• Exterior
• Utility
• Bath
• Living Area
• Kitchen
• Home

December 16, 2006

Not Good!

It’s been a lousy few days. Lets back up to Thursday shall we?
Thursday we get a call from our realtor saying the purchaser wants a 1200 dollar allowance so she can update the wiring. Not that it didn’t pass the inspection, she just wants it updated. So she wants 1200 knocked off the price (not to mention the 6% we already have allotted for the realtor fee AND the 350.00 for HER home warranty elcrapo).
We didn’t realize that when the offer that was put in, and then accepted by us, all binding BY CONTRACT of course, it could and would change. Our realtor never informed us it could change either so we accepted the offer at our minimum asking price which was 60. (Otherwise we would have only went down about 62 or 63). So another 1200 off that would bring it down below our min. Something we were pretty staunchly against.
…INTERRUPT RANT FOR RANT: Unlike most people we are not out to MILK every penny so when we BOUGHT this place, which was at the time practically only fit for rats to live in anyway, we NEVER tried to milk the seller for this and that. We made an offer on HIS asking price. The ONLY things we had in the offer contract was to have the septic put in (since we were FHA and it was required by them for us to go to ACT OF SALE, AND to have the tenet who currently was living here - by mailbox only so she could collect welfare on this place for utilities while she actually lived and stored most of her stuff at her mothers – would be out at ACT OF SALE so we could take immediate possession. Guess what? Act of Sale neither had occurred and in fact Seller and his crocked real estate agent were trying to say it was in some escrow account for the septic. Thankfully we had a brother who was our closing agent and he was truly looking out for us and said…’Escrow – what escrow?’ The tenet hadn’t even moved her junk out AND the Seller had NOT put the septic in. So of course FHA wouldn’t allow us to even try to go to closing because of the latter issue. Then what’s really stupid is the tenets family FINALLY came to help the seller move her stuff and they really let Brian know what they thought of him. Amazing how WE were the “bad guys”. And everyone likes to do that us. Don’t even TRY to get treated fairly if you treat others fairly. It just doesn’t happen! – END RANT HERE …CONTINUE ON WITH PRESENT RANT….
The previous week we had another couple stop in and look at our house even tho they knew it had a contract on it. Everyone is desperate around here, including us. =)
So we called Thursday after the news (of the 1200 allowance), to see if the other couple wanted to put an offer in, that now would be the excellent time. But alas, our luck was out if you will, and he had already put a bid in on another place.
So we pretty much had no choices in front of us. We have to sell to meet our own closing date for March, and we have invested so much time already and time is ticking fast. So after some back and forth we finally got the Purchaser to agree to knock off putting in a driveway AND installing a heating/cooling unit - since our woodburning stove passed inspection. Now the real fun begins.....
Friday we go by and sign our life away to finalize the agreement and we now sit and wait (yea right - we have a ton of remodel work to finish) to go to closing. We intended to go out in service Friday after we met with the listing agent, but we stopped by an elderly sister's house first and spent 3 hours there. She really needed some encouragement since not many get by to see her, and she is pretty sensitive about that so even though we didn’t make it out that day at least we brightened hers a little...I hope anyway! We left her house about 5 and came home. Brian went to make some needed thresholds and guess what....the table saw died out. Now normally this isn’t a big deal but we are totally broke right now, literally waiting on paychecks that we are PRAYING will make it here in time to finish our projects before closing! NOW is when our table saw, which is only abt 2 yrs old, decides to go out! So Friday eve Brian goes to try and fix it and ends the eve believing it might be fixed.
Saturday he tried using the table saw and its toast! So we are totally down that, which is huge loss for what we had left to do! Then the belt sander's paper just split, and of course with no money and it being a hard to get item...forget it! THEN Dainen says, "Daddy! There's water coming out from under the house!" Upon investigation, since I had just emptied a dishpan of water in the kitchen sink, he saw that the pipes had separated, probably yesterday, and now need to be fixed. THEN that couple that I mentioned earlier came by and they want to put an offer on the house NOW and close to our ASKING price which is 65, but guess WHAT! They are a freaking 24hrs late. We've done signed the papers yesterday within our (extended) 72hr period, which technically was nearly over once the very unprofessional real estate listing agent person emailed it to us AN HOUR before the 72hr deadline, so they better be GLAD they extended that! Figures!!! Oh well.....She just better not come in 5 days before closing and decide to not go to closing. We won’t even talk about furious.
So I end today with a migraine and a stomach not fit for any human being. But guess what that’s OUR life. We won’t have hardly as much to do what we had PLANNED to do. SO we have to once again work extra hard to get anywhere close to what we had planned.
Stress? It’s not even in the species of stress anymore. It has mutated to some form that hovers in a constant black cloud overhead.
Just can’t wait to be off the burning bridge to get to the greener pastures, at least I HOPE they are greener!
Lessons learned:
We will NEVER go through another real estate agent, if we can help it.
We will not take OFFERS next time, if we can help it – ASKING PRICE ONLY!
WE HOPE THERE WON’T BE ANOTHER TIME!
*sigh*
OK focus……………………………………………..
Just breathe…wait, not that…positive attitude
1) IF we can get out of here we will have a paid for place to live.
2) IF we can get out of here we will NOT have neighbors (sorry just need my ELBOW room before I scream!)
3) IF we can get out of here we will be living in the beautiful peaceful ridgetops of Kentucky!!!!
4) IF we can get out of here we can build the new OLD house I have in mind
5) IF we can get out of here we will have a new beginning…which we NEED desperately.
So I know things should clear up....but at the moment it just seems overwhelming.

December 3, 2006

Bathroom To-Do List

We have brought the bathroom finish percentage up to being 72% done. Here is our list, updated, that I posted previously:
1) Install sheetrock in all areas which need it.
2) Finish raising tub room ceiling
3) Finish insulating bathroom (small places which we haven’t got yet)
4) Connect the wall of tub room to the roof (yes the builder did NOT do this!) This will be done by building a small triangular 2 x 4 frame to extend from wall to ceiling. We have all the lumber cut, just need to put together.
5) Add shiplap siding to triangular 2 x 4 frame on exterior wall to get rid of the junk board that was used.
6) Float sheetrock
7) Paint all walls
8) Install new flooring
9) Paint and add molding
10) Install new light for main bathroom area (which we still have yet to get)
11) Hang new mirror (after we buy one - BOUGHT)
12) Hang new door and paint it
13) Rebuild sink cabinet (should be able to do mostly with boards we have around here)
14) Add a new upper cabinet - decided not to do this
15) Move tub water lines to new spot
Yesterday Brian finished building the cabinet, and laid the countertop surface down. Between yesterday and today we have laid the flooring for the main bathroom, but the tub room still needs to have the tile laid. We will do that the same time we lay the stone on the countertop. Its actually more of an accent since the countertop will be bordered in wood.
He used small planks of red oak that we had around here and put them together via a frame. I painted it and we are supposed to work on getting the countertop on tomorrow. We will see.....
Anyway you can see in the above photo the cabinet Brian built.

December 1, 2006

An Air of Excitement

Ok the house just listed Tuesday. Yesterday our agent called us to let us know we had someone who wanted to come and look at the house. Now we have some things that are not finished with the house but we plan on finishing them. So we were hoping that wouldn’t deter anyone from wanting to buy the place. This morning I took the boys to town, before the people were to come over. That way they wouldn’t be fighting or try to hog their attention as they love to do when people come over.
It is a cold & chilly day as noted by the "winter storm" that came in last night. But it’s not a gloomy day either, matter of fact it’s actually a nice bright and sunshiny day, just chilly. So we have the wood burning stove going, the kittens napping in the chair, the house clean and cozy with our cinnamon brooms and vanilla water simmering on the stove. I actually hated to leave this morning.
Well I left around 8:30am and Brian showed the house around 9ish. When I got back he went on telling me how it went and that he got a good feeling about it.
After awhile we get a phone call from our agent saying an offer has been made for 60,000 so we said sure! Of course we are about to come out of our skin with excitement! Our agent is supposed to come by later so we can sign the offer agreement. Talk about WOW! We know so many things can fall thru but this is so much more quickly than we both thought an offer would be made.

November 28, 2006

House for Sale

Our house is officially for sale! We got the sign, gave the key, got a copy of the listing agreement papers. The MLS listing will happen *hopefully* soon. She said she had a few changes to make before she could post it. We have to hurry and get some vital things done, like get the cabinet finished, and get the doors up. Finish the bathroom, ect. Not to mention replace a few boards. All things we have been trying to get to before we listed but just werent able to. So now its doubly vital.Well thats the update. Have much to get done....after lunch hehe.

November 22, 2006

Cleaned and Packed and Cleaned and Packed

In light of the house being placed up for sale, we went through and did a through scrubbing and packing up all the extra clutter. There is more to be done, but we have the majority finished.
I took a photo of the kitchen today, pretty much clutter free and clean as a whistle. The photo shows pretty much the ending result of a 4 year project which began like this:

This was taken while the previous tenants still occupied the place.

And now……

It’s nice to be putting the finishing touches instead of the beginning ones!

Its Official

We just met with the real estate company today! The agent is coming by Friday to take photos and then we will get the sign to put in the yard. The house listing should be in the system by Saturday if all goes well.
I found a domain and gave the house its own little listing on the web thanks goes to a fellow houseblogger for the idea! You can find it below. I'll be adding to it so its a work in progress....isn’t everything??
www.erwinrd.com
Jetting out to town so must make it quick. Ta for now!

November 15, 2006

Paint and Porch Columns

We replaced both porch columns with a solid 6 x 6 instead of boards nailed together to make a hollow box. The bottoms of the columns were rotting out, but the left column was the worst off. The cost of replacing the columns was nothing, since we had gotten the 6 x 6's from the shipyard years ago. The 6 x 6's were rough cut so Brian took a drill sander to smooth them just enough for painting. Here are some photos of the switching out process.

You can see the worst off column sitting on the ground since he changed that one out first. The new column stands there waiting to be put in place. It was strange to see the porch with one column missing. Rather scary too since one mistake and the front of the porch could have fallen in.

I'm much happier now knowing the porch will not just fall in on itself now since we have solid wood up there. And everything went smooth with no problems. You can also see from these photos what the house colors were.

The exterior of the house is now in the process of getting a fresh coat of paint. We have one side and the front nearly finished. We chose an off-white color called ‘Ocean Mist’ and the trim color is called ‘Cinnamon Stone’. It definitely stands out now.

We have everything painted on the front of the house, except the front part of the porch that extends outward, which is still brilliant white at the moment.

The whole house was brilliant white and sky blue for trim as the previous photos showed. Blech! We never liked it but never got around to changing it till now. The off white is a warmer shade than the brilliant white and the trim color adds to the warmth. We also painted the front side of the door the same color as the trim….Cinnamon Stone. We haven’t decided which color porch paint we will use. We are trying to avoid white or battleship grey. Perhaps a charcoal would be better…or a grayish green? Choices…choices…..
So anyway we would have been finished with the house had it not been for the bad weather that was coming through the area. That and we got some sort of stomach flu. But the sun is shining again so back to work it will be. Once we finish painting the house we will be 38% finished with the exterior things.

November 6, 2006

A New Floor

As of today the utility room is now 67% complete. We have all four walls painted now,the paneling hung and painted for the one wall, the new light fixture was installed, ceiling floated and painted, and the new floor was laid down today.
All we have left is to lay the thresholds, make/paint/install the molding and baseboards, add hardware and put the two cabinet doors back in place, put up the door leading to the bedroom and kitchen, then do some light painting and we are through!

These "stick-on" tiles were on clearence at Lowe's. They are a good quality and they were cheap. The door in the photo used to be where the kitchen door entrance was. But since we replaced that was an interior door, we used this door to replace the back door which was actually an interior door. Besides this door, the one with the three panels of glass, used to be the original back door.

These upper small cabinets had a new coat of bright white paint and some new handles.

Here is the door that leads into our bedroom. It will be replaced.
We picked up this $5.00 can of opps paint from Ace. The utility room used to be a porch before the previous owner walled it in. So it slopes downward. Also you can see the original wall siding. I rather like the look so I chose to expose it rather than cover it over.

November 2, 2006

Bathroom Remodel - Week 1

Last Thursday we had gutted the bathroom. This was a job we were NOT looking forward to. Save the worst for last ~ know what I mean?
So anyway Thursday, Brian had someone over so he could haul what we gutted off to the dump. We ended up having over 1900 lbs of stuff between the bathroom and some stuff in the yard. Today makes a week working on the bathroom. Here is what we have done:
1) Gutted the bathroom
2) Moved the tub to replace the rotted floor.
3) Added some floor joists to handle the new sub floor, which we laid down.
4) Added a new plywood wall behind the tub area
5) Added a concrete backer board to the floor area in front of the tub
6) Widened the doorway into the "tub room"
7) Installed the lights in the tub room
8) Replumbed the tub to handle a new faucet and for the first time a shower
9) Installed a tub surround
10) Built a wall to go around the tub and support the tub surround.
11) Added sheetrock to that wall and the one behind it
12) Added insulation on the walls in the first part of the bathroom
13) Almost have the ceiling completely prepped for raising it one foot. It will slant down now instead of be flat across. The slant is to gain 1 foot of ceiling space. It makes a huge difference.
14) Almost have completed the adding of insulation to the tub room.

What we have left:
1) Install sheetrock in all areas which need it.
2) Finish raising tub room ceiling
3) Finish insulating bathroom (small places which we haven’t got yet)
4) Connect the wall of tub room to the roof (yes the builder did NOT do this!) This will be done by building a small triangular 2 x 4 frame to extend from wall to ceiling. We have all the lumber cut, just need to put together.
5) Add shiplap siding to triangular 2 x 4 frame on exterior wall to get rid of the junk board that was used. (See photo)
6) Float sheetrock
7) Paint all walls
8) Install new flooring
9) Paint and add molding
10) Install new light for main bathroom area (which we still have yet to get)
11) Hang new mirror (after we buy one)
12) Hang new door and paint it
13) Rebuild sink cabinet (should be able to do mostly with boards we have around here)
14) Add a new upper cabinet
15) Move tub water lines to new spot

And now a couple of photos...not the greatest but you can get the idea.....

This is from the "tub room" looking into the main bathroom area. The entry way used to be so narrow and made the tub room look more long and narrow and an obvious add on. By moving those two posts over almost flush with where the shiplap siding wall is gave between 6-12 inches or so of more room. Making it much roomier in the tub room and tying the two rooms together much better.

You just never know what you will discover when you start tearing down walls in a previously owned home. This area looks directly in the back of our closet, but because that used to be the exterior wall of the house (they didn’t even take it down when he added our bedroom on) you can still see the back of the shiplap siding. This area was built up for a window, so evidently before the bedroom add-on, the bathroom had a window in it, something we didn’t know. I almost decided to leave it open and put shelves on it, but since its such a narrow space in the bathroom I was afraid things would get knocked off too much so I am just going to cover it and let someone else have the pleasure of discovering it later in the future. =)

Here you can see the junk board I was referring too. It says "Stafford" on it. Not sure what it was, but looks to be some kind of sign. Anyway just a shameful job he did of adding the tub room. You see above the window it should attach or join in some fashion to the ceiling...however it does not. That is the area Brian will build the triangular piece to actually ATTACH the wall to the roof. Sheesh....You can see I have the lights hung that I did up in this post. I just need to scrub that wall down and then paint it.

October 8, 2006

No More Panel Ceilings

The utility room now is at 41% complete! Yesterday my brother graciously came over to help Brian install the sheetrock ceiling for the utility room. Previously it had panel ceilings, which ended up with a leak in the roof and unbenounced to us caused the ceiling rafters to rot away. So as they were installing the sheetrock, they discovered that only to have to fix the rafters before they could finish installing the sheetrock. A job that should have taken only a few hours took about 7 instead. That was rather disappointing, but at least its up now! Thats one more thing off the list! =)) Thanks bro!

Our House