I have waited to make any new entries to see how the latest "issue" with the House would resolve. It's been quite a whirl-wind two weeks.
It got very cold the first week of 2011 in the Forest (-11 degrees), and the House sprouted 16 leaks. Yes, sixteen. I'll save you the trouble of reading the wailing that ensued when the Boy spotted tiny droplets of water on a downstairs ceiling and felt wet carpet in the downstairs bedroom. The bottom line is that the home owner's insurance policy is covering the damages because I have coverage for frozen pipes. The insurance adjuster says it is very fortunate that we turned off the water and emptied the lines prior to the cold weather because, otherwise, the house would be uninhabitable, and the $25,000 wood flooring would be ruined. The silver lining is that the insurance will cover items that we intended to replace anyway, such as downstairs carpeting, so we are spending less on the insurance deductible than we probably would have spent to make these updates. That is a blessing, although it is hard to see your home appear as in the photos below, especially when you'd like the house to be on the market--ready for someone to buy.
Some other news: The Boy found a new real estate agent, and she is a very aggressive one. Hopefully she will scoot things along, once the repairs have been made, and we have completed the other necessary face lifts. The solarium is nearly completed, and it has turned out beautifully. We have a to-do list for each room of the house, including stairs and porches, and we will just knock them out as we can. The Boy is painting the solarium beams today, which will almost finish off that room. Trim and doors are all that remain.
Yesterday, we cleaned out the garage entirely, and the Boy removed some unnecessary and gaudy built-in shelving. Another trip to the landfill, and another call to DAV (I can't recall the number of times we've done this...) The garage cement is sinking in the center, and we are going to have to do something about that, according to the new realtor. Hopefully that repair will be the last of the major expenses.
While cleaning out the garage together, I remembered how the Boy came with me to the house last April--about a month after I'd met him--coincident with the finalization of my divorce. We came to assess the state of things after the house had been vacated by its previous occupant (the ex-husband). It was in shambles, and I was grieved beyond words at what I was seeing--knowing I would have to handle the huge mess. I remember the Boy giving me a hug, and saying, "This isn't your life anymore. You have a different life now." Almost a year later, the house hangs on, but life, indeed, is "different"--better than anything I could have ever imagined.
The Leaky Adventure, in photographs:
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| Initial plumbing assessment |
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| We didn't expect leaks to be quite this significant. |
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| 8 leaks along these pipes across kitchen wall |
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| Leak in the Washer pipes |
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| Leak in downstairs bathroom ceiling |
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| Leak in downstairs bathroom wall |
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| Leak in downstairs bedroom | |
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| 2nd leak in downstairs bedroom |
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| Leak in front closet |
I saw something nice when upstairs. Because the solarium blinds, which were installed by the previous owner, now have been removed, you can see the forest through the upstairs master bedroom window and solarium windows. That was a nice surprise.
