So it turns out the dryer was fine, it was just that the circuit breaker needed to be flipped a few more times to get it fully into place. Weird. But it works now, so yay for doing laundry! Which I totally need to do. Blah.
I cleaned out the addition last night. All the trash is out in the garage, most of the tools are up in my office, waiting to be sorted out to their proper owners, and there's room now for Justin to finish sanding all the black glue off the walls. I'm hoping to seal the walls and get the rest of the taping/mudding/skimcoating done tonight. Then a weekend of priming and painting, probably finishing up on Monday, to account for curing times, and hopefully on Tuesday we can install the floor. I'm really looking forward to sorting through the boxes and starting to put things in order. I miss my couch.
I'm going back and forth on what the next project will be. I think first we need to finish the green paint, and then it's a matter if we move on to the upstairs rooms, or if I take the time to build the archway between the tv room and the dining room. I like the idea of getting the downstairs as finished as it's going to be until next spring when we redo the bathroom, but I'd also like to start setting up our offices and get even more of the crap from the downstairs in it's final place. I think I'll probably take a week or so to get the downstairs as fully done as possible. Build the arches, make sure all the moulding is up, hang all the blinds and catch as many of the details as possible, and then start in on the upstairs. Once we have the addition ready to move into, the house won't feel so cramped, even with all of Justin's bookcases coming in.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Little steps, mostly forward
The bulk of the kitchen floor is in. We have to get a vinyl tile cutter to finish the rest. We'll wreck our hands trying to cut the tile with a utility knife. Boo to that. Luckily I think I can rent one at the rental center on Cedar.
The new fridge is in and the old fridge is out. It's amazing how much more open it feels without that huge fridge in the middle of the room. Small problem: The new fridge fits into the place we have for it perfectly, except the dishwasher won't open unless the fridge door is open. It's ghetto, but I think it's going to have to be that way. *sigh* There are worse things, I suppose.
Panicked when the sink in the bathroom started acting funny, but it just needed the aerator cleaned out. Unfortunately the order of the parts got messed up and now we can't make it fit back in. *sigh* I'm working on figuring out, otherwise we'll buy a new one. Stupid little pieces.
The dryer needs to be fixed already. It turns on, but there's no heat and it doesn't run through cycle, it just stays in place. I have an appointment for Sears to come take a look tomorrow. They better not try to charge me, or there will be words. Strong words.
The shower works! I caulked that up but good, and no leaks from what I can see.
Started clearing out the addition. Justin and I will finish that tonight, so we can get at the walls to finish sanding them and then to start sealing/priming/painting. Very exciting. I would really like to get the house to stop feeling like a construction zone. I figure by the end of next weekend we should be in good shape.
Moulding is expensive, did you know? And the stuff they have at Home Depot is not impressive. I think I'm going to go to A&A Millwork and see what they can do for us. It'll be expensive, but maybe we could keep the original baseboard in the front part of the house and get stuff that matches in the back, which would be pretty awesome.
What else...more of the same, I guess. I'm really hoping we can make good progress this weekend toward getting the addition finished and start getting the house set-up. I'd like to be able to take a break and curl up on the couch and watch tv, or make a meal, or not step on little screws that seem to be everywhere. Soon. Progress is being made. We're on our way.
The new fridge is in and the old fridge is out. It's amazing how much more open it feels without that huge fridge in the middle of the room. Small problem: The new fridge fits into the place we have for it perfectly, except the dishwasher won't open unless the fridge door is open. It's ghetto, but I think it's going to have to be that way. *sigh* There are worse things, I suppose.
Panicked when the sink in the bathroom started acting funny, but it just needed the aerator cleaned out. Unfortunately the order of the parts got messed up and now we can't make it fit back in. *sigh* I'm working on figuring out, otherwise we'll buy a new one. Stupid little pieces.
The dryer needs to be fixed already. It turns on, but there's no heat and it doesn't run through cycle, it just stays in place. I have an appointment for Sears to come take a look tomorrow. They better not try to charge me, or there will be words. Strong words.
The shower works! I caulked that up but good, and no leaks from what I can see.
Started clearing out the addition. Justin and I will finish that tonight, so we can get at the walls to finish sanding them and then to start sealing/priming/painting. Very exciting. I would really like to get the house to stop feeling like a construction zone. I figure by the end of next weekend we should be in good shape.
Moulding is expensive, did you know? And the stuff they have at Home Depot is not impressive. I think I'm going to go to A&A Millwork and see what they can do for us. It'll be expensive, but maybe we could keep the original baseboard in the front part of the house and get stuff that matches in the back, which would be pretty awesome.
What else...more of the same, I guess. I'm really hoping we can make good progress this weekend toward getting the addition finished and start getting the house set-up. I'd like to be able to take a break and curl up on the couch and watch tv, or make a meal, or not step on little screws that seem to be everywhere. Soon. Progress is being made. We're on our way.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Moving Day...s...
Finally got all the moving done. Sunday was a bitch, and all my friends are awesome. But I was not awesome and still had a ton of crap back at the duplex that I had to deal with. I like to think that I really do try to have everything packed before people show up to help move, but I totally failed on that for this move. There was still the kitchen to deal with, and a ton of little stuff. So Monday we headed back to the house and started gathering it all together. Alisha came over and helped pack and provided her mini-minivan to help haul the last of the large pieces. We got most of the stuff that night, but there was still more to get, so last night we headed back over. It was the last day we had the duplex, so we had to get it done that night. Andrew came over and helped ferry another couple loads over and then we were done. We dropped off our keys and left. And it feels awesome to be done. I didn't clean much at all, and I feel a little bad about that, but I really have to save all my energy for my new house, so...meh. I'll get over it.
Spent the rest of last night putting my shower track/door system back together. I'm not very good at caulking, but I improved as I went. I think it looks okay, and as long as it doesn't leak then I did my job well. We also put down a couple test pieces of the stick-down tile in the kitchen to see if we needed to do more than sweep the floor really well. If they don't stay stuck, we'll have to prime the floor. Not a huge deal, but I'd rather not have to do it.
Having the official moving done helps my mood a whole lot. I like that now I can just head right home and get to work on stuff. This only really holds true for tonight, since I have performances this weekend, but the theory works.
Goals for tonight - get the kitchen floor done, all the shelves and drawers and doors back in place and be ready for a complete kitchen once our fridge is delivered tomorrow. I'm also going to try to get a few more things done in the bedroom, so I can have two rooms that are fairly livable. Whee!
Spent the rest of last night putting my shower track/door system back together. I'm not very good at caulking, but I improved as I went. I think it looks okay, and as long as it doesn't leak then I did my job well. We also put down a couple test pieces of the stick-down tile in the kitchen to see if we needed to do more than sweep the floor really well. If they don't stay stuck, we'll have to prime the floor. Not a huge deal, but I'd rather not have to do it.
Having the official moving done helps my mood a whole lot. I like that now I can just head right home and get to work on stuff. This only really holds true for tonight, since I have performances this weekend, but the theory works.
Goals for tonight - get the kitchen floor done, all the shelves and drawers and doors back in place and be ready for a complete kitchen once our fridge is delivered tomorrow. I'm also going to try to get a few more things done in the bedroom, so I can have two rooms that are fairly livable. Whee!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
When time has lost all meaning
I am exhausted. And so sick of my whining. I was really whiny last night as we were working on finishing up the duplex. There's still a little bit of stuff left, but it's all in the kitchen and dining room. The rest of it is out. Justin's working on getting loads during the day, and then we'll meet back at the duplex after work to get the rest of it and drop off the keys. I realized that while yes, I am tired and sore, it's not to the point where I can't keep lifting stuff. It's those *stairs* that are the problem. They suck! So glad I'm not living there anymore. Being done with it today will feel like a major accomplishment.
Another major accomplishment: I finished the subfloor! Okay, there are still places that need screws, but they're covered with stuff at the moment, so I'll have to get to them when I can. But all the pieces are cut and in place, and the majority of it has been screwed down. And it feels so sturdy and amazing. Between that and the drywall being up, I feel really great about our chances for getting the addition ready to hold stuff by the end of Saturday. The walls are still going to need a lot of work, but it's doable.
We're going to put the kitchen floor down tonight, and I'm going to try to get the doors and drawers back in place, too. Then we can move the plastic barrier from the kitchen doorways to the point between the kitchen and the addition. Having another room almost be complete will be great, and if we can get it fully done by Thursday, when the new fridge is delivered, it will be awesome. I am so sick of fast food and really want to be able to start cooking again.
There is also a weird thing where we won't have a fridge for two days, so I can't bring any of the stuff from the old house to the new house. I'm actually kind of excited about just going and buying new stuff - new ketchup, new jar of minced garlic, that sort of thing. I wish I had a way of keeping all the stuff in the freezer, but it seems crazy to try to move it to someone else's fridge and then to mine. If anyone wants free frozen pizzas, be at my old place at 5pm today. The ice cream is mine, though. If I can find where the spoons are at.
Another major accomplishment: I finished the subfloor! Okay, there are still places that need screws, but they're covered with stuff at the moment, so I'll have to get to them when I can. But all the pieces are cut and in place, and the majority of it has been screwed down. And it feels so sturdy and amazing. Between that and the drywall being up, I feel really great about our chances for getting the addition ready to hold stuff by the end of Saturday. The walls are still going to need a lot of work, but it's doable.
We're going to put the kitchen floor down tonight, and I'm going to try to get the doors and drawers back in place, too. Then we can move the plastic barrier from the kitchen doorways to the point between the kitchen and the addition. Having another room almost be complete will be great, and if we can get it fully done by Thursday, when the new fridge is delivered, it will be awesome. I am so sick of fast food and really want to be able to start cooking again.
There is also a weird thing where we won't have a fridge for two days, so I can't bring any of the stuff from the old house to the new house. I'm actually kind of excited about just going and buying new stuff - new ketchup, new jar of minced garlic, that sort of thing. I wish I had a way of keeping all the stuff in the freezer, but it seems crazy to try to move it to someone else's fridge and then to mine. If anyone wants free frozen pizzas, be at my old place at 5pm today. The ice cream is mine, though. If I can find where the spoons are at.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Still on my feet
Which is impressive, I think. Time is going bonkers for me lately, and I haven't been sleeping or eating much. On the plus side, I've lost 10 pounds. Homeownership - good for the figure.
Updates - Friday evening I came home after the show and went to wash my hands...only to discover the city had turned my water off! I. Was. Pissed. I managed to get a hold of the water department and they said that there was a work order to turn the water on for inspection on Friday. I said, no, that was on Tuesday, and also on Tuesday the billing office agreed to cancel the part of the work order that had them turn the water off, which seemed to happen, since the water stayed on through Friday. Of course the order doesn't pop back up until Friday, so I can't do anything about it until Monday. This was the closest I've come to breaking, I think. I mean, I've come really close a lot of times in the past 9 days, but this was bad. But we got through it and I decided to say 'screw the city, I'm getting it done'. And I did. I'm not going to post how, 'cause it's a gray area of legality, but by noon on Saturday the water was on. The city might be vexed come Friday when they finally can come out to turn the water on for real, but screw 'em.
The days are all starting to blur together, which is part of why I'm making such lengthy posts, so when I do finally get some sleep and manage to fully block this week out, there will be some record of it. Friday night Seth came over and primed the walls in the study (the original dining room of the house) and Justin sanded walls and I finished clearing the excess material out from around the repaired floor joists, put down a vapor barrier and put insulation in place. I got a layer of plywood down, too, but more on that later.
Saturday was a busy fucking day. I am overwhelmed by so much at the moment, but mainly by the showing of love and support and manual labor that my friends and family have given me and Justin. I can't express what it means to me, though hopefully the house will long serve as a reminder of that love as I am able to host everyone for girlie nights and home cooked meals and fun parties. I can't wait to start hosting events!
First things first - Saturday: Lots of painting. Xander's Mom came over and fixed our paint color, 'cause she's skilled like that. Her and Montana got rooms primed and painted, and my mom continued to coordinate and get things done. Drywall started to go up in the addition, we determined that the subfloor needed shims to make it even and sturdy. My stepdad Gene continues to prove himself to be a superhero and made steady progress of his projects - toilet is fixed, old appliances are out, garage door is on it's way to being fixed. Jody and her son Nick cleaned up the yard, and got the closet painted out. Justin got more stuff packed back at the duplex and I...shit, what did I do? I swear to god, I feel like I haven't been doing anything. I hate that feeling, especially when everyone around me is working so hard. I had to run over to the theater to run the show, which has been going very well. Oh yeah, come see Amazons and Their Men! It's fantastic. My dad also came over and started working on the electrical problems.
I headed back to the house after the show and finished putting the second coat of paint in the bedroom and finished cutting in with the green in the study and most of the living room. I tried to clean out as much of the crap in those rooms as possible and then headed home for a nap. I got up on Sunday to go and get the truck, and then started to pack up the rest of my stuff. We had made good progress on packing up until 9 days ago, when the house took over, so we fell behind on being ready for Sunday. People showed up, things were moved, it started to snow. That was frustrating, but people handled it fairly well. Moving things onto the truck seemed slow going, but Montana and Sarah were great at helping to push me to get more and more stuff onto the truck, which will make tonight when I finish packing up the small stuff (mostly the kitchen) a lot easier. I then had to run to the theater again (one more weekend of Amazons; come see it!) and only briefly saw the house, but it was looking fantastic. My dad and stepmom were working away on the bathroom, my mom...oh guys, my mom is amazing. She cleaned the floors in the bedroom and study and living room and they look fantastic! She also hung plastic in the doorway between the study and the kitchen, to keep the dust and crap out, and had a wonderfully empty and clean place for all our stuff to go. Justin's dad continued working on the drywall, and Gene kept being fantastic and got the opening for our fridge to go into all ready (it required some precision cutting of cupboards, and it looks fantastic. Our kitchen is going to be awesome).
Apparently the unloading of the truck went really well. 40 minutes and the work was done. Our living room and study are full of crap, but it's not as unmanageable as it could be. Having that many people there was wonderful (thank you all!).
Justin came and picked me up from the theater and we headed home. Only his dad was left, and he showed us the progress on the drywall. He finished cutting the pieces and we put a few screws in place to hold them, and then sent him home, since it's a long trek up from Rochester. I set up the bed so we'd be ready to crash, and about that time David Pisa stopped by to see what he could do to help. And I was able to have a couple hours working where I remembered that now that we're over the hump of it...it's supposed to be fun. I like doing projects like this, it's just awful when there's so many of them that need to get done. That's the stress of it, and the moving and all. But once we finish up with the duplex tonight and the moving is done, I can just focus on the fun stuff. The building up of the house, the making it pretty and functional.
David cut pieces of plywood for the subfloor and got them in place. I was able to finish putting the drywall up and even got it fully taped and mudded. It looks great! And there's just a small piece of subfloor to finish (our batteries died, d'oh!). David took off, and Justin and I returned the truck, stopped at the duplex so I could shower and get a load of my clothes, and then went to Perkins. A hot meal that wasn't fast food was just what I needed, and then we headed home, with a quick stop back at the duplex to switch laundry loads (our washer and dryer get delivered on Tuesday!). Back at home we taped some fabric over the windows and crawled into bed. First night and our new home and while it's crazy and messy and crowded and overwhelming, it's also fantastic.
The only thing missing is Kira. She's living at her uncle Andrew's for the week. Once we can get the first floor to not be a construction zone we'll bring her over, but until then she's safer at Andrew's. It's good motivation to finish the addition by Saturday, so I can have my kitty again. I missed having her sleep on my legs last night.
Updates - Friday evening I came home after the show and went to wash my hands...only to discover the city had turned my water off! I. Was. Pissed. I managed to get a hold of the water department and they said that there was a work order to turn the water on for inspection on Friday. I said, no, that was on Tuesday, and also on Tuesday the billing office agreed to cancel the part of the work order that had them turn the water off, which seemed to happen, since the water stayed on through Friday. Of course the order doesn't pop back up until Friday, so I can't do anything about it until Monday. This was the closest I've come to breaking, I think. I mean, I've come really close a lot of times in the past 9 days, but this was bad. But we got through it and I decided to say 'screw the city, I'm getting it done'. And I did. I'm not going to post how, 'cause it's a gray area of legality, but by noon on Saturday the water was on. The city might be vexed come Friday when they finally can come out to turn the water on for real, but screw 'em.
The days are all starting to blur together, which is part of why I'm making such lengthy posts, so when I do finally get some sleep and manage to fully block this week out, there will be some record of it. Friday night Seth came over and primed the walls in the study (the original dining room of the house) and Justin sanded walls and I finished clearing the excess material out from around the repaired floor joists, put down a vapor barrier and put insulation in place. I got a layer of plywood down, too, but more on that later.
Saturday was a busy fucking day. I am overwhelmed by so much at the moment, but mainly by the showing of love and support and manual labor that my friends and family have given me and Justin. I can't express what it means to me, though hopefully the house will long serve as a reminder of that love as I am able to host everyone for girlie nights and home cooked meals and fun parties. I can't wait to start hosting events!
First things first - Saturday: Lots of painting. Xander's Mom came over and fixed our paint color, 'cause she's skilled like that. Her and Montana got rooms primed and painted, and my mom continued to coordinate and get things done. Drywall started to go up in the addition, we determined that the subfloor needed shims to make it even and sturdy. My stepdad Gene continues to prove himself to be a superhero and made steady progress of his projects - toilet is fixed, old appliances are out, garage door is on it's way to being fixed. Jody and her son Nick cleaned up the yard, and got the closet painted out. Justin got more stuff packed back at the duplex and I...shit, what did I do? I swear to god, I feel like I haven't been doing anything. I hate that feeling, especially when everyone around me is working so hard. I had to run over to the theater to run the show, which has been going very well. Oh yeah, come see Amazons and Their Men! It's fantastic. My dad also came over and started working on the electrical problems.
I headed back to the house after the show and finished putting the second coat of paint in the bedroom and finished cutting in with the green in the study and most of the living room. I tried to clean out as much of the crap in those rooms as possible and then headed home for a nap. I got up on Sunday to go and get the truck, and then started to pack up the rest of my stuff. We had made good progress on packing up until 9 days ago, when the house took over, so we fell behind on being ready for Sunday. People showed up, things were moved, it started to snow. That was frustrating, but people handled it fairly well. Moving things onto the truck seemed slow going, but Montana and Sarah were great at helping to push me to get more and more stuff onto the truck, which will make tonight when I finish packing up the small stuff (mostly the kitchen) a lot easier. I then had to run to the theater again (one more weekend of Amazons; come see it!) and only briefly saw the house, but it was looking fantastic. My dad and stepmom were working away on the bathroom, my mom...oh guys, my mom is amazing. She cleaned the floors in the bedroom and study and living room and they look fantastic! She also hung plastic in the doorway between the study and the kitchen, to keep the dust and crap out, and had a wonderfully empty and clean place for all our stuff to go. Justin's dad continued working on the drywall, and Gene kept being fantastic and got the opening for our fridge to go into all ready (it required some precision cutting of cupboards, and it looks fantastic. Our kitchen is going to be awesome).
Apparently the unloading of the truck went really well. 40 minutes and the work was done. Our living room and study are full of crap, but it's not as unmanageable as it could be. Having that many people there was wonderful (thank you all!).
Justin came and picked me up from the theater and we headed home. Only his dad was left, and he showed us the progress on the drywall. He finished cutting the pieces and we put a few screws in place to hold them, and then sent him home, since it's a long trek up from Rochester. I set up the bed so we'd be ready to crash, and about that time David Pisa stopped by to see what he could do to help. And I was able to have a couple hours working where I remembered that now that we're over the hump of it...it's supposed to be fun. I like doing projects like this, it's just awful when there's so many of them that need to get done. That's the stress of it, and the moving and all. But once we finish up with the duplex tonight and the moving is done, I can just focus on the fun stuff. The building up of the house, the making it pretty and functional.
David cut pieces of plywood for the subfloor and got them in place. I was able to finish putting the drywall up and even got it fully taped and mudded. It looks great! And there's just a small piece of subfloor to finish (our batteries died, d'oh!). David took off, and Justin and I returned the truck, stopped at the duplex so I could shower and get a load of my clothes, and then went to Perkins. A hot meal that wasn't fast food was just what I needed, and then we headed home, with a quick stop back at the duplex to switch laundry loads (our washer and dryer get delivered on Tuesday!). Back at home we taped some fabric over the windows and crawled into bed. First night and our new home and while it's crazy and messy and crowded and overwhelming, it's also fantastic.
The only thing missing is Kira. She's living at her uncle Andrew's for the week. Once we can get the first floor to not be a construction zone we'll bring her over, but until then she's safer at Andrew's. It's good motivation to finish the addition by Saturday, so I can have my kitty again. I missed having her sleep on my legs last night.
Friday, October 24, 2008
100%
Okay, so it's been a rough few days. Let's review.
Tuesday morning we received confirmation that the papers had been signed and the funding came through. We know own the house. Yay us! It's been such a long road just to get to this point, and now that we're here...well, it's a little underwhelming, frankly. I think the problem is that there was no real clear moment of "now the house is yours". Typically at closing all the paperwork is signed, the funding and stuff happens and the keys are handed over. That's it, you own the house! But here, with the dry closing and then a weekend of being in limbo, and then a day of getting the papers signed, and the "maybe the papers are signed, I think they are, if they are we'll release the funds"...it's still only now sinking in that I do in fact own the house. Maybe I'll have that moment when the completed paperwork is delivered. We'll see.
On the more physical realm of homeownership, we've been working our asses off (I mean that literally, I've lost 10 pounds). Lots of setbacks, finally some progress. We discovered that two floor joists in the space between the original house and the addition were badly damaged, which was very unpleasant. It was especially frustrating seeing some half-assed attempts at repairing the damage by the last person who discovered the problem. Had they just repaired it correctly the first time, but no. So now we first have to take out their attempts and then repair the damage. Which we have done. Yay us. We still have to finish putting the vapor barrier and insulation in, and then put down the subfloor, but we're much much closer to having a livable space now, and having a solid floor will be great.
Okay, let's go with list form:
- Kitchen floor is full removed. We need to sand it before we can put the vinyl tile down, but the worst of it is over. A tip for homeowners - 1/4" plywood doesn't need 25 staples per square foot to be secure. Seriously. Pneumatic staplers are a privilege, not a right.
- All the particle board in the addition has been removed. The plywood underneath is in okay condition, but being only a half inch thick was not going to be enough to put any new flooring in. We had Empire Today out to give an estimate on putting a new floor in, but man was that going to be expensive. $1,600 just to put the second layer of subfloor down. Seriously? $1,600?? I bought the materials for under $300, and the installation will have taken up about 15-20 man hours total, and that's us working rather slow as we're all wearing out physically. So not a $1,600 project. The flooring material, too, was crazy expensive, so we decided to go with a self-install floor. It's engineered flooring, which is nifty, and uses a click-lock system. Anyone interested in helping and/or learning how to install such a floor is welcome to join me when I put it in. It's gonna be purty. And cost about $6,700 less than what Empire Today was going to do for us. Sure, the type of material is different, and it'll take a few more days to get done, but that's still a huge price difference.
- The drywall in the living room and bedroom has gone up. Still waiting to do the parts in the addition. We wanted to get the subfloor in first, but we should be able to put it up tonight. Only four sheets to put into place, with minimal cutting. Very exciting. The wall in the living room is looking pretty nifty, and the rest of the walls have had all the nail holes patched. Getting the glue off the dining room walls took a lot more effort than anticipated, but they're looking great now.
- The ceilings in the bedroom and original dining room have been painted. The bedroom has been primed, although there's a section that needs to be fixed, still. The glue they used to put the drywall up was black and gross, and bleeds through every primer and sealant we've tried so far. Mom is going to try to figure out what to use on it today. Which is good, 'cause there's a ton of that crap on the walls in the addition.
- Gene has installed a new toilet in the downstairs bathroom, and taken out the faulty garbage disposal in the kitchen. We determined that the oven and dishwasher do not work, and the fridge is a beast, so mom is loaning us her credit to get new appliances (yay for 6 months no interest/no payments). Those will be delivered on Tuesday. Very exciting. Mom is going to be cleaning the kitchen cabinets today, so once the new appliances are in and the floor is down, the kitchen should be in good shape.
- Mom is working at the house today with Jody, who works at Gene's sign shop. Apparently there's no work to do at the shop today, so Gene asked if she'd be willing to come help my mom, and she is. They're going to paint the bedroom and living room/sunroom/entryway, and clean the kitchen. Should be huge improvements when I go over after work.
I'm hoping that we'll be able to finish the subfloor situation tonight when Justin and I are both done with our performances. The hardest part will be clearing out the excess wood to make way for the new plywood, but I think we're in the home stretch with that. Seth and Pree might be coming over, too, so we can work on hanging the drywall and sanding the glue off the old walls. We'll also ideally be able to seal the old drywall (necessary since a lot of the paper has ripped from the glue) before we leave tonight, so that tomorrow we can prime and hopefully paint in the addition, and be in a good place for moving in on Sunday. Saturday will also see Gene in, finishing the toilet, working on the garage door, and the rest of us working on cleaning and other stuff to get the downstairs in good shape.
It's good to feel like progress is finally being made. We had a couple days where it didn't feel like things were happening, but getting the new plywood down feels great, and seeing paint start to go up on the walls is great. Tearing it all down was really hard, but seeing it go back up, better than before, is really gratifying.
One last thing - I want to send out my sincerest thanks to everyone who has helped us with the house. I know that most people who have don't read this blog, and I will make sure that they know how grateful I am on an individual level, but I need to say it here, too. I am so blessed to have so many people in my life who love me and are willing to do whatever they can when they see that I am in need. I have always tried hard, and will try even harder now, to support my loved ones as much as I can, and it's wonderful to know that when I need the support, they are there. Thank you to everyone who has helped, even if it was just a kind word when needed.
Tuesday morning we received confirmation that the papers had been signed and the funding came through. We know own the house. Yay us! It's been such a long road just to get to this point, and now that we're here...well, it's a little underwhelming, frankly. I think the problem is that there was no real clear moment of "now the house is yours". Typically at closing all the paperwork is signed, the funding and stuff happens and the keys are handed over. That's it, you own the house! But here, with the dry closing and then a weekend of being in limbo, and then a day of getting the papers signed, and the "maybe the papers are signed, I think they are, if they are we'll release the funds"...it's still only now sinking in that I do in fact own the house. Maybe I'll have that moment when the completed paperwork is delivered. We'll see.
On the more physical realm of homeownership, we've been working our asses off (I mean that literally, I've lost 10 pounds). Lots of setbacks, finally some progress. We discovered that two floor joists in the space between the original house and the addition were badly damaged, which was very unpleasant. It was especially frustrating seeing some half-assed attempts at repairing the damage by the last person who discovered the problem. Had they just repaired it correctly the first time, but no. So now we first have to take out their attempts and then repair the damage. Which we have done. Yay us. We still have to finish putting the vapor barrier and insulation in, and then put down the subfloor, but we're much much closer to having a livable space now, and having a solid floor will be great.
Okay, let's go with list form:
- Kitchen floor is full removed. We need to sand it before we can put the vinyl tile down, but the worst of it is over. A tip for homeowners - 1/4" plywood doesn't need 25 staples per square foot to be secure. Seriously. Pneumatic staplers are a privilege, not a right.
- All the particle board in the addition has been removed. The plywood underneath is in okay condition, but being only a half inch thick was not going to be enough to put any new flooring in. We had Empire Today out to give an estimate on putting a new floor in, but man was that going to be expensive. $1,600 just to put the second layer of subfloor down. Seriously? $1,600?? I bought the materials for under $300, and the installation will have taken up about 15-20 man hours total, and that's us working rather slow as we're all wearing out physically. So not a $1,600 project. The flooring material, too, was crazy expensive, so we decided to go with a self-install floor. It's engineered flooring, which is nifty, and uses a click-lock system. Anyone interested in helping and/or learning how to install such a floor is welcome to join me when I put it in. It's gonna be purty. And cost about $6,700 less than what Empire Today was going to do for us. Sure, the type of material is different, and it'll take a few more days to get done, but that's still a huge price difference.
- The drywall in the living room and bedroom has gone up. Still waiting to do the parts in the addition. We wanted to get the subfloor in first, but we should be able to put it up tonight. Only four sheets to put into place, with minimal cutting. Very exciting. The wall in the living room is looking pretty nifty, and the rest of the walls have had all the nail holes patched. Getting the glue off the dining room walls took a lot more effort than anticipated, but they're looking great now.
- The ceilings in the bedroom and original dining room have been painted. The bedroom has been primed, although there's a section that needs to be fixed, still. The glue they used to put the drywall up was black and gross, and bleeds through every primer and sealant we've tried so far. Mom is going to try to figure out what to use on it today. Which is good, 'cause there's a ton of that crap on the walls in the addition.
- Gene has installed a new toilet in the downstairs bathroom, and taken out the faulty garbage disposal in the kitchen. We determined that the oven and dishwasher do not work, and the fridge is a beast, so mom is loaning us her credit to get new appliances (yay for 6 months no interest/no payments). Those will be delivered on Tuesday. Very exciting. Mom is going to be cleaning the kitchen cabinets today, so once the new appliances are in and the floor is down, the kitchen should be in good shape.
- Mom is working at the house today with Jody, who works at Gene's sign shop. Apparently there's no work to do at the shop today, so Gene asked if she'd be willing to come help my mom, and she is. They're going to paint the bedroom and living room/sunroom/entryway, and clean the kitchen. Should be huge improvements when I go over after work.
I'm hoping that we'll be able to finish the subfloor situation tonight when Justin and I are both done with our performances. The hardest part will be clearing out the excess wood to make way for the new plywood, but I think we're in the home stretch with that. Seth and Pree might be coming over, too, so we can work on hanging the drywall and sanding the glue off the old walls. We'll also ideally be able to seal the old drywall (necessary since a lot of the paper has ripped from the glue) before we leave tonight, so that tomorrow we can prime and hopefully paint in the addition, and be in a good place for moving in on Sunday. Saturday will also see Gene in, finishing the toilet, working on the garage door, and the rest of us working on cleaning and other stuff to get the downstairs in good shape.
It's good to feel like progress is finally being made. We had a couple days where it didn't feel like things were happening, but getting the new plywood down feels great, and seeing paint start to go up on the walls is great. Tearing it all down was really hard, but seeing it go back up, better than before, is really gratifying.
One last thing - I want to send out my sincerest thanks to everyone who has helped us with the house. I know that most people who have don't read this blog, and I will make sure that they know how grateful I am on an individual level, but I need to say it here, too. I am so blessed to have so many people in my life who love me and are willing to do whatever they can when they see that I am in need. I have always tried hard, and will try even harder now, to support my loved ones as much as I can, and it's wonderful to know that when I need the support, they are there. Thank you to everyone who has helped, even if it was just a kind word when needed.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
99.9%
So Monday shows up, and we have until 1pm to get the signed documents to the closing manager at the lender. Jim, the bestest loan officer in the world, is doing everything he can to control the situation, but it's just ridiculous. I'm included in all the emails, so I see that the person in charge of it isn't responding, and the next person thought everything was settled already, so hadn't been working on it. Then we find out that the bank that owns the property is using a referral company to deal with everything, just another layer of bullshit to get through. Oh, and the woman who's the contact at the referral company? Out sick.
Finally the title company seems to figure out that if this doesn't get done today, we have to do a new closing, which...I don't think I can express the amount of stress this would cause me. I was nauseated and hyperventilating most of the afternoon, and it would have only gotten worse, I'm sure. Jim is working with his boss to get an extension on getting the paperwork in, so that we don't have to resign everything, and we have until the end of the day. Finally at 4pm, we hear from the title company that the person at the bank who needs to sign off on everything has all the documents that she needs to review and will get it to us asap. Though, who knows what asap means for her, right? The minutes tick by and I get a call from Jim. He has to leave the office (it's about4:30) so we'll just have to see what happens in the morning.
I head out, too, and head over to Maxwell's to meet Justin for dinner. I hear my phone ring on the way over, but of course on a moped it's impossible to answer. I get there and listen to my voicemail and it's the best news ever. Jim hasn't seen it himself, but the closing manager at his office has called him to say that she has received the signed documents, which means funding will be released in the morning. I don't have to resign everything, and I can continue my work on the house.
I'm heading over to the house early today to meet the city to have the water turned on (temporarily, sadly, but now I'll be able to have it turned on for real) and hopefully by then I'll have heard from Jim that everything is 100% confirmed and be free to move forward.
Finally the title company seems to figure out that if this doesn't get done today, we have to do a new closing, which...I don't think I can express the amount of stress this would cause me. I was nauseated and hyperventilating most of the afternoon, and it would have only gotten worse, I'm sure. Jim is working with his boss to get an extension on getting the paperwork in, so that we don't have to resign everything, and we have until the end of the day. Finally at 4pm, we hear from the title company that the person at the bank who needs to sign off on everything has all the documents that she needs to review and will get it to us asap. Though, who knows what asap means for her, right? The minutes tick by and I get a call from Jim. He has to leave the office (it's about4:30) so we'll just have to see what happens in the morning.
I head out, too, and head over to Maxwell's to meet Justin for dinner. I hear my phone ring on the way over, but of course on a moped it's impossible to answer. I get there and listen to my voicemail and it's the best news ever. Jim hasn't seen it himself, but the closing manager at his office has called him to say that she has received the signed documents, which means funding will be released in the morning. I don't have to resign everything, and I can continue my work on the house.
I'm heading over to the house early today to meet the city to have the water turned on (temporarily, sadly, but now I'll be able to have it turned on for real) and hopefully by then I'll have heard from Jim that everything is 100% confirmed and be free to move forward.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Gray Area
So this weekend we were kind of in a limbo of owning the house and not owning the house. But given the amount of work needed to be done to the place, we decided to go ahead and act like we fully owned it and start doing the work that needed to be done. Which is, frankly, a considerable amount.
After the dry close on Friday, Justin and I headed over to the house and started taking a peak behind all the paneling and start coming up with a plan of action. I couldn't stay, I had to run to the theater and help get ready for opening night, but Justin stayed and started pulling paneling down in the bedrooms. He discovered a section in the master bedroom that needed a panel of drywall, but the rest of it was in pretty good condition. The upstairs bedrooms were another story, sadly. The plaster underneath the paneling was in rough condition, and Justin held off on pulling the rest down until we could both be there to make some decisions. He did manage to get all the carpet up in the addition, though. A good start to the demo work.
Saturday we showed up at the house and started taking down the partition wall in the living room. Luckily the builders of this wall were not very good at what they were doing, and the whole thing came down quickly and cleanly. 20 minutes tops and the living room felt completely different. Lots more natural light from the front of the house, and I can better visualize how the room will work.
My mom and stepdad were showing up just as we were finishing the wall, and we did a walkthrough to start making lists - things to buy, things to do, things to take down, things to build up. My brother showed up and we started digging in. Justin's dad even made the trip up from Rochester to help! Sunday was more of the same - lots of work being done on the house. I'm going to list it all out, feel free to skip. I just want to make sure I have a record of it all.
- Pictures! We took pictures of the whole house before we did anything to it. We need to take more of the progress we're making, but ultimately we just want to have before and after pictures. They'll be online sometime in the future, I'm sure.
- Garage opened, discovered the problem with the garage door. We can get in there, at least, and have been piling up the trash in it, which is handy.
- All the doors rekeyed, and new deadbolts, even on the garage door. Now we have access through every door on one key. Awesome.
- All the paneling down and piled in the garage. This was a huge task, and I have to make special thanks to my brother for doing so much of the hauling. It was so helpful and we are so grateful.
- Took down the fake brick wall in the living room - I really need the picture to do it justice, but there was a 4' wide wall in the living room with this awful brick on it. I ended up pulling all the plaster/cement behind it down as well, so it's clear down to the original lathe. New drywall will go up in it's place.
- Took down the partition wall, like I said. Major improvement with minimal work.
- Determined that we would get all the paneling down in the upstairs rooms and then leave them alone for now. With so much work to do in such a short time we're focusing on getting the whole downstairs completed and then after we move in we'll tackle the upstairs.
- Discovered that there was two layers of subfloor in the addition - plywood and then particle board over that. Particle board? WTF? It was in awful condition, so we pulled it all up. The plywood is in pretty good condition, though, so I think we'll be able to leave it in place, which is great, since it means we don't have to worry about the vapor barrier and insulation, which is directly under the plywood. Once we get it cleaned up it should be ready for the new floor we're going to have installed.
- Pulled up a small section of the plywood and I got the fun task of going down into the crawlspace. That's right, when the built the addition they didn't leave anyway to access it. And of course, two of the three heating vents in the addition had fallen down into crawlspace, and I really didn't want to be heating that. So down I go, and it was...not as bad as it could have been. I retrieved Justin's new crowbar, which made him super happy, and we got the ductwork back in place. I was also able to take a look at the beams and they look to be in good condition. The ductwork is all insulated, as well, so at least they did a few things right. I crawled back out, we were able to use the same plastic to put the moister barrier back up, put the insulation right back in and cover it up. We'll get a new piece of plywood to put back over it, but that's a minor fix. We also discovered that we can use the closet in our bedroom to access it in the future should we ever need to, which means I don't have to be concerned about putting a nice new floor down in the addition. There is a concern where the original house meets the extension, but I think it will be okay until spring and then I'll have my uncle out to look at it.
- Most of the wallpaper in the living room is down. We still need to clean all the glue off the walls, but it's only a couple walls.
- Bedroom is prepped for drywall and patching. We'll need new molding around the doorframes and baseboards, but it's in pretty good shape overall.
- We determined what needs to be done in the bathroom to make it livable until the spring when we are going to have it remodeled. Should be minimal, except for the cleaning. The cleaning will be maximum.
- Discovered original hardwood floors in the kitchen. There's still a layer of laminated vinyl, plywood, pressboard tile and another mystery layer of stuff between us and the hardwood, but it's down there. I think we'll end up taking up the floor down to that point and then put a vinyl tile floor down until we can have the hardwood resurfaced. Still, very exciting to have that there.
- Carpet up in the addition, the closet and the front porch. Moved to garage. The house smells better already. Discovered original hardwood floor under the outdoor carpet in the front porch. There's a layer of black crud (the back of the carpet, all disintegrated) but with a lot of sweeping we should get it down to the hardwood, and the parts that are completely clean at the moment look really really good.
It's going very well so far. I'm still waiting to hear on the HUD being signed, but Jim is on top of it, I think. It's the stupid title company, they're making me crazy. As soon as we get that signed I can call the city and make an appointment for the water to be turned on, and start doing all the other calling I need to do. I kind of just want to make sure that gets done before moving on to the next stuff. Wish me luck!
Special thanks to Sarah and Gabe for bringing bottled water over. It was very nice of you, and has been really helpful to have.
After the dry close on Friday, Justin and I headed over to the house and started taking a peak behind all the paneling and start coming up with a plan of action. I couldn't stay, I had to run to the theater and help get ready for opening night, but Justin stayed and started pulling paneling down in the bedrooms. He discovered a section in the master bedroom that needed a panel of drywall, but the rest of it was in pretty good condition. The upstairs bedrooms were another story, sadly. The plaster underneath the paneling was in rough condition, and Justin held off on pulling the rest down until we could both be there to make some decisions. He did manage to get all the carpet up in the addition, though. A good start to the demo work.
Saturday we showed up at the house and started taking down the partition wall in the living room. Luckily the builders of this wall were not very good at what they were doing, and the whole thing came down quickly and cleanly. 20 minutes tops and the living room felt completely different. Lots more natural light from the front of the house, and I can better visualize how the room will work.
My mom and stepdad were showing up just as we were finishing the wall, and we did a walkthrough to start making lists - things to buy, things to do, things to take down, things to build up. My brother showed up and we started digging in. Justin's dad even made the trip up from Rochester to help! Sunday was more of the same - lots of work being done on the house. I'm going to list it all out, feel free to skip. I just want to make sure I have a record of it all.
- Pictures! We took pictures of the whole house before we did anything to it. We need to take more of the progress we're making, but ultimately we just want to have before and after pictures. They'll be online sometime in the future, I'm sure.
- Garage opened, discovered the problem with the garage door. We can get in there, at least, and have been piling up the trash in it, which is handy.
- All the doors rekeyed, and new deadbolts, even on the garage door. Now we have access through every door on one key. Awesome.
- All the paneling down and piled in the garage. This was a huge task, and I have to make special thanks to my brother for doing so much of the hauling. It was so helpful and we are so grateful.
- Took down the fake brick wall in the living room - I really need the picture to do it justice, but there was a 4' wide wall in the living room with this awful brick on it. I ended up pulling all the plaster/cement behind it down as well, so it's clear down to the original lathe. New drywall will go up in it's place.
- Took down the partition wall, like I said. Major improvement with minimal work.
- Determined that we would get all the paneling down in the upstairs rooms and then leave them alone for now. With so much work to do in such a short time we're focusing on getting the whole downstairs completed and then after we move in we'll tackle the upstairs.
- Discovered that there was two layers of subfloor in the addition - plywood and then particle board over that. Particle board? WTF? It was in awful condition, so we pulled it all up. The plywood is in pretty good condition, though, so I think we'll be able to leave it in place, which is great, since it means we don't have to worry about the vapor barrier and insulation, which is directly under the plywood. Once we get it cleaned up it should be ready for the new floor we're going to have installed.
- Pulled up a small section of the plywood and I got the fun task of going down into the crawlspace. That's right, when the built the addition they didn't leave anyway to access it. And of course, two of the three heating vents in the addition had fallen down into crawlspace, and I really didn't want to be heating that. So down I go, and it was...not as bad as it could have been. I retrieved Justin's new crowbar, which made him super happy, and we got the ductwork back in place. I was also able to take a look at the beams and they look to be in good condition. The ductwork is all insulated, as well, so at least they did a few things right. I crawled back out, we were able to use the same plastic to put the moister barrier back up, put the insulation right back in and cover it up. We'll get a new piece of plywood to put back over it, but that's a minor fix. We also discovered that we can use the closet in our bedroom to access it in the future should we ever need to, which means I don't have to be concerned about putting a nice new floor down in the addition. There is a concern where the original house meets the extension, but I think it will be okay until spring and then I'll have my uncle out to look at it.
- Most of the wallpaper in the living room is down. We still need to clean all the glue off the walls, but it's only a couple walls.
- Bedroom is prepped for drywall and patching. We'll need new molding around the doorframes and baseboards, but it's in pretty good shape overall.
- We determined what needs to be done in the bathroom to make it livable until the spring when we are going to have it remodeled. Should be minimal, except for the cleaning. The cleaning will be maximum.
- Discovered original hardwood floors in the kitchen. There's still a layer of laminated vinyl, plywood, pressboard tile and another mystery layer of stuff between us and the hardwood, but it's down there. I think we'll end up taking up the floor down to that point and then put a vinyl tile floor down until we can have the hardwood resurfaced. Still, very exciting to have that there.
- Carpet up in the addition, the closet and the front porch. Moved to garage. The house smells better already. Discovered original hardwood floor under the outdoor carpet in the front porch. There's a layer of black crud (the back of the carpet, all disintegrated) but with a lot of sweeping we should get it down to the hardwood, and the parts that are completely clean at the moment look really really good.
It's going very well so far. I'm still waiting to hear on the HUD being signed, but Jim is on top of it, I think. It's the stupid title company, they're making me crazy. As soon as we get that signed I can call the city and make an appointment for the water to be turned on, and start doing all the other calling I need to do. I kind of just want to make sure that gets done before moving on to the next stuff. Wish me luck!
Special thanks to Sarah and Gabe for bringing bottled water over. It was very nice of you, and has been really helpful to have.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Dry Close
So I'm pretty well versed in real estate verbiage and the like, and yet I had never heard of a dry close before Friday. But it's what we did.
Basically the title company is not that great - both my real estate agent and my loan officer agreed on this, but still thought we should use them since in the purchase agreement it said if we used them they would pay for the home owners policy. Of course then the fees come back from the title company and the home owners policy is listed as one of my fees. Boo to them. Luckily my loan officer is on top of stuff and had them change it and a few other fees - if we hadn't noticed or called them on it, it would have cost me an extra $700.
So the title company sucks, and hasn't gotten a HUD put together, which is the main thing that both the seller and the buyer sign, showing that a sale is being completed. They finally get it put together and have everything listed correctly on Friday, but of course now the seller needs to sign it before the lender will wire over the funds. Makes sense to me. But the seller didn't get it signed before my closing on Friday...so no funds.
But we can still do a dry closing - basically I go to the title company and sign all the paperwork that needs to be signed, but everything isn't official until the seller signs the HUD, the lender receives that paperwork and the funds are released. This should happen on Monday. If it doesn't I freak out, though really I think it just means I have to go and resign everything, which would suck, but still ultimately be okay. I think. So let's just hope that the seller signs the one freaking thing they have to sign on Monday and we can just be done with it. Especially since I already started work on the house.
That's right, I decided that I couldn't risk losing the weekend to do the work that needs to be done before we move into the house next weekend. So with my loan officer and realtor both saying that I should do it, we have been in the house all weekend, ripping down the paneling, discovering what's underneath (all sorts of surprises) and getting the lay of the land.
Today we're going to hang drywall where it needs to be hung, and prep the walls for painting (patchwork and taking down wallpaper). We also need to figure out the subfloor situation in the extension of the house. Oh, and change the locks. I figure if everything falls apart, I'll squat on the property. *grin*
Basically the title company is not that great - both my real estate agent and my loan officer agreed on this, but still thought we should use them since in the purchase agreement it said if we used them they would pay for the home owners policy. Of course then the fees come back from the title company and the home owners policy is listed as one of my fees. Boo to them. Luckily my loan officer is on top of stuff and had them change it and a few other fees - if we hadn't noticed or called them on it, it would have cost me an extra $700.
So the title company sucks, and hasn't gotten a HUD put together, which is the main thing that both the seller and the buyer sign, showing that a sale is being completed. They finally get it put together and have everything listed correctly on Friday, but of course now the seller needs to sign it before the lender will wire over the funds. Makes sense to me. But the seller didn't get it signed before my closing on Friday...so no funds.
But we can still do a dry closing - basically I go to the title company and sign all the paperwork that needs to be signed, but everything isn't official until the seller signs the HUD, the lender receives that paperwork and the funds are released. This should happen on Monday. If it doesn't I freak out, though really I think it just means I have to go and resign everything, which would suck, but still ultimately be okay. I think. So let's just hope that the seller signs the one freaking thing they have to sign on Monday and we can just be done with it. Especially since I already started work on the house.
That's right, I decided that I couldn't risk losing the weekend to do the work that needs to be done before we move into the house next weekend. So with my loan officer and realtor both saying that I should do it, we have been in the house all weekend, ripping down the paneling, discovering what's underneath (all sorts of surprises) and getting the lay of the land.
Today we're going to hang drywall where it needs to be hung, and prep the walls for painting (patchwork and taking down wallpaper). We also need to figure out the subfloor situation in the extension of the house. Oh, and change the locks. I figure if everything falls apart, I'll squat on the property. *grin*
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A little bit closer...
The appraisal is underwritten and everything is good. Now it comes down to paperwork. We're trying to get a preliminary HUD to make sure everything is on there correctly, but if we don't get the prelim, we just have to argue at closing if anything is wrong. It could turn closing into a longer affair than I'd like it to be, but I should have enough time to get to the opening of my play...*crosses fingers*
Now I get the fun of figuring out how to handle my mom. She's recently retired and looking for things to keep her busy. Which is great, she has a lot of experience working on houses, but we are going to butt heads a lot. We both want to be project manager, and while we've already discussed that while I appreciate her contribution and am so grateful that she wants to help me as much as she does, it's still my house and she doesn't get to take over on the decision making. I'm buying a house so I can be the one to make the decisions, darn it.
We're at 23 hours and counting until closing. I'm still trying to remain calm, which is helped by the sheer exhaustion I'm suffering from. I was at the theater until after midnight last night. More things outside my control, but I need to do what I can to help things along. The parts that are under my control seem to be going well, though I say so myself. If I can survive the dress rehearsal tonight, I think it will be okay.
Now I get the fun of figuring out how to handle my mom. She's recently retired and looking for things to keep her busy. Which is great, she has a lot of experience working on houses, but we are going to butt heads a lot. We both want to be project manager, and while we've already discussed that while I appreciate her contribution and am so grateful that she wants to help me as much as she does, it's still my house and she doesn't get to take over on the decision making. I'm buying a house so I can be the one to make the decisions, darn it.
We're at 23 hours and counting until closing. I'm still trying to remain calm, which is helped by the sheer exhaustion I'm suffering from. I was at the theater until after midnight last night. More things outside my control, but I need to do what I can to help things along. The parts that are under my control seem to be going well, though I say so myself. If I can survive the dress rehearsal tonight, I think it will be okay.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
...and closer
Up and down, over and over. This week has been nutty and it's only Wednesday.
Here's the rundown -
Monday - inspection. The water had not been left on by the city after the repairs, but we felt confident that it was okay to continue with the inspection, knowing that Justin and I had seen the water working in the house earlier. There are some electrical issues with the house, but my dad is a licensed electrician, so I'm not concerned.
Monday - appraisal. Totally spaced the water issue, so the appraisal was not able to be completed. She will write up the appraisal, come back and confirm the water is working, and we'll be good to go.
Tuesday - water on. City came by to turn the water on, I go into the house...and find out that the faucets in the bathroom sinks aren't working. No idea why. Manage to call the appraiser to tell her not to come just as she is walking to the door. *sigh* She will come back again (she's a very nice woman). I...have my lowest moment yet and am freaking out, because in order for a plumber to fix a problem, they want the homeowners permission. I am not the homeowner. This is a problem. I find a plumber on Angie's List and ask if he'll come out and take a look at the problem, see if he can figure out what's wrong with it. I plan on asking him to fix it if it turns out to be an easy fix. We make plans for him to be there at 11:30 on Wednesday.
Wednesday - plumbing. My mom offers to be at the house so I can not miss even more work. She shows up early and the plumber is already there waiting outside. Already liking him lots. He figures out the problem, says it's going to cost me $542 to fix, and I bite the bullet and have him do it. Never do this, people. Never put money into a house you don't own. I am a bad example. Coordinate with my mom and the appraiser for her to show up at the house when the plumber is just finishing up, so she can see the water on and working without us having to call the city yet again for the water to be turned on. This, against all odds, works. Appraiser is there, sees it all working, leaves. We will have working faucets when we move in. And have found a really great plumber to boot.
I've already seen the appraisal, and it's awesome. Typically appraisers only try to show that the house is worth what the buyer has agreed to pay for it, but our house came back with a value well above what we're paying for it, which is really unusual and AWESOME. It makes me feel better about having to fork over that money for the repair work.
Current status - The appraiser will send in the final sign-off, the underwriter will underwrite, the loan officer will keep getting all the other paperwork together, and we are on track to close on Friday as scheduled. I am currently hopeful. I think I will remain so. 48 hours, 8 minutes and counting.
Here's the rundown -
Monday - inspection. The water had not been left on by the city after the repairs, but we felt confident that it was okay to continue with the inspection, knowing that Justin and I had seen the water working in the house earlier. There are some electrical issues with the house, but my dad is a licensed electrician, so I'm not concerned.
Monday - appraisal. Totally spaced the water issue, so the appraisal was not able to be completed. She will write up the appraisal, come back and confirm the water is working, and we'll be good to go.
Tuesday - water on. City came by to turn the water on, I go into the house...and find out that the faucets in the bathroom sinks aren't working. No idea why. Manage to call the appraiser to tell her not to come just as she is walking to the door. *sigh* She will come back again (she's a very nice woman). I...have my lowest moment yet and am freaking out, because in order for a plumber to fix a problem, they want the homeowners permission. I am not the homeowner. This is a problem. I find a plumber on Angie's List and ask if he'll come out and take a look at the problem, see if he can figure out what's wrong with it. I plan on asking him to fix it if it turns out to be an easy fix. We make plans for him to be there at 11:30 on Wednesday.
Wednesday - plumbing. My mom offers to be at the house so I can not miss even more work. She shows up early and the plumber is already there waiting outside. Already liking him lots. He figures out the problem, says it's going to cost me $542 to fix, and I bite the bullet and have him do it. Never do this, people. Never put money into a house you don't own. I am a bad example. Coordinate with my mom and the appraiser for her to show up at the house when the plumber is just finishing up, so she can see the water on and working without us having to call the city yet again for the water to be turned on. This, against all odds, works. Appraiser is there, sees it all working, leaves. We will have working faucets when we move in. And have found a really great plumber to boot.
I've already seen the appraisal, and it's awesome. Typically appraisers only try to show that the house is worth what the buyer has agreed to pay for it, but our house came back with a value well above what we're paying for it, which is really unusual and AWESOME. It makes me feel better about having to fork over that money for the repair work.
Current status - The appraiser will send in the final sign-off, the underwriter will underwrite, the loan officer will keep getting all the other paperwork together, and we are on track to close on Friday as scheduled. I am currently hopeful. I think I will remain so. 48 hours, 8 minutes and counting.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Getting closer...
Slight delays in getting the appraisal done. Justin and I thought the water was left on by the city after they inspected the work, but it turns out it was just the water left in the pipes. So the appraiser wasn't able to complete her appraisal. And of course yesterday was a holiday, so the city offices were closed. And it was the first night of tech for the show, and I felt like I was dropping the ball all over the place.
But, today I'm hoping to be back on my game. I have already made an appointment for the water to be turned on this afternoon and contacted the appraiser to confirm she can make it over to complete her appraisal. We lost a day on the deal, but it should still work out okay, especially if she can get her appraisal in this evening still. I'm also pretty sure that as long as the water works the rest of the appraisal will come back clean. I think she has some concerns about the electrical, but I'm making my dad redo all the wiring anyway, so I think she's not going to call for that (yay!).
I'm also going to meet up with the lighting designer to do a paper tech before rehearsal starts, so we should get more accomplished tonight and be in a good place overall for the show. I just need to get my mind back on track and everything else should follow.
But, today I'm hoping to be back on my game. I have already made an appointment for the water to be turned on this afternoon and contacted the appraiser to confirm she can make it over to complete her appraisal. We lost a day on the deal, but it should still work out okay, especially if she can get her appraisal in this evening still. I'm also pretty sure that as long as the water works the rest of the appraisal will come back clean. I think she has some concerns about the electrical, but I'm making my dad redo all the wiring anyway, so I think she's not going to call for that (yay!).
I'm also going to meet up with the lighting designer to do a paper tech before rehearsal starts, so we should get more accomplished tonight and be in a good place overall for the show. I just need to get my mind back on track and everything else should follow.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Home Stretch - Hey, I'm punny!
Here we go, kiddies. Home inspection is done and we're going ahead on purchasing the house. The electrical needs to be updated (hi, Dad!) but the rest of the house is in good condition. Needs a ton of cosmetic work, but it's all doable. And I'm finally starting to feel more comfortable in the house - as we get closer and the work becomes more defined and I can start to visualize what it will look like - it's going to be great.
So the appraiser is going out this afternoon, and we should have that back by tomorrow morning. Justin and I met with our insurance agent last week and that's all taken care of (if anyone needs any kind of insurance, ask me for a reference; Chris is a great guy and I'm already super happy with him). Jim has been hammering out the details with the title company, and they are going to try to get everything put together by Wednesday, I think, so that we have some leeway to get everything done by closing on Friday.
It really comes down to this appraisal - as long as that comes back clean, we're good to go.
We're so close, it's kind of overwhelming. My moods are as rocky as the stock market (ha, I'm topical!) but I think overall it's going to be a very positive thing. I am really looking forward to setting up house and settling down a bit. To having my own office space, and still plenty of room to have people over. To new girlie nights and game nights and parties. I'm finally letting myself mentally move in and...it's going to be spectacular. Can't wait for you all to see it.
So the appraiser is going out this afternoon, and we should have that back by tomorrow morning. Justin and I met with our insurance agent last week and that's all taken care of (if anyone needs any kind of insurance, ask me for a reference; Chris is a great guy and I'm already super happy with him). Jim has been hammering out the details with the title company, and they are going to try to get everything put together by Wednesday, I think, so that we have some leeway to get everything done by closing on Friday.
It really comes down to this appraisal - as long as that comes back clean, we're good to go.
We're so close, it's kind of overwhelming. My moods are as rocky as the stock market (ha, I'm topical!) but I think overall it's going to be a very positive thing. I am really looking forward to setting up house and settling down a bit. To having my own office space, and still plenty of room to have people over. To new girlie nights and game nights and parties. I'm finally letting myself mentally move in and...it's going to be spectacular. Can't wait for you all to see it.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Crackberry
So my work has cut off all external email at work. Which is smart, and good for business and all that jazz, but still a major inconvenience, especially when stage managing a show and trying to buy a house. So I bought a BlackBerry Curve. And now I can't imagine being without it.
Seriously, I'm a bit obsessed. I *heart* my BlackBerry. So much that I even put the second capital B in the name. It's sad, I know.
But it's so cool! Constant email access, constant gChat access, my calendar, my contacts. It's the reason I'm able to get the house stuff done - seriously, without it I don't know how I would have gotten all the documentation and communication done that I needed to do. And it's been super helpful for stage managing as well - being able to access all my emails and look at floor plans and contact sheets and schedules whenever I want. Hella useful.
And it's pretty! I got the nifty red one from T-Mobile. Plus the girl at the store gave me the full discount on it, even though I was still a month away from technically qualifying for it. Score!
Now if only I could figure out how to post to my blog from it...
Seriously, I'm a bit obsessed. I *heart* my BlackBerry. So much that I even put the second capital B in the name. It's sad, I know.
But it's so cool! Constant email access, constant gChat access, my calendar, my contacts. It's the reason I'm able to get the house stuff done - seriously, without it I don't know how I would have gotten all the documentation and communication done that I needed to do. And it's been super helpful for stage managing as well - being able to access all my emails and look at floor plans and contact sheets and schedules whenever I want. Hella useful.
And it's pretty! I got the nifty red one from T-Mobile. Plus the girl at the store gave me the full discount on it, even though I was still a month away from technically qualifying for it. Score!
Now if only I could figure out how to post to my blog from it...
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Quick Rundown
Plumbing problem has been fixed. Still waiting for the city permit inspection of the work. That should happen on Friday
Because the permit inspection hadn't happened, the city would not turn on water for my inspection. I walked through the house with the inspector, but we pushed the real inspection off until Monday morning. Walking through the house with him reinforces that it's a good buy. Tons of cosmetic work to do, but that's so doable. On the upside, the heat is on, so we know that works.
Because my inspection is pushed off until Monday, we're pushing the appraisal off until Monday afternoon. It makes me nervous to have it so close to the closing, but if there's anything that prevents the appraisal from being approved, it doesn't matter if we find out today or next week, since there's no recourse for fixing it. I remain confident that the appraisal will be approved.
The only other thing that the mortgage company needed was employment verification, which I have just taken care of. All my lender needs now is the appraisal and we're good to go. My loan officer is putting together all the paperwork for closing, working with the title company and all that noise. I'm meeting with my insurance agent this afternoon, and I'm hoping that I'll either be able to pick up the binder or make sure that he gets the binder to my lender for closing.
Speaking of closing, it's been scheduled for 2:00pm on October 17th.
We're so close. I don't think we'll be ready to host Halloween, but there will be parties, many parties, in our future. I can't wait for everyone to see it!
Because the permit inspection hadn't happened, the city would not turn on water for my inspection. I walked through the house with the inspector, but we pushed the real inspection off until Monday morning. Walking through the house with him reinforces that it's a good buy. Tons of cosmetic work to do, but that's so doable. On the upside, the heat is on, so we know that works.
Because my inspection is pushed off until Monday, we're pushing the appraisal off until Monday afternoon. It makes me nervous to have it so close to the closing, but if there's anything that prevents the appraisal from being approved, it doesn't matter if we find out today or next week, since there's no recourse for fixing it. I remain confident that the appraisal will be approved.
The only other thing that the mortgage company needed was employment verification, which I have just taken care of. All my lender needs now is the appraisal and we're good to go. My loan officer is putting together all the paperwork for closing, working with the title company and all that noise. I'm meeting with my insurance agent this afternoon, and I'm hoping that I'll either be able to pick up the binder or make sure that he gets the binder to my lender for closing.
Speaking of closing, it's been scheduled for 2:00pm on October 17th.
We're so close. I don't think we'll be ready to host Halloween, but there will be parties, many parties, in our future. I can't wait for everyone to see it!
Turning Down Work
I had to turn down a stage management gig this week. Brian, who I sm-ed for during Fringe, is directing "Fool for Love" at the Gremlin and asked if I was available. And I really wanted to be, but there's just too much going on, especially since most of his rehearsals are in the afternoons and I just can't take the time off of work with a new boss and all.
On the other hand, it's pretty good to have so much work that I have to turn it down. And hopefully this means that Brian enjoyed working with me enough that next time he has work he'll offer it to me again.
It is for the best. Better to turn it down instead of take it and be so crazy busy that I mess it up. Bah.
On the other hand, it's pretty good to have so much work that I have to turn it down. And hopefully this means that Brian enjoyed working with me enough that next time he has work he'll offer it to me again.
It is for the best. Better to turn it down instead of take it and be so crazy busy that I mess it up. Bah.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The 2009 50 Book Challenge!
Full time job? Check.
Part time artist? Check.
Brand new house? Check.
Wedding to plan? Check.
Ready to meet the challenge of reading a novel at a rate of almost one per week? You damn right.
So I seem to have gotten myself into a challenge without meaning to, but I think it's going to rock. Sarah and I are going to read 50 books each in 2009. I...might die in the process, frankly, but pride forbids me from backing down.
Now I just have to go steal Sarah's layout to let me keep track of the books on the side of my blog. Damn her and her fancy "I know how to use gadgets and junk" ways.
Part time artist? Check.
Brand new house? Check.
Wedding to plan? Check.
Ready to meet the challenge of reading a novel at a rate of almost one per week? You damn right.
So I seem to have gotten myself into a challenge without meaning to, but I think it's going to rock. Sarah and I are going to read 50 books each in 2009. I...might die in the process, frankly, but pride forbids me from backing down.
Now I just have to go steal Sarah's layout to let me keep track of the books on the side of my blog. Damn her and her fancy "I know how to use gadgets and junk" ways.
*Glee*
So after I had written my post on Friday I get a call from John. The listing agent called him and said that the seller (bank) was willing to pay for half of the repair work. Which I guess meant that they wanted me to pay for the other half. On a house that I don't own. Which is ridiculous. Which is what John is telling me as he lines out his plan. He thinks we should send an email saying that if they don't agree to fixing the problem (re: sign the addendum) by noon on Tuesday we will pull our offer off the table. John's calling it a shot across the bow to get them moving, and he writes out an email and has me proof it and sends it in.
Now John is the nicest man ever. Calm and reasonable, funny and respectful...a great guy. And this email he wrote was *livid*. And it's funny, because the next day I'm talking to Jim, my loan officer, and he says that he and John had talked about it and agreed that Jim should play bad cop to John's good cop, so that the listing agent would still be willing to talk to at least one of them, but John's email is total bad cop. So Jim...takes it even further.
The email Jim wrote...genius. He totally calls people out for not disclosing the damaged pipes and for this ridiculous offer and for the crazy delays. He casually mentions that he's on two weekly radio shows that discuss the metro mortgage/housing industry and how maybe the listing agent should listen in today, and ends up the email by saying that the listing agent knows how to make this right, and he should just do it already.
Bad. Ass.
I am so glad these guys are on my side.
But I was still worried that it wasn't going to be enough. That these now several shots across the bow would not yield any results and we'll have to pull our offer and start over.
But...it worked.
John emailed me this morning, saying that the seller is having the work done, and it should be completed by the end of Wednesday. I'll be able to have my inspection, and the house will be appraised and everything else is already in place. The credit side of the loan is done, the title work is done, I have insurance lined up. Just need the inspection to be clean and the appraisal to come in for enough value. I...am so gleeful.
If anyone out there needs a realtor or a loan officer - John and Jim are your guys. They are amazing.
Now John is the nicest man ever. Calm and reasonable, funny and respectful...a great guy. And this email he wrote was *livid*. And it's funny, because the next day I'm talking to Jim, my loan officer, and he says that he and John had talked about it and agreed that Jim should play bad cop to John's good cop, so that the listing agent would still be willing to talk to at least one of them, but John's email is total bad cop. So Jim...takes it even further.
The email Jim wrote...genius. He totally calls people out for not disclosing the damaged pipes and for this ridiculous offer and for the crazy delays. He casually mentions that he's on two weekly radio shows that discuss the metro mortgage/housing industry and how maybe the listing agent should listen in today, and ends up the email by saying that the listing agent knows how to make this right, and he should just do it already.
Bad. Ass.
I am so glad these guys are on my side.
But I was still worried that it wasn't going to be enough. That these now several shots across the bow would not yield any results and we'll have to pull our offer and start over.
But...it worked.
John emailed me this morning, saying that the seller is having the work done, and it should be completed by the end of Wednesday. I'll be able to have my inspection, and the house will be appraised and everything else is already in place. The credit side of the loan is done, the title work is done, I have insurance lined up. Just need the inspection to be clean and the appraisal to come in for enough value. I...am so gleeful.
If anyone out there needs a realtor or a loan officer - John and Jim are your guys. They are amazing.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock
Still waiting on the purchase agreement. It's...aggravating. I did get my loan officer on the case, though, which is awesome. He's very willing to be pushy and not care if people like him or not, so he's leaning on the listing agent to try and get things done. We have made other progress - the title work came back already, and I think I finally have all my documentation in for the credit part of the loan. Really the only thing we need to have done, besides the bank signing off on everything, is to get the repair work done and the appraisal. Everything else should be ready to go. So close!
I'm going to try to not think about it this weekend. John and Jim are both going to be leaning on the listing agent as much as they can to get this figured out, and there's nothing else I can do. So I will pack and clean and sleep and maybe go see Vinegar Tom at Park Square Theater, and rehearse for a few hours. Use the weekend to get caught up on stuff and ready to move.
Speaking of moving, Justin's brother, Seth, is moving to the cities today, which is awesome. Justin will be meeting Seth and their dad shortly to help him move in. I think his apartment is going to be over in the Highland Park area of St. Paul, so another reason to be glad we are moving south instead of north.
Oh yeah! My new boss started! And my old boss retired. It was...anticlimactic, frankly. Which I suppose is a sign that we did our jobs well. Everything went smoothly and now we're on to this next chapter. New boss seems okay so far. It will be a switch since I've only ever been an admin for old boss before, and I think new boss has a very different way of working with admins. Not sure if I'm going to like it or not yet, but I'll deal either way, I'm sure. I'll just have to train him in on how things work around here. Meh.
I'm going to try to not think about it this weekend. John and Jim are both going to be leaning on the listing agent as much as they can to get this figured out, and there's nothing else I can do. So I will pack and clean and sleep and maybe go see Vinegar Tom at Park Square Theater, and rehearse for a few hours. Use the weekend to get caught up on stuff and ready to move.
Speaking of moving, Justin's brother, Seth, is moving to the cities today, which is awesome. Justin will be meeting Seth and their dad shortly to help him move in. I think his apartment is going to be over in the Highland Park area of St. Paul, so another reason to be glad we are moving south instead of north.
Oh yeah! My new boss started! And my old boss retired. It was...anticlimactic, frankly. Which I suppose is a sign that we did our jobs well. Everything went smoothly and now we're on to this next chapter. New boss seems okay so far. It will be a switch since I've only ever been an admin for old boss before, and I think new boss has a very different way of working with admins. Not sure if I'm going to like it or not yet, but I'll deal either way, I'm sure. I'll just have to train him in on how things work around here. Meh.
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