Oh, The Joys of Home Ownership...

[SiouzQ.]

Okay, tonight it's just a minor blip (we hope)! We signed everything yesterday, got the keys and have started the mad dash of prioritizing what needs to be done and started purchasing the items we need in order to accomplish all this.

We just came back from Lowe's tonight (a 50 mile round trip drive through a strong thunder and lightening storm) with a car load of stuff. We needed a shop vac, a room air conditioner, two smoke alarms, a lighting fixture for the kitchen, more light bulbs plus other sundry items - mouse traps, bug bombs (the house has been uninhabited since last October), and more cleaning tools.

Drove up in the dark, blinding rain, bumping over our very rough rocky driveway, trying to find the right key to get the kitchen door open in the pitch black, comically trying to find the correct light switches to illuminate the kitchen (you have to understand the type of house we just bought - hand built with really nonsensical light switch placements). I still cannot fathom why the main kitchen light switch is all the way across the room from the door. I am going to have to label all the switches because a lot of it seems completely random!

Anyhoo, I digress. We began to unload the car and put all this stuff away for the night. I walked into the room that is going to be our studio and discovered a growing puddle on the floor...upon inspection of the whole house it seems we have a leaky roof in several places. Damn! Supposedly it is a fairly new metal roof so I was not at all expecting this development. Grr. Now I have to get someone out to look at that. In addition, we need to get an electrician in to fix a few issues as well. Cha-ching...

I knew all this was a possibility going into this but I wasn't mentally prepared for a leaky roof! It's monsoon season in New Mexico so it rains pretty hard everyday now. I am going to take it in stride and understand the differences between needs and wants at this point, because we can't do it all right away. We have so many cool ideas but a lot of it will have to be put on the back burner while we work on getting the house in good functioning order.

[catherine]

Oh, yes, the joys of home ownership indeed!

I had to laugh when you talk about a leaky roof, because it is raining right now and I'm lying on my bed and every now and then the ceiling fan throws a couple of drips at me--we've known about the leaky roof--it doesn't happen all the time. We were going to replace the roof this year but I opted for an outdoor shower instead.

All of these little challenges will become great stories to tell people and great moments to share after you have accepted or changed some of the quirks--"remember when we were stumbling around looking for the light switch?"

Congratulations on the closing! I'm sure you'll create a wonderful home!

[razz]

Love your 'do-it' attitude!

[JaneV2.0]

And have the electrician install a light switch by the kitchen door...
Good luck!

[SiouzQ.]

Yesterday ended up being pretty good. I got a glowing referral from one of my artists in the gallery for a general contractor the she has used and he even managed to make time last evening to come out and take a look at the roof. Yes, there are some problems and he will have to come back when he has time in the next few weeks to do some further investigation and possible solutions. meanwhile, he said not to panic at this point. Luckily the monsoon season will start to wane soon and the daily showers will start to diminish.

I tell you, one of the hardest things about living out here is finding skilled, honest and reliable tradespeople. There are a lot of people in town that "do" carpentry, or plumbing or electrical, except they really don't know what they are doing and are not licensed either, yet people hire them because they are "cheaper." Consequently, the aging miner shacks and other buildings over the decades have become really funky with their wonky additions and questionable electrical and plumbing systems. I have learned in the past three years who NOT to hire for certain jobs and will readily go out of the immediate area to find someone licensed.

Yesterday I spent at least three hours deep cleaning and detailing the slightly older Sears Kenmore refrigerator. It had been unused and unplugged since last October and at first glace didn't seem that dirty but when I started cleaning inside the gaskets and all the little crevices there sure was a lot of CRUD! It was strangely satisfying to take all the shelving out and really scrub all the crooks and crannies. Now I feel comfortable starting to bring some food over to the house so we can have sustenance while we work. Today I am going to tackle the stove and oven, and get the new shop vacuum set up and start sucking up all the debris - cobwebs, dead bugs, old pet hair and other assorted crud! I actually like vacuuming, especially when you can really see the difference your efforts make.

Also yesterday K. rented a floor sander and started tackling the pine flooring in the living/dining room. Still a lot of work to do with that but you can already see how beautiful it is going to be!

I am hoping to get an electrician out soon; the guy I have used in the past in the gallery said he might be able to stop by yesterday after a job nearby but he never called or showed up. Hopefully he can make time for me next week. In the meantime, the roofing guy looked at some of the electrical things we need remedied; he can do them, but he is a really busy guy and won't be able to get to it any time soon.

[Tybee]

I am getting really excited for you hearing about the cleaning and the sanding--it sounds like it will be a lovely home!

And how fun to create a new place for the both of you.

[ToomuchStuff]

I am going to guess, no home inspection was done then? If there was one, you should have some recourse on the roof.

[Tybee]

Not sure where you would get recourse. This same thing happened to us--moved in in October, and while cooking Thanksgiving dinner, the kitchen ceiling fell on my head into the turkey.

Usually the most you can get from the home inspector is the cost of the inspection. Did you mean get recourse from the seller?

[Teacher Terry]

If the seller knew the roof leaked and didn’t disclose then they may have recourse. Unless the house was sold as is. Sorry you have to wait for the roof and electrical. I am always surprised when people put off roofs because the damage just keeps getting more expensive.

[iris lilies]

If the seller knew the roof leaked and didn’t disclose then they may have recourse. Unless the house was sold as is. Sorry you have to wait for the roof and electrical. I am always surprised when people put off roofs because the damage just keeps getting more expensive.

DH will earnestly explain to you why our multi-year roof leak did no lasting damage. Much of that, if you believe him, is that he provided a clear channel for the water to run through: down and into buckets in our back bedroom where I sleep. Drywall ceiling panels were removed for this water activity. No lasting damage! He is a Professional, YO! Dont be questioning his expertise!

argh. Sigh.

When the real pros came to put on a new roof here they immediately pointed out where the skylight was leaking. Skylights are the #1 culprit in roof leaks. Pretty obvious I would think.

DH lost all credibility with me in anything related to roofs and leaking. It was fortunate that his liability insurance for his handyman biz did not cover roofs, so he never did any roof work but for real simple stuff.

He is multi talented and can do most anything, but not everything.