. Inform her that the noise should only last for another hour or so (if that's truly the case), or at least let her know by what time the guests will be gone. Or be proactive and tell her a day or two before you have people over that there will be a party and some noise and conversation, and give her your phone number so she can call if it gets too loud. You may be in the right. You aren't holding loud parties and blasting music and tap dancing over her head. And it may seem silly to try and appease a cranky old lady. But do you want to have to field complaints and questions from both her and your landlord on a regular basis? And if there are too many complaints, your landlord may not renew your lease. Ask your landlord if he has any tips on dealing with this woman, or if she's complained about everyone living above her. Ask the landlord if he can suggest anything you can do to make things quieter.

You can certainly build a habitable dwelling without hanging around the site 24/7. Spec homes by builders are built this way every day. But, even a spec home follows a certain formula that the builder is familar with, and it involves choices that were very very narrowed down in the beginning planning stages. Any questions that arise during the build are answered by the builder with economy and resale in mind. Spec homes can be quite nice homes, but they aren't very individual. To build what you term a dream home requires a LOT more personal involvement. Those are usually one off designs for that builder instead of being a plan he's built 8 or 9 times. It may even be a totally custom unique design. But, it won't involve ABCs repeated again and again. Unique situations involve unique challenges that require input from the one who is paying for the vision if that vision is not to fall short in some way. It might be as simple as finding a LOT of rock unexpectedly during excavation and figuring out if the budget can withstand the extra equipment necessary to blast it, or if it's simpler to reorient the home on the land. That one decision could either blow the budget, or create a home that you always feel is "wrong" by how it takes advantage of the view. Your build could be planned to have 9' ceilings on the first floor, and 8' for the second, but once the framing is started, the "feel" of the second is too confining and you want to switch to 9' on the second as well. If you aren't there on site to get that feel and arrive a week later after the entire second floor is framed, you'll either have to live with it or spend a lot of money correcting it. Some decisions on a build can only be answered by the person the build is designed to please. Hiring someone to stand in your stead will only work if that person is very very close to you and shares your same aesthetic taste exactly. That's a rare person to find, and usually, they are a family member. Involving a family member or friend in a build in that type of decision making for you is a quick way to make them an ex friend or non speaking family member. They aren't emotionally invested in the decisions. You are. When the inevitable conflict occurs, they won't understand the depth of emotion that the error arouses in you. After all, "it's just a house". The only way that I'd let someone stand in for me for a custom home build is if I were also OK with a matchmaker picking out a mate for me! (After all, you can grow to love a person, right?) It's THAT important! A custom house is that much of a personal fit.

Yes, the water in the pan is there to help keep your condenser cooled ... without the water there, you'ld be burning it up. My concern is, if the condensate (water buildup) on the inside of the unit is there because the drain is blocked, is enough water getting to the back area of the unit where the condenser is to keep it cool? There is usually a small drain hole between the front and the back that allows the water condensate from the front to naturally flow to the back and keep that condenser happy. If that hole is blocked up, you need to open it up ... Is it possible to just uninstall the unit, take out outside and direct a good hard water spray into the problem area to look for the drain hole and clear it out? Keep in mind that you'll want to let the unit dry off overnight at least, before plugging it back in if you spray all over it.

Hurray my order is in! I was only left with one door that was out of stock, so they added it on to the giftcard. It was MUCH easier than I was imagining. The guy helping was great. It probably helped that I waited at the door for opening. He walked around with me to view different trimming options and such, and I also got a quote for the quartz. I'll go back on Monday to get that ordered. I went with Grimslov. I was so back and forth I just decided while there and it feels good that I don't need to keep wondering what to choose. There are so many options and in the end they all look nice. Thank you times a zillion for everything!! And Thank you to everyone. This was so eye opening and helpful in so many ways. Now starts prepping for my temporary kitchen, stockpiling the freezer some more and getting ready for demo. Everything will be delivered Thursday the 22nd.