Tag Archives: home ownership

Oh, Yes He Did!

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That silly plumber. Yep, he said it. (To get caught up, read this.)

“Mrs. Engledow, we have another problem.”

As he was blathering on and on and drawing pictures in an effort to get me to grasp the situation, my mind began to wonder and a demonic grin appeared on my face. I grabbed the wrench that he placed dangerously close to my hand, conked him on the head with it, and then chased him out of the house screaming profanities like a drunken sailor. Then, I . . . . . I snapped out of it and politely asked him what he proposed to do about this new “situation”.

Apparently, the manufacturer of our tub and it’s plumbing parts has been out of business for long time and we are one of a very few households in our area that still has this outdated plumbing. Yay, us! We feel so special. So, according to our plumber, the solution is to order yet another special part from a supplier located somewhere in Pennsylvania. And, that means that we get another visit from the plumber!

The same plumber has been in and out of our house for over an entire month, so I think that implies that he’s become part of the family. What do you give someone on your one month anniversary? A house key and a drawer? I can’t remember. If you know, send me a note.

I also followed up with our easy-going tile guy to find out when he will be installing our shower shelves and towel rack, and I have yet to hear back from him. I guess it’s a good thing that we still owe him money. I’m assuming that he’ll want the rest of his money, right?

The one good outcome from this last plumber visit is that we can now use our shower! We can’t take baths, but I can’t remember the last time I took a bath so we’re good. Assuming that his proposed solution of ordering special parts from Pennsylvania actually works, we will be able to take baths by next Thursday if we choose to do so. And. . . . maybe I will.

Oh, and we may also be finished with this episode of “House of Horrors”. Keep your fingers crossed.

Leaky Faucets and Red Wine

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Can I just say, “Fricka, fracka, fudgesicle!”

Homeownership is both a blessing and a curse. At the moment, we are in the curse stage. This tale started innocently on July 2nd with a leaky bathtub faucet. This innocent leak has turned into a $1,000 nightmare. Here we are on August 9th and we still can’t use the shower in the master bath.

Thirty-year old houses can be tricky, but come on! We have a tile guy that I think used be a surfer in his previous life because time seems more like a guideline than a rule and we have a plumber that can’t figure out our thirty year old tub. To borrow a phrase from one of my husband’s cousins, “You only have to be 10% smarter than the tool.” I can see what he means now. (Thanks, Mark!).

If I hear, “Mrs. Engledow, we have another problem” ONE MORE TIME, you may see me on the evening news in handcuffs being dragged from my house while my bewildered children are seen in the background sobbing on the front porch.

Of course, this is all happening as I am going through my radiation treatments. I just want my own shower back. Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so, right?!

Right! Let’s relax and have a glass of red wine. Shall, we?

Red Wine

Home, Sweet, Home

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Okay, it’s official!  I am in-hate with my house.  I’ve always been its greatest fan (even more than my husband) and this is the thanks I get?  Another repair bill?

We dealt with the breaker box incident (no power for 8 hrs on one of the hottest days of the summer) and the water softener snafu (all of dishes were covered with a nice film).  But, yesterday I’m cooking for my mom’s 70th birthday dinner and everything was running smoothly.  I had a sink full of sudsy water for the dirty dishes (I’m one of those cooks that cleans as I go).  I’m chopping, stirring, etc. when I noticed my sudsy water was gone.  What the heck?!  I look under the sink and found the missing water.  Lovely.  So, I look under the sink at the drain and tug on it a bit.  Bada boom bada bing!  When the drain fell into my hands, that solved the mystery of how the water in the sink was now under the sink.  Great.  The side with disposal was still functioning so at least I could continue my meal preparation for my parents once I cleaned up the soggy mess.  That did put me behind a bit, but the meal did eventually get on the table!

We bought this house 9 years ago on a whim – it was the biggest impulse buy we’ve ever made.  We weren’t even really looking for a house and then one Sunday night, a friend of mine called and told me that her neighbor across the street was getting ready to put her house on the market the very next morning.  She said it would be perfect for us and we should consider it.

We had just had our third child and we lived in a house that was a bit of a tight squeeze but manageable, but it didn’t  have a basement.  How nice would it be to have a basement for all the toys, Barbie tent, Bob the Builder work bench,etc.?!  I coerced the hubby into just looking – what was the harm, right?  (It’s similar to looking at puppies – don’t look unless you are ready to commit!).  Well, we called our realtor the next day and were able to go look at the house on Wednesday.  Long story short, two other couples had looked at it as well and made offers (just 2 days after it had been listed!).  We had to make a decision literally after being in the house about an hour – did we want to make an offer or not? 

It was love a first sight for me and I was hooked.  But, the hubby usually has to do market research for about 6 months (consult Consumer Reports, etc) before buying let’s say, a  DVD player so he was freaking out!  Our realtor and I literally talked him into making the largest impulse buy of his life and we started the offer/counter-offer merry-go-round.  We ended up sealing the deal by offering $5,000 above the list price.  Yeah, we won!!

It’s our third house since we’ve been married and it has been my favorite one.  I’ve never wavered in my love for my house (until yesterday).  Yes, it was as old as the hills and yes, it did need an interior make-over when we moved in, but so what!?  Nobody’s perfect. 

Now, I’ve had just about enough!  Everything seems to be falling apart and it started last year.  Last year – water heater replaced, our chimney rebuilt, the kids’ shower re-tiled, wet spot in kitchen ceiling fixed, etc.  When we returned from our vacation last week, we had our water softener fixed ($200), breaker box rebuilt ($1700) and now today, the kitchen sink (see above – $470).  I mean, my goodness!  I know our dryer needs something done (it just squeaks), we need new windows and I’m just waiting for the dishwasher to poop out. 

It’s not a money pit, just old age, right? 

I’m definitely not ready to give up on this house (I have vowed never to move again), but I’m not blindly in love any more.  My eyes have been opened.

Homeownership is not for the flighty or the squeamish 🙂

Update:  Part of the plumbing bill from yesterday was a fixing a drip in our master bathroom shower (which was fixed properly).  But, this morning my hubby jumped in the shower only to find out that our cold is hot and our hot is now cold.  Oh, brother!  Now, I have to wait around for the plumber all day tomorrow to get our mixed up shower straightened out.  Aaahhhh!