Three days after returning to Houma from New Orleans and the French Quarter Festival, Rebecca and Raymond finally closed on their first house 17APR. The house was built around 1975 and is in a nice neighborhood of Houma, called Mulberry. And the house backs right up to a city park. Being over thirty years old, we knew the house needed some work (not to mention removing the dreaded orange shag carpet that was so popular in the 70s in two bedrooms). Loyal readers of this BLOG (see 15DEC07 entry) know we had promised the kids that money saved by having a small wedding would go toward their first house; and now it was time to pay-up.
After the closing we moved the RV over to the house’s driveway and discovered that it fit with one foot to spare! After parking the RV we discovered the first bad news. We have learned to test all electrical circuits before plugging the RV into shore power. When Dan did this, he discovered that there was an open ground in the circuit (not good!). Further testing showed that the house was originally wired with two prong plugs only (ie one hot wire and one neutral wire); but later someone had added some three prong plugs (ie one hot, one neutral and one ground). After testing all the plugs in the house we determined that the original two prong plugs were still okay; but half the three prong were not grounded for some reason. Anyway we plugged the RV into one of the “good” three prongs and made a note to call an electrician.
Immediately after that bad news, we discovered some good news. As we started pulling carpet back we discovered the house had parquet wood floors! (for some reason any time someone says parquet, Dan says butter?) So we decided to rip out not only the orange shag carpet in two bedrooms, but the pretty new gold carpet in the master bedroom, hall, dining room and living room and refinish the parquet floors. But when we removed the gold carpet from the dining room, we discovered that the parquet did not extend that far, and it was ugly yellow linoleum. So the decision was then made to install tile flooring in the dining room and kitchen; something we were going to do next year. So at the end of day one we needed to find an electrician, and had basically ended up deciding to dealing with all the floors in the house (except bathrooms)!
We developed the following plan of attack:
---remove all carpeting
---refinish parquet floors
---install tile floors
---after floor in particular room was done, paint out room
---add additional insulation to attic
---fix electrical problems
---misc items like new faucets, some new moldings, work bench & shelving in storeroom, solve water leak in laundry room, closet organizers, strip wall paper, clear & clean yard, etc.
---dump runs to remove debris
---deal with surprises!!!
Dan took on the task of improving insulation in the attic. This was not an easy task because the attic was only four feet high at highest point; and since the house was built on a concrete slab, all the wiring, piping and venting is in the attic! In fact all the major machinery for the AC/heating system, except the heat pump, is in the attic. It was while in the attic, that Dan decided that the electrical issues needed immediate attention. It seems he placed one hand on a metal junction box, while his other hand was on a water pipe and experienced an electrifying moment! Long story, short, we finally got an electrician to trouble shoot the house, fix the major problems, and we now have list of things to do later.
Also while in the attic Dan bumped the flexible gas line to the heater, and it started to leak! Dan immediately shut the gas and electricity off to the house and called the gas company. It was encouraging to see them show up in less than five minutes. The technician looked at the line and listened to Dan’s description. He showed Dan how to shut of gas just to heater and began to leave. Dan asked him about repairing the flexible line. Technician told Dan just to go to hardware store, buy new line and do the repair himself (ie not their job). Dan will work on plumbing and electrical, but decided to call a professional on this. For $125 we had a new line and the entire gas heating system was checked out.
Meanwhile, we (Rebecca, Raymond, Corrie & Dan), along with some of Rebecca & Raymond’s friends had ripped out all the carpeting and it was time to refinish the parquet floors. This involved getting down on your hands and knees to find all the nails and staples used to hold the carpet down. Then more time on your hands and knees to remove the glue and stains accumulated over thirty years. Then Corrie would apply a finish that needed three days to fully cure. You could walk on it after 24hrs, but it wasn’t fully cured and would easily scratch or mar.
The biggest headache with not damaging the floors for three days was the dogs and their nails. As you know from reading this BLOG, Rebecca & Raymond have a Weimaraner puppy named Gracie, and of course we have Gumbo the one eyed Jack. So while the floors were curing during the day we would lock them in the backyard. They would stand at the patio door, looking so sad. It was during this exile to the backyard that they went from not tolerating each other to discovering sex (or trying to). They each had some vague idea of what it was all about, but couldn’t figure it out. Gumbo would try to figure out how to mount Gracie, but that was impossible as would be climbing Mount Everest; or Gracie would stand over Gumbo and wonder why nothing was happening?
During this time Dan did teach the dogs how to play “tug-of-war”. For any you who have met Gumbo, you know how he loves to take his lead (or any rope) in his mouth and tug and tug. One of the dog toys in the backyard was a rubber football with ropes on each end. Dan was letting Gumbo tug on this, one day when Gracie kept sticking her nose in. So Dan placed the other rope in her mouth and let go, and the battle was on - neither dog would let go! Gracie would either lie down and let Gumbo tug and tug, or she would get up and walk around with Gumbo being easily dragged with her. But eventually Gracie would relax her grip, and since Gumbo would not, he would end up “winning”!
After the closing we moved the RV over to the house’s driveway and discovered that it fit with one foot to spare! After parking the RV we discovered the first bad news. We have learned to test all electrical circuits before plugging the RV into shore power. When Dan did this, he discovered that there was an open ground in the circuit (not good!). Further testing showed that the house was originally wired with two prong plugs only (ie one hot wire and one neutral wire); but later someone had added some three prong plugs (ie one hot, one neutral and one ground). After testing all the plugs in the house we determined that the original two prong plugs were still okay; but half the three prong were not grounded for some reason. Anyway we plugged the RV into one of the “good” three prongs and made a note to call an electrician.
Immediately after that bad news, we discovered some good news. As we started pulling carpet back we discovered the house had parquet wood floors! (for some reason any time someone says parquet, Dan says butter?) So we decided to rip out not only the orange shag carpet in two bedrooms, but the pretty new gold carpet in the master bedroom, hall, dining room and living room and refinish the parquet floors. But when we removed the gold carpet from the dining room, we discovered that the parquet did not extend that far, and it was ugly yellow linoleum. So the decision was then made to install tile flooring in the dining room and kitchen; something we were going to do next year. So at the end of day one we needed to find an electrician, and had basically ended up deciding to dealing with all the floors in the house (except bathrooms)!
We developed the following plan of attack:
---remove all carpeting
---refinish parquet floors
---install tile floors
---after floor in particular room was done, paint out room
---add additional insulation to attic
---fix electrical problems
---misc items like new faucets, some new moldings, work bench & shelving in storeroom, solve water leak in laundry room, closet organizers, strip wall paper, clear & clean yard, etc.
---dump runs to remove debris
---deal with surprises!!!
Dan took on the task of improving insulation in the attic. This was not an easy task because the attic was only four feet high at highest point; and since the house was built on a concrete slab, all the wiring, piping and venting is in the attic! In fact all the major machinery for the AC/heating system, except the heat pump, is in the attic. It was while in the attic, that Dan decided that the electrical issues needed immediate attention. It seems he placed one hand on a metal junction box, while his other hand was on a water pipe and experienced an electrifying moment! Long story, short, we finally got an electrician to trouble shoot the house, fix the major problems, and we now have list of things to do later.
Also while in the attic Dan bumped the flexible gas line to the heater, and it started to leak! Dan immediately shut the gas and electricity off to the house and called the gas company. It was encouraging to see them show up in less than five minutes. The technician looked at the line and listened to Dan’s description. He showed Dan how to shut of gas just to heater and began to leave. Dan asked him about repairing the flexible line. Technician told Dan just to go to hardware store, buy new line and do the repair himself (ie not their job). Dan will work on plumbing and electrical, but decided to call a professional on this. For $125 we had a new line and the entire gas heating system was checked out.
Meanwhile, we (Rebecca, Raymond, Corrie & Dan), along with some of Rebecca & Raymond’s friends had ripped out all the carpeting and it was time to refinish the parquet floors. This involved getting down on your hands and knees to find all the nails and staples used to hold the carpet down. Then more time on your hands and knees to remove the glue and stains accumulated over thirty years. Then Corrie would apply a finish that needed three days to fully cure. You could walk on it after 24hrs, but it wasn’t fully cured and would easily scratch or mar.
The biggest headache with not damaging the floors for three days was the dogs and their nails. As you know from reading this BLOG, Rebecca & Raymond have a Weimaraner puppy named Gracie, and of course we have Gumbo the one eyed Jack. So while the floors were curing during the day we would lock them in the backyard. They would stand at the patio door, looking so sad. It was during this exile to the backyard that they went from not tolerating each other to discovering sex (or trying to). They each had some vague idea of what it was all about, but couldn’t figure it out. Gumbo would try to figure out how to mount Gracie, but that was impossible as would be climbing Mount Everest; or Gracie would stand over Gumbo and wonder why nothing was happening?
During this time Dan did teach the dogs how to play “tug-of-war”. For any you who have met Gumbo, you know how he loves to take his lead (or any rope) in his mouth and tug and tug. One of the dog toys in the backyard was a rubber football with ropes on each end. Dan was letting Gumbo tug on this, one day when Gracie kept sticking her nose in. So Dan placed the other rope in her mouth and let go, and the battle was on - neither dog would let go! Gracie would either lie down and let Gumbo tug and tug, or she would get up and walk around with Gumbo being easily dragged with her. But eventually Gracie would relax her grip, and since Gumbo would not, he would end up “winning”!
Since we had decided to tile the dining room and kitchen, and we knew we were painting every room, it was off to the mega hardware stores to choose tile pattern and paint colors. For those of you who know the joys of doing this with your spouse, think of the fun when there are four of you, two in their fifties and two in their twenties!!! Being a newlywed Raymond tried what he thought was the safest reply – What ever you want dear. This reply would make Rebecca angry because she wanted his input; it would make Corrie happy because she had already made up her mind; and would make Dan cringe because as he told Raymond – you’re going to have to live with it.
After a few minutes of this family fun Dan would wander off to check out the power tools. Every few minutes he would check on the other three to see if progress was being made or blood shed. Eventually three colors for the different rooms were decided on, and even Dan could live with the choices. At this point Dan was told he had to stay with the group and a different process was decided on for picking the tile. Each person was to independently pick out three tile colors/patterns without telling any of the others. Then all the choices would be laid side by side and the number reduced until consensus was reached. This worked perfectly and we all agreed on one tile! But when we went to place our order for the tile, we were told it had been discontinued long ago and no one had bothered to change the display!!! Luckily we quickly agreed on a second choice.
And because of this forced family outing Dan got some new power tools. Many years ago Corrie got Dan a complete set of 18v Ryobi battery power tools. Dan has used these extensively over the years and actually carries some of them in the RV for repairs, and because eventually he hopes to volunteer again with Habitat for Humanity. Anyway Ryobi has come out with new 18v lithium batteries for these tools. These batteries are lighter, charge faster and last longer; but are very expensive. One battery with charger costs $120; but four tools with charger and two batteries were on sale for $250. Problem was that Dan already had the four tools, but it made perfect sense to Dan to give old tools and batteries to Raymond and for Dan to get the new stuff (for some reason this did not make sense to Corrie and she says Dan owes her one).
During all this was Raymond’s birthday. Corrie and Rebecca got him a three burner propane BBQ. Raymond immediately assembled the unit and we were treated excellent grilled burgers on his birthday.
Since some of the sinks drained really slowly and the drain for the wash machine kept backing up, we decided to pour drano down the drains. This did not work, so we moved up to acid. You know you are dealing with strong stuff when the plastic bottle is sealed in heavy plastic bag, in case bottle leaks. Unfortunately the acid not only removed the clogs in the sinks but the last bit of rust holding the steel pipes together. So now we had drain pipe leaks in both bathrooms. Fortunately the leaks were in the walls behind the vanities, so no one will see the holes we had to rip in the drywall to apply plumber’s bondo. The acid however did not remove the clog in washing machine drain line. We were on the verge of getting a plumber when Dan decided to rent a power “snake” and give it one more shot. Four hours in the hot sun with the snake and another bottle of acid, problem solved.
After over three weeks of steady work by us on the house, we decided that enough was enough for now. By Dan’s calculations, Corrie and he had worked over well 400 hours (remember the kids were at work for most of this time); and had accomplished more in three weeks then we had in ten years on our old house on Tiger Tail Rd in Houma. And as usual Corrie did most of the work and especially the tedious tasks like painting, laying tile and grouting! Anyway it was time to leave the kids alone in their first house; and for us to start our trip back to our property in Sultan, WA, almost six weeks later than planned.
After a few minutes of this family fun Dan would wander off to check out the power tools. Every few minutes he would check on the other three to see if progress was being made or blood shed. Eventually three colors for the different rooms were decided on, and even Dan could live with the choices. At this point Dan was told he had to stay with the group and a different process was decided on for picking the tile. Each person was to independently pick out three tile colors/patterns without telling any of the others. Then all the choices would be laid side by side and the number reduced until consensus was reached. This worked perfectly and we all agreed on one tile! But when we went to place our order for the tile, we were told it had been discontinued long ago and no one had bothered to change the display!!! Luckily we quickly agreed on a second choice.
And because of this forced family outing Dan got some new power tools. Many years ago Corrie got Dan a complete set of 18v Ryobi battery power tools. Dan has used these extensively over the years and actually carries some of them in the RV for repairs, and because eventually he hopes to volunteer again with Habitat for Humanity. Anyway Ryobi has come out with new 18v lithium batteries for these tools. These batteries are lighter, charge faster and last longer; but are very expensive. One battery with charger costs $120; but four tools with charger and two batteries were on sale for $250. Problem was that Dan already had the four tools, but it made perfect sense to Dan to give old tools and batteries to Raymond and for Dan to get the new stuff (for some reason this did not make sense to Corrie and she says Dan owes her one).
During all this was Raymond’s birthday. Corrie and Rebecca got him a three burner propane BBQ. Raymond immediately assembled the unit and we were treated excellent grilled burgers on his birthday.
Since some of the sinks drained really slowly and the drain for the wash machine kept backing up, we decided to pour drano down the drains. This did not work, so we moved up to acid. You know you are dealing with strong stuff when the plastic bottle is sealed in heavy plastic bag, in case bottle leaks. Unfortunately the acid not only removed the clogs in the sinks but the last bit of rust holding the steel pipes together. So now we had drain pipe leaks in both bathrooms. Fortunately the leaks were in the walls behind the vanities, so no one will see the holes we had to rip in the drywall to apply plumber’s bondo. The acid however did not remove the clog in washing machine drain line. We were on the verge of getting a plumber when Dan decided to rent a power “snake” and give it one more shot. Four hours in the hot sun with the snake and another bottle of acid, problem solved.
After over three weeks of steady work by us on the house, we decided that enough was enough for now. By Dan’s calculations, Corrie and he had worked over well 400 hours (remember the kids were at work for most of this time); and had accomplished more in three weeks then we had in ten years on our old house on Tiger Tail Rd in Houma. And as usual Corrie did most of the work and especially the tedious tasks like painting, laying tile and grouting! Anyway it was time to leave the kids alone in their first house; and for us to start our trip back to our property in Sultan, WA, almost six weeks later than planned.
2 comments:
Looks a lot more like work than RVing! I don't suppose there were any consulting fees involved?? Kids.
But the home looks good.
Not only harder than RV'ing, but much harder than work. No consulting fees involved, but you know what they say about paybacks are hell?
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