House Read Me

Due to the Covid pandemic, please follow these protocols. 

Welcome to the house! This is the keypad on the front door. At night, press the Schlage button at the top of the keypad to illuminate all the buttons.

This is the default position of the lock. When you close the door it will automatically lock. You can unlock the door from the inside by turning the knob to the vertical position to load or unload stuff from your car, or when you know you’re coming right back. Just lock it after you’re done.

There is also a keypad for the garage on the right side of the door. Just enter the same code as the front door, then press Enter at the bottom of the keypad. Note that if you use the button inside the garage to open the door, all you have to do is press Enter on the keypad to close the door. Entering in the code is not necessary to close the door.

Mesh wireless network name mandalorian pw: thereisnopassword

Wired routers are in the dining room, br2 and br4. Security WPA/WPA2 Personal.  Ask me for a cat 5 cable if you need one.

Transportation:
I recommend Uber to get here from the airport.

There are two free shuttle systems that take you all over Mountain View:

1. MVGO stops at the Caltrain station
2. Mountain View Community Shuttle stops up at the traffic light. It even has free wi fi and a bike rack! It goes all around the city in a clockwise and counter clockwise direction.

We are very close to highway 101, 237, and 85. Highway 280 is about 15 minutes away.

We are 3 min walk to the Whisman Station Light rail station

We are 25 min walk to the Downtown Mountain View Cal Train station. You can also take the light rail one stop to downtown Mountain View to get to Cal Train. Cal Train goes up to San Francisco. It takes about an hour.

Bicycles:
You can park your bike in the garage in the bike rack. I highly recommend the Stevens Creek Bike Trail and the Bay Trail.

Parking
No parking in the driveway. 

Internet and WiFi:

I upgraded the WiFi routers in August 2024 to Google Nest Wifi Pro with Wi-Fi 6E routers. There is a wired router in the dining room, bedroom 2 and bedroom 4. Let me know if you have any issues with the WiFi.

Please don’t do any illegal downloading from bit torrents etc while using the internet here unless you use a VPN. If not, my ISP will send me a threatening notice.

Please turn off Autoplay on Netflix and any other streaming sites since there is a data limit of 1TB set by my ISP. I’ve closed my laptop thinking it was sleeping and found out it had been on and streaming videos all night so it’s a good idea to close any browser windows that were streaming youtube, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ etc or just disconnect from the WiFi before sleeping your laptop etc.

I actually got a warning notice Dec 2019 that I am approaching the limit. This was the first time I ever got this notice, read about how autoplay impacted this on usatoday.

Bitcoin – Please don’t mine cryptocurrencies etc as this will skyrocket my PG&E bills.

Kitchen:

The fridges will have the names of the people assigned to that fridge in blue tape and sharpie black ink.

White fridge: The water and ice dispenser don’t work so please don’t attempt to use it.

Stove: The burners have problems lighting. When you turn it to light and you hear the clicking, please use the lighter to light the burner then rotate the dial so it stops clicking. Please turn on the fan whenever you use the gas burners. Scientific American explains the health risks using gas stoves.

Oven: I’d recommend you use the toaster oven since the main oven has a self cleaning feature that will overcook your food if left in. The toaster oven just turns off after the timer expires. The main oven is tougher to clean too.

Dishes: Please don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. Just wash your dishes by hand the same day or put them into the dishwasher. I have dishes, pots, pans, silverware that you can use.

Dishwasher: Please use the Cascade detergent in the green bottle below the kitchen sink. Put more soap in the Pre-Wash area than the Main-Wash soap dispenser. Close the lid on the Main Wash soap dispenser. Occasionally the lid will fail to open and dispense the soap. It’s usually not a problem.

If you put in dishwashing liquid soap, it will look like the picture below. Be sure to use the Cascade Dishwasher Detergent and not the Palmolive liquid dish soap.

When you turn on the dishwasher, make sure to put the “clean” magnet on the edge of the door so people know the dishes are clean. Take the magnet off when you empty the dishwasher. Store the magnet on the side of the fridge or on the counter above the dishwasher.

Garbage, recycling, composting – Tall black can with the lid on the right is for garbage. Blue can on the left is for recyclable glass, aluminum, plastic. The brown one is for paper, cardboard, magazines etc. If the paper is soiled with food put in the small container with the green bags. This is for composting food, so pizza boxes go in the compost bin. If I’m home I empty them, but if I’m not around please take out to the bins and the bins out to the street Wed night for a Thursday morning pick up.

Filtered water – There is a Brita water filter pitcher for filtered water.  There is a hot water boiler on the counter. Just fill it up and turn it on and it boils water in less than 5 min!

Food storage – Store your personal food on the assigned bookshelves in the dining room. Mark your fridge and bookshelves with your name on blue tape and a sharpie which should be on the corner shelf near bedroom 5’s door.

Ants – We get an ant invasion 1-2 times a year. They are looking for food and water and find it anywhere in the house. It’s important to keep food sealed up in ziplock bags. Cinnamon is a great deterrent and disruptor of ant trails and provides immediate relief. However, it’s best to use ant stake or ant traps and place them directly into the ant trail since they take this poison back to their nest and then it kills the nest and ants won’t come back into the house for a few months. Put a few drops of water in the hole for best results. In recent years the ants don’t seem to like these stakes anymore, so I’m trying Diatomaceous Earth which is a natural non toxic to human mechanical insecticide.

Backyard:

Please access via the door in the garage and not that backdoor next to my bedroom. This area is off limits.

Bedrooms:
br2 and br4 have wired internet access. If this is important, let me know and I have Cat 5/6 cables available. 

Showing your room: I may show your room to future guests/tenants, cleaners, construction workers, plumbers, electricians etc during your stay. I will strive to give you at least 24 hours notice but may not always be successful. I or my representative will keep an eye on anyone we show your room to.

Bathrooms:
There is community shampoo and body wash in the showers. Kirkland and Pantene brands are the community stuff. In the hallway closet is left over shampoo, soap, etc. Take whatever you want. Please clean up after yourself in the bathroom.

Each bathroom has a fan. Turning on the left side light switch will turn on the fan. The fan is very, very quiet but gets louder as it picks up speed. Please turn on when taking a shower in the hallway bathroom.

Toilets:

I replaced all the toilets in 2015 but any toilet can clog up. Please flush before putting paper in and they are fine. So always flush twice. Don’t put anything into the toilet besides toilet paper. Paper towels, Kleenex, or flushable wipes etc. will plug it up. Yes, even the wipes that say “flushable” because they aren’t really and have plugged up the upstairs toilet so bad that I had to replace it!

If the toilet ever clogs up or doesn’t flush properly, the main thing is DON’T flush it again! This will just cause the bowl to overflow and put toilet water and poop all over the bathroom floor. To fix:

1. Put hot to almost boiling water in the bowl along with half a cup of liquid soap and just wait. The hot water and soap dissolves the toilet paper and poop.
2. If the water level goes down that’s good news, but you’ll need to get a bucket and add enough water so you can use a plunger since water has to fully cover the plunger head. Use the plunger. If that is successful then you can flush it. If not, repeat step 1 and wait 30 min for the hot water and soap to dissolve the clog.
3. Repeat step 2 until successful.
4. If 3 iterations of step 2 do not clear the clog, text me and I’ll call a plumber, but this works 95% of the time.

1. Never put anything in the toilet besides toilet paper. Not even ‘flushable’ wipes.
2. Flush after you poop and before putting paper in.
3. Use the bidet and there won’t be much toilet paper so it will never get clogged.

You are responsible for fixing any toilet you clog up including the clean up.

Keys:
Your bedroom key should be in the doorknob when you arrive. Don’t forget to put the key back into the doorknob when you move out at the end of your stay.

Laundry:
There is laundry detergent that I provide. The dark yellow container of liquid detergent by Arm and Hammer. Please don’t leave your laundry in the washing machine or dryer and leave the house since other people may want to do their laundry. If you want to do your laundry and someone else’s clothes are in the washer or dryer and the cycle is complete, feel free to take the clothes out and put them in a laundry basket.

Washer: The new Whirlpool washer fyi:

1. You have to push the Start/Pause button twice to get the washer to work.
   The first press turns the power on and the second press starts the wash
2. The lid will lock, but when it’s unlocked and you put more clothes in and close the lid you have to press the Start/Pause button again to restart the washer.

Dryer: Please remember to PUSH the button to start the dryer. Do not turn it as this will break it and I’ll have to take the dryer apart to fix. I know this is a bad design. I’ve had the repairman out 5 times to fix this.

Please remember to clean out the lint filter before you dry.

Garbage and recycling:
Garbage and compost day is every Thursday so I put out the cans Wednesday night. Every other week is recycling pick up. If I’m not home, please take the garbage out to the bins and the bins out to the street. 

1. Pizza boxes go outside in the green bin. Don’t put these in the trash anymore.

2. Paper shopping bags go in grey bin.

3. Plastic shopping bags aren’t recyclable so bunch up into a bag.

4. Amazon boxes and USPS Priority Mail boxes cut up and flatten and put in the recycling bins.

6. Don’t put food down the kitchen sink drain. Put in the composting container.

7. The composting stuff needs to be put into the small green lidded bucket and when full or stinking emptied into the green bin in the backyard and the green bin needs to be taken to the street every Wed night. Composting bags are on top of the black fridge in the garage next to the garbage can bags.

Before taking the garbage out to the bin, make sure to compress it down as much as possible. I usually grab the broken hockey stick outside the kitchen/garage door to use to push down all the garbage in the garbage bin.

Here is the recycling schedule.

I provide:
Toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, light bulbs, towels, sheets, comforters, pillows. Just let me know if anything is low and I’ll pick it up at CostCo. Each bedroom also has a fan.

Cleaners:
Cleaners come every 3 weeks. I usually send out an email with the time and day they are coming. Leave your door unlocked if you want them to clean your room.

Safety:
I don’t personally know any of the people staying at the house. I am not responsible for any valuables that end up missing during your stay. Please take necessary steps to make sure your valuables don’t end up missing. My insurance does not cover you so please get renters insurance if this is important to you.

Upstairs closet:
I have stocked it with soap, shampoo, toothpaste, floss etc if you arrive and don’t have any feel free to grab some from the closet. There are also extra towels, sheets, comforters in the closet.

Thermostat heater air conditioning
The thermostat is on a timer that increases the heat at 5:30am reduces it at 10am increases at 5pm and decreases at 11:30pm. Also note that it is 3-7F degrees hotter upstairs. The central air conditioning is set to 75F. There should be a portable fan in every room. Please don’t use portable electric heaters because they increase the utility bills substantially,  I have electric blankets so if you need one just ask.

Packages and mail
Please bring in any packages on the porch and put them on the bench right inside the front door.

For your empty Amazon boxes, cut them up and flatten them and put in recycling bins. Do NOT leave the box in the backyard or garage or just by the side of the recycling bin.

US mail, the key is on a red string to the left of the door to bedroom 5. Open the mailbox from the front. Please remember to put the key back. Note that after you move, please contact anyone that has might send you mail to this address. Please make sure to email your employer of your new mailing address so when they send you the W-2 tax form it goes to the right place.

Package Theft – This is a big problem across the US. I have a Ring doorbell and two other cameras on the porch that record video but it’s safest to be home when the package is scheduled to arrive, use an Amazon locker, or send the packages to your work. You can also ask our housemates if they will be home to accept and sign for the package or bring it in from the porch. 

House Rules

1. Noise and quiet time
   There are heavy freight trains that travel down the train tracks across central expressway in the middle of the night. These trains can often shake the whole house and mimic an earthquake. Don’t worry about it. Please respect quiet time from 10:00pm to 7:00am so phone calls must be outside away from the house. Gaming, musical instruments, music or tv must use headphones. Laundry shouldn’t be started past 9pm since there are two bedrooms above the laundry machines.
2. Since there is someone sleeping in bedroom 5 downstairs, please close the front door gently since the bedroom 5 is near the front door.
3. If you use an alarm to wake up, please make sure you turn it off promptly and unset it if you won’t be at home. There have been instances where a guest is not home, has locked their door, and the alarm has gone off all morning into the evening. Best to use an alarm on your phone instead.
4. No smoking inside the house or anywhere on the property
5. No pets inside the house or anywhere on the property
6. No illegal downloading unless using a VPN. My ISP sends me warning letters whenever someone downloads music or movies illegally. Get a VPN.
7. Clean up after yourself in the kitchen. Just put dishes in the dishwasher or hand wash them daily
8. Clean up after yourself in the bathroom
9. Laundry, please take your laundry out of the washer or dryer as soon as it’s finished since someone may be waiting.
10. No parking in the driveway. Loading and unloading is fine, but not overnight
11. No overnight guests. People have abused this in the past so that’s the rule. 
12. Daytime guests – one person twice a week. I just don’t want a bunch of people I don’t know in my house so I have to set a limit.

Grocery stores:
Nijiya Market has really good sushi, sashimi and other Japanese food. Smart and Final is right next door and has good prices. 99 Ranch is the Asian grocery store. There is a Nob Hill Foods right next to it, but it’s pretty pricy. Safeway is over on Shoreline. Safeway also delivers. Farmers Market 9am-1pm every Sunday at the Downtown Mountain View Caltrain station. Just take the light rail one stop to downtown Mountain View or ride a bike there. They move the location if there is a 49ers home game so check the website. There are several online grocery stores like: Safeway, Amazon Pantry, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart.

Restaurants general:

It’s a 25 minute walk to Downtown Mountain View. Castro St is where all the restaurants are. Go up the street to the signal at Whisman, cross the street and go up the overpass. There will be a stairway on your right after you cross over. Go down that stairway and walk so the railroad tracks are on your right and you’ll dead end into Castro in about 20-25 minutes.

You can take the Cal Train one stop from Mountain View to Sunnyvale and then walk 3 minutes to Murphy St. It has a lot of good restaurants there. I recommend walking around there and eating. They also have a Farmer’s Market on Sat 9am-1pm

Japantown in San Jose. There is a Japantown light rail stop too. Koreatown in Santa Clara. Little Saigon and the Grand Century Mall in San Jose are great for Vietnamese food.

Downtown Redwood City is 5 stops away on the Caltrain. It has a good movie theater, restaurants, the Fox theater, and other places to hang out. Take Caltrain to the Redwood City station and walk from there.

Santana Row is a great place to eat and walk around. Put 3055 Olin Ave San Jose 95128 into your GPS if you’re driving or take Uber. The Tesla showroom is there. This place is much more upscale. No direct public transportation that I know of.

Specific places to eat I recommend. Here’s my yelp

Fried Chicken:  I love the fried chicken here at Vons! Chick-fil-a is probably the best fast food style chicken around with great fries though it’s on the pricey side.

Sit down burgers St Johns on Lawrence Expressway has been there for 30 years or more. Eureka is over on Castro, lots of good beer here. In and Out are known for their inexpensive fast food hamburgers.

American Food:

Bakery: The Sweet Dragon Baking Co is pretty good. The chicken pot pies, and spicy mushroom were good. The butter pecan I’d pass on though.

Cajun: The Kickin Crab. Take the light rail to the Cropley Station and walk across the street. Order Mild unless you like hot food since Medium is pretty hot. Ask for gloves and a bib. I usually order Kickin’ Combo 1 or 2 and it feeds 3 people easy.

Chinese: Hong Kong Bistro and Cooking Papa for Cantonese style food. Beijing is a Korean owned place that has great Chinese food. In Millbrae I recommend Stick and Steam.

Japanese: Kakaroto is close and has a 3 item $19.99 special! Gombei is in Santa Clara and San Jose Japantown

Korean: Jang Su Jang is a good bet as is the Tofu House 

Mexican: – Vive Sol and La Fiesta are both 4-5 stars, but La Fiesta is walking distance! Pina Coladas are $11. Both these places are now $30 for a dinner with tax and tip. Tortillas are a $4 up charge! So I go to either the absolute best value in town is La Costena. They have daily burrito specials and a soda for $8.99 and you can walk there in 5 min!!!! However, it’s about a 3-3.5 star place. I recommend Super Tacos. It’s a short drive or bike ride and much better than La Costena. However, the menu is in Spanish and sometimes the cashier doesn’t speak a lot of English so know how to order in Spanish. The hours on the yelp page, not sure they are correct since they seem to be open all the time, especially late like after 9pm they have a steady flow of customers.
Taco Trucks – There are 4 taco trucks on El Camino. Cheztacos, by the mattress store, by the car wash, by SONY pizza. (tbd names and addresses)

Pizza: A Slice of NY is my fave. The best value though is Papa Johns. 

Thai:  Khao Kang is walking distance. It’s a little pricy but quality is 4 stars. The Old Siam in Sunnyvale. The atmosphere isn’t great, not a date place, but the food is high quality, prices are reasonable, and the Thai ice tea has free refills.

Vietnamese: Com Tam Thien Huong has the best rice plates. Dat Thanh is also good. To get good Banh Mi sandwiches locally, try Tbread. 

General shopping

There are several Target stores nearby in San Jose and Mountain View and a Walmart close by at the San Antonio Shopping Center. The Free Shuttle has a stop here, so Target, Walmart, Trader Joes, and Safeway are all within walking distance of the stop.

Walking distance is a small strip mall on Middlefield: 7-11, Roger’s Deli, Subway, a Thai place, a Japanese restaurant (The rolls are pretty good), La Costena is a good taqueria with $8.00 specials! and a Clocktower coffee shop 205 East Middlefield Road, and a dollar shop.

Gas Stations: There is a cheap gas station at Grant and El Camino. The closest station is Whisman and Middlefield.

Sporting facilities nearby: Whisman Sports Center

Batting cages close by: Twin Creeks, All Star Academy (there are a bunch on yelp too)

There is a municipal golf course very close to the house in Sunnyvale and Shorelinelinks in Mountain View. meetup.com is a good site to find people to play sports with.

Places to visit

1. The Adobe Creek Trail. By car: 101 north to San Antonio, turn right and at the end is a parking lot. Park in a space as soon as possible as the trail head is right there. Walk out about 15-30 minutes for great views at sunrise or sunset. All flat, easy hike. By bike just ride from the house along Stevens Creek Trail.
   

   

   
   

   

2. San Francisco. You can take Cal Train or drive an hour. If driving please be aware of the epidemic of car break-ins in SF. Places I recommend are Twin Peaks, Lands End, Ocean Beach, GG Park, GG Bridge,
3. Monterey – 1.5 hours drive. Rent an e bike and ride to Point Lobos and back if you can find a place to charge and wait 4 hours. Sea Kayaking. Mountain Biking, road biking the 17 mile drive
4. Santa Cruz – 1.25 hours drive. Mountain Biking is world class. You can rent mountain bikes there.
5. Point Lobos – 1.5 hours drive, easy scenic hiking, great for photography.
6. Yosemite – 4 hours drive from the house, scenic hiking, great for photography.

When you move out:

1. Take all of your items from the shower and bathroom. If you don’t want them just put in the closet.
2. Take all your food out of the fridge and throw it out or give away
3. Take all your food from the pantry and bookshelves or put it on the community bookshelf in the dining room and I’ll give it away. 
4. Put your sheets, pillowcase, comforter, and towels in the laundry area and I’ll wash.
5. Leave the key in the doorknob!
6. Take a picture of your room and the key in the doorknob
7. Email me the pix or your room and the doorknob with the key in it and about what time you will be leaving the house
8. Contact anyone you gave this address to to update them with your new mailing address. I often get W-2 forms around tax time for people who no longer live here.
9. Check out time is by noon. If you need to check out later, please let me know since I need to clean the room and someone else might be moving in.
10. Non airbnb guests: The most frequently asked question is, “When will I get my deposit back?” The lease says 2 weeks. If I’m home I try to check the room the same day you move out and refund your deposit over PayPal or the same way you paid it. If I’m not home it will take longer, but less than 2 weeks. If I don’t refund it within 2 weeks, please email me.
11. Keep in mind that I enforce the late fee of $25 per day starting the second day of the month. There is no grace period and rent is due on the first. If your deposit refund is less than what you paid I will account for what months you were late, by how much, and the cost.