The House

 Edits and Updates! 

We have a fence! We tried to go local, but folx are booked and busy, unavailable and sometimes un responsive. I wish we could have done lowes, alas, home depot is the closest, so we went with them for install.

The new back porch looks good. We hired a person who was just starting out. Turned out they were unaware of some codes and safety thinhs, so Matt's dad helped us fix those things.

The two of them also installed closets in our room!

The basement became an issue. Sigh. Our inspector missed that, the two water drains were not sealed. We had sewage back up from the road and city lines, filling the basement up to 4 inches! It was gross. Insurance helped out, but not enough to replace all that was lost. ServePro cleaned it up and the machines went for days while the enzymes got to work eating bacteria. Matt sealed the drains.

The concrete front steps are not up to code, so they are on the list for next year. 

The roof has literal holes. If you are in the attic you can see sky 😂 and there was little to no flashing around the chimney stack (there is no chimney fyi) so hopefully that will happen sooner than later.

Also learned the plumbing for the bath tubs used incorrect pipes, sized too small, hence the slow drains that clog easily.

The grout in the bathroom tiles is almost gone, worn thin. So the ceiling in the basement leaks. This is the one thing that we don't mind, it's to be expected, a notmal occurrnce thatbis easily fixed. Everything else? Would not have bought this house had we known. Moral of our story: make sure you spend money on a good inspector....

This house.

Whew.

Y'all.

Ok, let me start by saying, that this housing market is trash. We started house hunting from afar and were very lucky to have a fabulous realtor and some kind new colleagues-soon-to-be-friends who took us on facetime tours of houses all over the place. We put in offers on houses in a 30 mile radius from MCLA in several different towns, two states, and a wide range of styles and size. We got so lucky. The house we bought, sight unseen by us, is on a good-sized lot, close to work, near streets that will be plowed in winter, and waling distance to a small grocery store, a couple of restaurants, trails, and a sundry of other stuff.  

This one had been sitting for a while. We way under bid. They accepted- no argument at all. Once we got in, we understood why! There were things that an inspection report just was not going to catch. Talk about stressful. My home has always been a source of calm and rejuvenation, not the constant work we're making work now. Because it had been sitting, you can make an educated guess about the stuff that was broken, infested, cracked, moldy, and leaking...on top of the natural aging things! I will say, with each little bit we get done, the more and more I feel at home. And more excited about some of the fun changes. 

For now, Matt Smith, general contractor and #TeamSmith Director of Operations, has been putting in WORK to make sure we have a safe and homey place. We'll be ready for visitors and guests soon!

The girls have been excited to help! All that time watching HGTV last year inspired them to be really creative about their own rooms. 

The minor stuff would not seem so overwhelming, if things made sense. I laugh a lot at decisions made long ago on everything from the way some wires are ran and conduit to the outlets to the switches that turn on lights on opposite sides of the house and make no sense to decisions to cover up something versus replace and do it right. Thank goodness Matt inherited his dad's patience because sweet corn on the cob I can say with all of the conviction of a storm cloud in a sunny sky that I have been impatient and cranky and melancholy and angry and frustrated and sad and mournful and doubtful. Matt has been the one to pull me out of my funk and give me hope and celebrate the small wins and not sweat the rest. Of the many roles we have swapped since moving here, this one has been the most surprising! He jokes that without the stress of working, he has capacity to be optimistic for the both us. HA! Now that we have consistent, hot water, I am in a much better place :-) 

Yes, you heard me correctly. The oil system was old, had not been serviced in forever, was clogged and rotten in some places so while there was water (a definite blessing) it was not always hot (making for cold showers and lots of extra dish washing!). The gas conversion, and complete removal of alllll the clunky, heavy, smelly, space taking oil equipment, was like an early Christmas present!!!

We have made best friends at all the hardware and lumber stores in the area. My discount card at habitat for humanity is punched and full!

The next big thing is the kitchen. We have professional help for this project too. I painted the top cabinets, but the bottoms had to be replaced. Because the supply chain is all kinds of catywompus, we have most of the cabinets in, none of the finished pieces, a sink but no faucet or water, and the promise of a fully functional kitchen by December 02. And no more mice! Hallelujah!

The girls love the basement and one day that will be it's own project. For today, I am thankful it is DRY. A huge blessing! And as the changes happen, big and small, we settle in more each day. My own gloom has lifted and contentment and gratitude are wrapping their arms around me in a comforting hug. I don't want move anytime soon. The kids don't want to move anytime soon. I don't think it's a coincidence that I was told I could retire in 20 years the same day we confirmed our 20 yr mortgage...I'm just sayin, it is quite possible friends, that #TeamSmith has finally settled. (Like, for real. Cassidy would never speak to us again if we moved her out of her school lololololololol.)