I am already stressing out about having a house and we are not even living there yet!
I talked to a plumber tonight (found him on Angie's List) and he is worried about the pipes freezing (since the gas was shut off in the house & there is no heat). He was worried enough to make us his top priority and move everything else back. Yay. Now I am worried about the pipes freezing too!
He is planning on coming out tomorrow, except that it is snowing outside, and if we get 10" of snow he will not be able to get to the house!
Each day the house sits w/o heat, the temp drops and it is more dangerous. At least it is not a corner or stand alone house. We get some insullation from the houses next to us.
BUT...If it continues to snow through to Saturday, then we will have to wait yet another day. Grrrrrrr...
I am trying to keep the big picture in mind, and to know that whatever happens it will be fine & we will get through it.
I am hoping that by the time it is the summer, we will have:
a) fixed all or almost all of the major issues with the house
b) be able to just work on cosmetic things
c) have a garden :)
d) be at least one barbeque in...
...and I am also sure that we will:
e) be very very very broke.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
306 things to fix in a house...
So, we are homeowners! Yay! As of yesterday, "306" belongs to us :)
There are also about 306 things that we need to fix :( BUT, I think the house will really feel like ours because we have so much work to do. **How's that for a positive outlook!**
Last night, after signing and signing documents - which I am happily surprised to say I understood all of - we started on Job #1 - change the locks. This is OUR house, suckers. No one can get in unless we give them a key (or they break in, I guess). Back door replaced by yours truely ^^. Front door hole need to be bigger...hmmm...well, this shall be probably tomorrow night's project. Found a good link here: http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infloc.html#2. Luckily, we are pretty handy, so this should be do-able.
Sooo...we also had the PGW (that's Phila Gas Works for all you non-Philly folk) come out this morning. Turns out there are about 500 gas leaks in our house - weeeeeeeee! So, he actually had to turn the gas OFF. Niiiice. Oh, and we also need a new stove b/c it leaks gas as well. Ergo, today I will investigate plumbers and electricians on Angie's List and see if we can find a decent one. The PGW dude actually asked if we had had the house inspected. When I told him "Yes" (twice actually - one by us and one by HUD b/c we have an FHA loan) he was a APPALLED. Wow. He actually said that the house was very dangerous b/c of all of the gas leaks. I'm just glad S & I did not blow ourselves up last night! Well, at least the gas is shut off. If the house blows up now, it will probably be electrical...
(Yep, there is also a TON of electrical work that needs to be done...um...immediately.)
Another thing that we realized last night as we walked in is that the side roof leaks. We could hear the dripping onto the built in a/c unit. It was raining pretty hard & we've had lots of snow. It's to be expected.
Ah, the joys of buying a house!
At least if we replace the washer, dryer, house heater, stove we get to pick the ones we want.
Advice if you are considering buying a house that is not new: Have at least $20G in the bank for immediate repairs/appliances. Also, really love the house you buy. Mostly that - love the house you buy. I'm glad we still love our house. Give us a year and it will really really be our house - feel like our house.
There are also about 306 things that we need to fix :( BUT, I think the house will really feel like ours because we have so much work to do. **How's that for a positive outlook!**
Last night, after signing and signing documents - which I am happily surprised to say I understood all of - we started on Job #1 - change the locks. This is OUR house, suckers. No one can get in unless we give them a key (or they break in, I guess). Back door replaced by yours truely ^^. Front door hole need to be bigger...hmmm...well, this shall be probably tomorrow night's project. Found a good link here: http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infloc.html#2. Luckily, we are pretty handy, so this should be do-able.
Sooo...we also had the PGW (that's Phila Gas Works for all you non-Philly folk) come out this morning. Turns out there are about 500 gas leaks in our house - weeeeeeeee! So, he actually had to turn the gas OFF. Niiiice. Oh, and we also need a new stove b/c it leaks gas as well. Ergo, today I will investigate plumbers and electricians on Angie's List and see if we can find a decent one. The PGW dude actually asked if we had had the house inspected. When I told him "Yes" (twice actually - one by us and one by HUD b/c we have an FHA loan) he was a APPALLED. Wow. He actually said that the house was very dangerous b/c of all of the gas leaks. I'm just glad S & I did not blow ourselves up last night! Well, at least the gas is shut off. If the house blows up now, it will probably be electrical...
(Yep, there is also a TON of electrical work that needs to be done...um...immediately.)
Another thing that we realized last night as we walked in is that the side roof leaks. We could hear the dripping onto the built in a/c unit. It was raining pretty hard & we've had lots of snow. It's to be expected.
Ah, the joys of buying a house!
At least if we replace the washer, dryer, house heater, stove we get to pick the ones we want.
Advice if you are considering buying a house that is not new: Have at least $20G in the bank for immediate repairs/appliances. Also, really love the house you buy. Mostly that - love the house you buy. I'm glad we still love our house. Give us a year and it will really really be our house - feel like our house.
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