WHMTY MRE PRESS, WE DNESDAY, MARCH 22,1989, PAGE 5 r Things down in iny basement are beginning to take shape. irs there's ail tbat space, just -crying out for The Play Room. 'Cou Id you finish this off?'I was once asked. 'Is tbe Pop~e Jewisb?' 'It doesn t bave ta be fancy. Perhaps a littie laundry room in this corner, with some cupboard and storage space, and tbe rest just open space.' ,'Witb walls?' 'I thought that would be nice.' Walls aren't toc bad, as far as do-it-yourself goes. ,hStick up tbe studs, slap up the drywall, tbrow a bit of plaster at it, sand it down until the room becomes se dusty yeu can't breatbe, tbrow more plaster at it, de in the dust again, tbrow more mud ... «'I suppose you want a ceiling, toc.' 'Ceihmngs are mice ta bave.' 'Fussy.' If there is one thimg the do-it-yourself set loves it is ceilings. They corne in all shapes and sizes. Some are just walls, stuck ta tbe top of a room; others are suspended, meaning tbey baven't even fallen down yet. ' A nice coat of paint will seal this floor off nicely for tricycles and wagons and other playthings.' « I was thinking more along the Unmes of tbick lrPe tbing do-it-yeurselfers don'tlike about carpet is the cost. For wbat carpeting a room costs you can plan dozens of reoms. That's why rm good at: planning. See, tbis room in the basement thing bas been in the planning now for, let's see, two years in May. Net everybody plans se well. Before he moved eut into bis own bouse six weeks ago, I took my stepson aside and sbowed hlm how planning works. 'We'll remnove this plumbing.bere, since we don't need a third bath,' I said. 'Then drywall along bere, and here, and bere'insulating as we go. Open Options Then tbe main interkor wall will faîl plumb along this lime, with a doorway bere, and worksbop tucked in bere.. ' Have you drawm up the blueprints?' he asked. Bluepnints? «'Fm keeping it flexible,'3 I said. 'rve finisbed a floor plan cf my basement,' be said. ' One room for tbe drums, double insulated, a bigger onefor my pool table, another.' ' Pool table?' 'Four by eigbt on slate. When I get it. When I bave the momey. But soon.' 4 ... and a storage roem, bathroom and a televisien reom.' 'Sounds good.' c Shouldn't take toe long.' Now that was several weeks ago. Since then my basement bas made great strides. I've decided ta add double flourescent lights in the laundry room, Itwo, maybe three sets of track lighiting in the playreom, a Coimeil wants entire town m Bell survey Witby ceuncil wants the entire town, includimg the cor- ridor area, included in the Bell Canada survey cf tbe possibilty cf removing long distance charges to Toronto. The Town bas advised botb Bell Canada and the Camadian Radio-television Telecommunica- tiens Commission (CRTC) that it opposes the survey wbich will deterinine whetber te drop long distance charges for Witby excbanges beginning with 668, 666 and-430. That would leave eut residents and busimesses east cf Thickson Rd. wbicb bave excbanges begin- ning witb 723 and 725, and residences and businesses nortb of Taunton Rd. whicb bave exebanges starting witb 655. "We are advised that the cor- ridor area excban ges tie into tbe City of Osbawa for Bell's pur. poses. The corridor area cur- rently bas 2,500 residential bousebolds, wbicb represents 15.9 per cent cf tbe total bouse- belds in the entire town of Whitby, 150 commercial and 47 îndustrial properties and is rapidly urbanizing. It represents a major area cf the municipa- lity) " states a letter fr-om Town administrator Bill Wallace te the CRTC. Wallace asked that those resi- dents aIse be surveyed, inidepen- dent cf amy similar survey in Oshawa. Orma Lyttie cf Bell Canada bad reviously informed The Free Iess hs residents in tbe corridor area would be surveyed wben Oshawa is surveyed, pro- bably this year. "I was upset part cf tbe town bad been excluded,» said east ward councilior Denis Fox. "I just hope tbe public understands this is mot councii's decision. It is between Bell and the CRTC." At Monday nigbt's planning committee session, councillor Joe Drumm said committe should ask Bell Canada te, suspend the survey because it didn't include ail of Whitby. Mayor Bob Attersiey. then in- structed that the letters be read aloud te indicate tbe Town's posi- tion.* The corridor area bas 15.9 per cent cf the total households in Wbitby and is «rapidly urbaniz- ing," said Wallace in tbe letters. Attersley noted that witb long distance charges removed fer calîs te Toronto, the increase in bis for residents would be $10.25 per telephone and about $35 for businesses. Ilknow what it' s ike to need cash in a hurry. National Trust knows, too. When a career and kids and a social life don't leave much time for banking, count on National Trust to make it as fast and easy as possible. NATIOINAL TRUST A National Trustco Company Consuit the W/tePages for a Nafiodnal'tist Branch near you. OUR FEET UP by Bill Swan sinik for painting anà stuff in the corner. On amnbitious days I talk about ]p>.tting a wood burning stove down bere too, so we can "ae two chimney fires at a time. None of this on aper, of course. 1 want te keep.my options open. ý My stepson, in tbe meantime, has encountered some borrendous problems. For one thing, be made'. tbe niistake of going out to get the two by fours for the studing. He ATALY GOT THEM AND BROUGHT THEM IIOME. He then compoided this error by cutting them into studing portions anid erecting them IN THE RIGHT PLACES.- Worse, bu used a level to make sure that they were straight ~d upright. It was easy tosehe was gettang in over bis head. I tried to telli hlm. Th~ inevitable followed: witb the help of a friend and a father-in-law, he installed the wiring. It's bad enougbhe put up the studs. And once the wiring is installed, no amount of planning i8 going to thidngs. Then he made the next natural errers: up went the drywall. Can yeu imagine that? Slapped it up there, plastered it, sanded it down, plastered, sanded. He bas, let me tell you, an uunitigated disaster on bis hands. is mother may not realize it, but I'm experienced in these things, and I know rigbt new that those walls are ini a dangerous condition. smooth enough ta wall paper. See wbere it's got hMm? Next, he'll be compounding things with suspended ceiling, floor coverings, maybe even a littie paint to, cover things up. Moving furniture in. That will, of course, bave reduced al is options. rve tried ta tellMm. But these kIds don't listen. So there he is, stuck with this flnished basement. Me, r7ve still got ail this unused space facing me like an unwrittem syrnpbony. One of these days we'II get at it. M là ' pmtnlÀ