Thankfully Laura and I checked out a house across the street with Chris the Realtor on Saturday. I should explain...
A house across the street (1835 North Capitol Street) recently went on the market for $450K. We aren't looking to move, but simply wanted to see the house and track it...and perhaps understand what our house USED to look like. This way we can gauge the current market value of our house.
The house was very well maintained and had many of the old fixtures/fittings that ours lacks. However, the kitchen was smaller, there was no form of A/C, the basement had yet to be worked on (or so we assume from what the top stairs showed us), and all of the radiators were still in place (this probably means that the heating hasn't been updated). From what we could gather, the plumbing WAS updated, as was the electricity, or at least parts of the electricity.
Either way, none of that really matters. What does matter is that Chris the Realtor provided us with contact information for his go to HVAC guy, Dale. Dale the HVACer was able to stop by on Sunday and I was able to see the inner workings of our furnace. Watching him run through checks of the heating circuit and listening to explanations of how the system works was actually great. I don't understand these things, and while I will likely never perform any of the furnace work myself, it's nice to know why, and how, the work is being done. Thankfully, when all was said and done, we had a problem with a switch in the furnace rather than the circuit board.
Dale came by yesterday with a replacement switch and serviced the furnace while he was there. All in all it only took about two hours and everything looks, and feels, good. The whole thing cost just shy of $300. A small price to pay to no longer wear onsey pajamas all over the house.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Deck the Bedroom...
with one too many armoires.
This holiday season Laura and I agreed to pool our gift money together and buy things for the house. Now, this doesn't mean we won't get one another some small, sentimental gifts, but it does mean that big ticket surprise items are out the window. So, knowing that we both want an armoire for upstairs (necessary after the first failed attempt led to an expensive coat closet), we've already gone ahead and brought Christmas home early.
At approximately 4:00 PM today one Mr. Craigslist Silla will be dropping off the armoire pictured above. I won't say how much it cost, but it was under $700 so it's not as if we went completely overboard or anything. Perhaps this is our equivalent of playing Christmas carols in November or leaving our lights up year round?
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
We Didn't Start the Fire...
but we may have to if our heating doesn't kick in.
I returned from a lovely Thanksgiving holiday to a 63 degree house. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem except our thermostat was set at 72 degrees the entire time. A little walking around the house made it abundantly clear that the vent are blowing air, but it is luke warm/cool air.
Naturally, Laura and I went to the basement, pulled the cover off of the heating system, and immediately agreed that we cannot address this problem on our own. All that we could do was read the instructions on the inside panel, look at the blinking lights, and read that we have some circuit issue. What the FRS switch is, I have no idea.
I am in the process of trying to contact our local handyman but have so far been unsuccessful. Let's hope that it is a rather minor issue and he can teach us something about our houses's heating system in the process.
I returned from a lovely Thanksgiving holiday to a 63 degree house. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem except our thermostat was set at 72 degrees the entire time. A little walking around the house made it abundantly clear that the vent are blowing air, but it is luke warm/cool air.
Naturally, Laura and I went to the basement, pulled the cover off of the heating system, and immediately agreed that we cannot address this problem on our own. All that we could do was read the instructions on the inside panel, look at the blinking lights, and read that we have some circuit issue. What the FRS switch is, I have no idea.
I am in the process of trying to contact our local handyman but have so far been unsuccessful. Let's hope that it is a rather minor issue and he can teach us something about our houses's heating system in the process.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Fastest 3 Minutes in Blog Posting
Here are a million photos in an attempt to catch everyone up on what's going on. Rather than going through all the boring diatribe of how we made each purchase, you get my version of performance art. Posting pictures and throwing out words at them. Enjoy.
Picture 1: We purchased three filing cabinets complete with keys. These will help me to organize the many pieces of paperwork that are cluttering our kitchen counter and study floor. I have yet to actual file anything but it's nice to know that I can.
Pictures 2 and 3: We finally bought a bed to replace that horrific IKEA one. It was about $300 cheaper than expected and suits us very well. The only problem at the moment is the kittens constantly scratch the surface every time they climb on and off. You can also see a fairly simple rug that we bought from Target. We are hoping that this keeps the kittens from demolishing our refinished hardwood floors.
Picture 4: This is Laura's new 'vanity' that we've put in the guest bedroom. It will serve as both her place of beautification and work desk. Somehow we managed to fit this into the front seat of her car but that is another story for another time.
Picture 5: We finally broke down and bought a nice 22" TV for the living room to replace the 14" debacle that we previously had set up. It looks nice and makes lazy moments that much better.
Pictures 6 through 9: You may remember just how disgusting the upstairs bathroom was when we moved in. After repeated efforts to clean the shower doors, we decided to rip them out and instead put up a shower curtain. We've installed a towel rack, a hand towel fixture, purchased a new bathmat, and replaced the old calcium fortified bath fixtures. I re-caulked the tub as well, although we may be forced to pull that out and replace it with 100% silicon caulk if it breaks down like the basement bathroom.
Pictures 10, 15 and 16: We bought this armoire off of craigslist with the intention of putting it next to the fireplace in our bedroom. It is enormous and possibly 1/2" too big for that space. For the time being it is downstairs in the living room until we can recruit some strong people to help us carry it upstairs. However, it may just remain downstairs as a coat closet if we can find a different armoire for upstairs.
Pictures 11 and 12: I just bought this table today. It's a zinc-topped console table that will likely reside next to the fireplace in our dining room. I'm not sure what we will do with it but I love these kinds of tables and hadn't spent money in the past half hour, so...
Pictures 13 and 14: Our new (by new I mean used) sofa. We bought it for $200 off craigslist thinking the kittens will tear apart anything we buy right now. It's fairly comfortable although the center sinks in a little more than the outside.
Pictures 16 through 18: On a whim Laura and I thought we'd learn how to tile, starting with the downstairs bar. Sadly, it took about 3 hours to decide on a tile pattern that will cost more than it probably should. Hopefully it all goes well and we're pleased with the final product. These are just potential layouts, but ultimately we'll need some black border and trim pieces before we're ready to lay the tile and grout.
Friday, November 6, 2009
A is for Absence...
and apathy. There is a direct correlation between the two. My general apathy has led to an absence of new postings to this blog. So if absence makes the heart grow fonder, what does apathy do to the body? I should probably not stick around to find out.
But in all seriousness, I will make a good faith effort to revitalize the blog...starting this weekend. Laura and I haven't taken any recent pictures but we are now the proud owners of a new TV (upgrade from 14" to 22"), a slightly used sofa, and an armoire that's too big for any nook or cranny.
The house is actually clean for once thanks to Laura and we've pulled out all of the old, moldy fixtures in the upstairs bathroom. I've re-caulked both tubs at this point but was duped by the DAP kitchen and bath caulk. Instead of curing and leaving us with nice clean tub edges, the caulk chose to break down again into paste upon contact with water. A few quick google searches taught us that 1) this is not an uncommon problem with this brand of caulk, and 2) we will have to pull out all of the new caulk and replace it with 100% silicon caulk. This means that I spent perhaps $40 and two days so that I could pay ACE hardware another $15. Sweet.
I have now worked out a system with Wells Fargo bank where they will pull bi-weekly mortgage payments from my bank account directly. This ensures that 1) I will never make a late payment, and 2) interest payments on the mortgage will drastically decrease over the life of the mortgage. Our next goal is to save up enough money each year that we can make an extra payment or two directly to the principal. It's not essential but definitely desireable.
There are loads of other things that Laura and I have talked about for the house, but they escape me at the moment. I'm sure they'll trickle out over the course of the next few weeks. And we haven't yet rented the basement. Hopefully that will happen sometime in the next month or two. For the time being, making the mortgage payments has been a non-issue.
I feel as if this post has been boring, so here's a joke. A bear walks into a bar and sits down. He says to the bartender, "I'll have...a beer." The bartender says, "Why the pause?" The bear looks down at his hands and after a few minutes responds, "What? These? I was born with them."
Get it? Pause...Paws. Hilarious.
But in all seriousness, I will make a good faith effort to revitalize the blog...starting this weekend. Laura and I haven't taken any recent pictures but we are now the proud owners of a new TV (upgrade from 14" to 22"), a slightly used sofa, and an armoire that's too big for any nook or cranny.
The house is actually clean for once thanks to Laura and we've pulled out all of the old, moldy fixtures in the upstairs bathroom. I've re-caulked both tubs at this point but was duped by the DAP kitchen and bath caulk. Instead of curing and leaving us with nice clean tub edges, the caulk chose to break down again into paste upon contact with water. A few quick google searches taught us that 1) this is not an uncommon problem with this brand of caulk, and 2) we will have to pull out all of the new caulk and replace it with 100% silicon caulk. This means that I spent perhaps $40 and two days so that I could pay ACE hardware another $15. Sweet.
I have now worked out a system with Wells Fargo bank where they will pull bi-weekly mortgage payments from my bank account directly. This ensures that 1) I will never make a late payment, and 2) interest payments on the mortgage will drastically decrease over the life of the mortgage. Our next goal is to save up enough money each year that we can make an extra payment or two directly to the principal. It's not essential but definitely desireable.
There are loads of other things that Laura and I have talked about for the house, but they escape me at the moment. I'm sure they'll trickle out over the course of the next few weeks. And we haven't yet rented the basement. Hopefully that will happen sometime in the next month or two. For the time being, making the mortgage payments has been a non-issue.
I feel as if this post has been boring, so here's a joke. A bear walks into a bar and sits down. He says to the bartender, "I'll have...a beer." The bartender says, "Why the pause?" The bear looks down at his hands and after a few minutes responds, "What? These? I was born with them."
Get it? Pause...Paws. Hilarious.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
8 Day and 8 Nights (Part II)
-- Day 2 (Wednesday): Laura will be teleworking today so that I can head into the office and not feel like a complete degenerate. The floormen continue to work on sanding down the epoxy and layers of paint on the boards and the stairmen begin work on evaluating our stairs. I require Laura to post no less than 300 pictures and send no fewer than 25 text messages every half hour to keep abreast of the work. I drink too much coffee and convince myself that I need to go home to make stair decisions. Laura agrees that this would be best. I make it out of my cube, to the parking lot, and home in about 10 minutes.
We find out that there is no support for the right side of the stairs. Essentially, at some point the base stairs (bottom four) were just built right up to the drywall/plaster but not attached to the drywall. To stick with the letter theme, imagine that each step was like an "F" with the left support being the neck and each stair stretching off of that. We knew the stairs were loose but…
We find out that there is no support for the right side of the stairs. Essentially, at some point the base stairs (bottom four) were just built right up to the drywall/plaster but not attached to the drywall. To stick with the letter theme, imagine that each step was like an "F" with the left support being the neck and each stair stretching off of that. We knew the stairs were loose but…
I'm not sure I needed to be there to agree that the stairs had no support, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
The stairs are being built, as is the frame for another $2500 or so. Ouch.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
8 Days and 8 Nights (Part I)
That's how long it took before everything was completed. That's how long we waited before the kittens could come home. That's how long we've been living in a three floor house as if it were a studio apartment. That's how long it took for me to become nervous about money again (something I haven't entirely felt since college). That's how long it took Laura and I to realize that we made the right decision.
Work on the floors began almost two weeks ago on a Tuesday (September 22nd). A rehashing on those past two weeks begets yet another list in our long list of lists (bear with me, this is going to be a lengthy adventure). Here is the first of a series recapping the floor refinishing process. Enjoy...
-- Day 0 (Monday): I telework thinking the refinishing would begin. I am wrong but am still allowed to telework.
-- Day 1 (Tuesday): A combination of two floormen who speak very little English, my inate ability to mumble anything not said on a sporting field, the 100% drop in volume my voice takes on when attempting to speak another language, and a lot of power tools helps me to realize that I will not be talking to anyone other than Marcela (face person for Premier) if I have any questions.
The carpeting is completely gone and, 'YES!', there is plywood not only over a section of the hallway but the nook in the study as well. The plywood covers an area of roughly 100 square feet and must be pulled up and replaced with new planks of pine. This will add about $1200 to the overall cost.
Marcela calls up her business partner who comes over and explains the breadth of the work to me, now that the carpet is up. A few boards will need to be replaced and, more importantly, the stairs really can't be salvaged. His proposal, build the new stairs. My wallet, getting in shape and slimming down.
Work on the floors began almost two weeks ago on a Tuesday (September 22nd). A rehashing on those past two weeks begets yet another list in our long list of lists (bear with me, this is going to be a lengthy adventure). Here is the first of a series recapping the floor refinishing process. Enjoy...
-- Day 0 (Monday): I telework thinking the refinishing would begin. I am wrong but am still allowed to telework.
-- Day 1 (Tuesday): A combination of two floormen who speak very little English, my inate ability to mumble anything not said on a sporting field, the 100% drop in volume my voice takes on when attempting to speak another language, and a lot of power tools helps me to realize that I will not be talking to anyone other than Marcela (face person for Premier) if I have any questions.
The carpeting is completely gone and, 'YES!', there is plywood not only over a section of the hallway but the nook in the study as well. The plywood covers an area of roughly 100 square feet and must be pulled up and replaced with new planks of pine. This will add about $1200 to the overall cost.
Marcela calls up her business partner who comes over and explains the breadth of the work to me, now that the carpet is up. A few boards will need to be replaced and, more importantly, the stairs really can't be salvaged. His proposal, build the new stairs. My wallet, getting in shape and slimming down.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Houston, We Have Carpet
Laura and I struggled with carpeting over the last few months. First, in deciding what type of carpet we would like to see in the basement, and second, in choosing who we would like to install the carpet. Both of these problems stemmed from the cost of carpeting and the cost of installation. Thankfully, our network of other homeowners yielded a carpeter out in Rockville that agreed to an installation charge of only $150 (this is VERY cheap and on par with some place like Home Depot) and a brand of carpet that fit perfectly in the basement. All in all, the total cost came in roughly $600 under what we had budgeted.
Yet another lucky find in our running list. Perhaps it pays to be atheists after all? I kid.
I Will Walk 5.6 miles...
or maybe it was more like 6.2?
Laura and I have been actively hitting the Craigslist scene again in search of armoires, vanities, and an assortment of other moderately priced items for the house. However, our most recent purchase was a $10 pair of full bed sheets in anticipation of buying a full bed for the spare room. This of course assumes that we'll have guests sometime in the next year. A pick 'em right now according to the Vegas line.
It was a nice day on Friday so I figured, 'hey, why not walk to pick them up.' It has been a few weeks since I last walked the city so I took a deep breath, strapped on my backpack, and hoofed it the 2.9 miles from my office at 441 G street NW to 1536 D street SE. To give you a general idea of what this walked entailed, I went the 8 or 9 blocks south to D street SE and then the 20 or 21 blocks east. Despite sweating profusely the woman still agreed to sell me the sheets. She probably figured that my hygiene could use the cleanliness that comes with new sheets. The joke is on her since the sheets aren't for us.
The walk was so nice that I chose to walk the 15 to 16 blocks back to North Capitol and 19 to 20 blocks north to our house. All of this for $10 sheets...and I suppose a healthy heart.
The sheets look nice but we still have no bed to put them on. We'll keep all of our lovely blog reading fans updated.
I apologize for my recent apathy in posting updates to the blog. Things have been hectic lately and I have not been feeling particularly creative. Perhaps if I start drinking more coffee...
Laura and I have been actively hitting the Craigslist scene again in search of armoires, vanities, and an assortment of other moderately priced items for the house. However, our most recent purchase was a $10 pair of full bed sheets in anticipation of buying a full bed for the spare room. This of course assumes that we'll have guests sometime in the next year. A pick 'em right now according to the Vegas line.
It was a nice day on Friday so I figured, 'hey, why not walk to pick them up.' It has been a few weeks since I last walked the city so I took a deep breath, strapped on my backpack, and hoofed it the 2.9 miles from my office at 441 G street NW to 1536 D street SE. To give you a general idea of what this walked entailed, I went the 8 or 9 blocks south to D street SE and then the 20 or 21 blocks east. Despite sweating profusely the woman still agreed to sell me the sheets. She probably figured that my hygiene could use the cleanliness that comes with new sheets. The joke is on her since the sheets aren't for us.
The walk was so nice that I chose to walk the 15 to 16 blocks back to North Capitol and 19 to 20 blocks north to our house. All of this for $10 sheets...and I suppose a healthy heart.
The sheets look nice but we still have no bed to put them on. We'll keep all of our lovely blog reading fans updated.
I apologize for my recent apathy in posting updates to the blog. Things have been hectic lately and I have not been feeling particularly creative. Perhaps if I start drinking more coffee...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Plumbing Revisited
Given the hectic nature of the past few days, I wanted to put up a quick post with a happy ending.
Yesterday morning our ceiling was leaking again. I was so frustrated that Laura and I talked seriously about cutting out a large portion of the ceiling and not repairing it for a few months simply to make sure no more problems would arise.
David the Plumber came over in the mid-afternoon to take a look. Not only did he talk us out of cutting out the ceiling, he fixed what turned out to be a different plumbing problem: an O-ring broke. After shaking my hand and saying that I'm an alright guy, I asked how much I owed him. His response? 'How much do you want to give me? Got $5? You can give me that.'
It was a nice, money saving ending to what was an otherwise stressful and money draining day.
Yesterday morning our ceiling was leaking again. I was so frustrated that Laura and I talked seriously about cutting out a large portion of the ceiling and not repairing it for a few months simply to make sure no more problems would arise.
David the Plumber came over in the mid-afternoon to take a look. Not only did he talk us out of cutting out the ceiling, he fixed what turned out to be a different plumbing problem: an O-ring broke. After shaking my hand and saying that I'm an alright guy, I asked how much I owed him. His response? 'How much do you want to give me? Got $5? You can give me that.'
It was a nice, money saving ending to what was an otherwise stressful and money draining day.
Oooooo That Smell
Our basement smells like pee. Correction, our basement USED to smell like pee. Caveat, it's not actually pee that is causing the smell in our basement.
Beginning a few weeks ago Laura and I noticed a musty smell emanating from the window area of the basement bedroom. This is why we called in Wall to Wall construction and this is why renting out the basement has been delayed by a few weeks. The Wall Boys took one look inside the wall panels and determined that 1) water was seeping through the exterior wall into the house, and 2) this water was collecting in the dirt that resided between our drywall and exterior wall. I wish that I had taken pictures of the repair process because the amount of dirt in that wall was mindblowing. Either way, the Wall Boys cut out a section of drywall, cleaned out all of the dirt and debris, re-pointed the interior portion of the brick wall (underground exterior wall), coated the wall with sealant, and replaced the old section of drywall. The work was slighltly more expensive than planned (additional $200 to re-point), but at least the problem was resolved. Right?
Fast forward to last week when I noticed that the smell was lingering. For a mental image, picture that our drywall near that window was brought to you by the letter "L." They fixed up the longer portion, but the ever important base that makes the letter a capital went uncared for. I am still kicking myself for not having them clean out the entire thing but there's no use crying over spilled milk. We were lucky and have a panel in that wall to afford easy access and a handy neighbor willing to lend us his Shop-Vac. So it was with complete disregard for our health that Laura and I took to sucking out that wall until it would suck no more.
The results? I'm fairly certain that at one point in time this section of the wall was a rats nest. The rationale? Among many other things (including two old beer cans) we sucked up a plethora of bones, insulation pulled out from the wall and balled up into what one might call a 'nest', and...half of a rat carcass.
Who knows if this is the cause of the smell or if similar rat nests were trapped in other portions of the wall when they fixed up the basement. What we do know is that this section is now Mat and Laura tested and Mat and Laura approved, and that is what really matters. With such a mess having been stuck in this wall for such a long time, it's unclear how long it will take to air out. I'm remaining optimistic and will scope it out again in a few days once the floors have been refinished.
The moral of this story? Thank god there is no such thing as a zombie rat.
Beginning a few weeks ago Laura and I noticed a musty smell emanating from the window area of the basement bedroom. This is why we called in Wall to Wall construction and this is why renting out the basement has been delayed by a few weeks. The Wall Boys took one look inside the wall panels and determined that 1) water was seeping through the exterior wall into the house, and 2) this water was collecting in the dirt that resided between our drywall and exterior wall. I wish that I had taken pictures of the repair process because the amount of dirt in that wall was mindblowing. Either way, the Wall Boys cut out a section of drywall, cleaned out all of the dirt and debris, re-pointed the interior portion of the brick wall (underground exterior wall), coated the wall with sealant, and replaced the old section of drywall. The work was slighltly more expensive than planned (additional $200 to re-point), but at least the problem was resolved. Right?
Fast forward to last week when I noticed that the smell was lingering. For a mental image, picture that our drywall near that window was brought to you by the letter "L." They fixed up the longer portion, but the ever important base that makes the letter a capital went uncared for. I am still kicking myself for not having them clean out the entire thing but there's no use crying over spilled milk. We were lucky and have a panel in that wall to afford easy access and a handy neighbor willing to lend us his Shop-Vac. So it was with complete disregard for our health that Laura and I took to sucking out that wall until it would suck no more.
The results? I'm fairly certain that at one point in time this section of the wall was a rats nest. The rationale? Among many other things (including two old beer cans) we sucked up a plethora of bones, insulation pulled out from the wall and balled up into what one might call a 'nest', and...half of a rat carcass.
Who knows if this is the cause of the smell or if similar rat nests were trapped in other portions of the wall when they fixed up the basement. What we do know is that this section is now Mat and Laura tested and Mat and Laura approved, and that is what really matters. With such a mess having been stuck in this wall for such a long time, it's unclear how long it will take to air out. I'm remaining optimistic and will scope it out again in a few days once the floors have been refinished.
The moral of this story? Thank god there is no such thing as a zombie rat.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Flooring Update
The refinishers come today. I've pulled up some of the carpeting on the 2nd floor over the past few days and I really have no idea what to expect. Plywood seems to have been put down over part of the flooring and other sections have seriously beat up hardwood underneath. We should know more once all of the carpet is gone, but our estimate may skyrocket.
Laura and I received a third estimate for the work which will save us about $1300, so that's good. However, if we need to build all new stairs and replace a large portion of the floorboards, we'll need all the savings that we can handle.
I will take pictures and provide an update after all of the work has been completed.
Laura and I received a third estimate for the work which will save us about $1300, so that's good. However, if we need to build all new stairs and replace a large portion of the floorboards, we'll need all the savings that we can handle.
I will take pictures and provide an update after all of the work has been completed.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Where There Is Salvaged Goods, I'll Be There
I realize that sentence is not proper grammar.
I was looking through random pictures today and inadvertently stumbled across Community Forklift: http://communityforklift.com/index.cfm. At its foundation, this is a thrift store for household items. They have everything from nails selling at 50 cents a pound to entire doors and windows, cast iron sinks, etc. For those that know me, it is easy to understand why I'm so excited about this place.
I'm probably not their ideal shopper but who cares. So I like salvaged goods because I dislike paying people for anything other than food. That doesn't mean I can't go to this place with green intentions as well. I will wear a 'Save Our Farms' t-shirt just so there is no confusion. I tend to believe that you spend your money on the larger or less tangible things; friends, family, vacations, etc. In the case of homeownership, that would be restoring the floors, repairing leaks, fixing the foundation, etc. While our Crate and Barrel bookshelves are nice, I don't think Laura and I would like a house full of marked up commercial items. Cue Community Forklift.
Suffice it to say, Laura and I have big plans for this place. We've talked about building everything under the sun and now, with access to cheap lumber, we can turn those dreams into reality. Just remember that whenever you come and visit your bed, deck and roof may or may not have been made by us. Please plan and dress accordingly.
I was looking through random pictures today and inadvertently stumbled across Community Forklift: http://communityforklift.com/index.cfm. At its foundation, this is a thrift store for household items. They have everything from nails selling at 50 cents a pound to entire doors and windows, cast iron sinks, etc. For those that know me, it is easy to understand why I'm so excited about this place.
I'm probably not their ideal shopper but who cares. So I like salvaged goods because I dislike paying people for anything other than food. That doesn't mean I can't go to this place with green intentions as well. I will wear a 'Save Our Farms' t-shirt just so there is no confusion. I tend to believe that you spend your money on the larger or less tangible things; friends, family, vacations, etc. In the case of homeownership, that would be restoring the floors, repairing leaks, fixing the foundation, etc. While our Crate and Barrel bookshelves are nice, I don't think Laura and I would like a house full of marked up commercial items. Cue Community Forklift.
Suffice it to say, Laura and I have big plans for this place. We've talked about building everything under the sun and now, with access to cheap lumber, we can turn those dreams into reality. Just remember that whenever you come and visit your bed, deck and roof may or may not have been made by us. Please plan and dress accordingly.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Say Hello to Our Little Friends
Welcome the newest additions to the North Capitol household. While they are currently known as Sheba (triple-toned) and Cleo (black and white), Laura and I are undergoing a rigorous process to brainstorm and vet new names. Punky and Bruiser? Soup and Spoon? Pancake and Snorkel? Other inanimate objects? Who knows.
Both kittens were adopted from a stray litter found in our neighborhood and are great additions to the house.
To Refinish Or Not To Refinish...
that is our question. Refinishing the hardwood on the second level and main staircase is expensive. I don't mean buying organic versus corner store expensive, I mean eating bologna sandwiches for dinner expensive.
Laura and I will need to make a number of expensive decisions in the near future:
-- What sort of carpeting do we put down in the basement and who do we have install it (Home Depot, moderate contractor, someone more expensive but very trustworthy)?
-- What furniture do we need in the coming months? Do we attempt to furnish both the bedroom and the living room? Do we simply buy a bed rather than an entire bedroom set?
Our problem is the same as most people's, we only have so much money. In the past, I would have simply slept on an old futon, continued to have Laura's queen bed sit on the floor, or bought something cheap from IKEA. But, although this would help financially, it defeats the purpose of owning our house. We will never be exorbitant in what we buy, but it's time for us to buy some nice things that fit our tastes rather than filler or transitional furniture. This house should be a place that we love to live in. This house should reflect who we are. This house should grow as we grow.
So, with that in mind, refinishing the floors may make sense right now. 1) It will lay a foundation for how we will develop each of the rooms on the second floor, 2) we will be taking care of this BEFORE owning a lot of furniture (everything must be removed prior to refinishing), and, most importantly, 3) it will add to the love that we have for this house. Side story: Laura cleaned the carpeting on our stairs about two weeks ago. We have talked about how clean the stairs are at least once a day and take serious enjoyment out of walking up and down these stairs. In fact, we're so obsessed with these stairs that I'm faily certain the combination of a clean refinished floor and our love of wood would result in spontaneous combustion. Sometimes you just have to push the envelope.
I had two people come by the house this past Friday. The first was a flooring expert recommended to us by Tristan the Fellow Homeowner who recently refinished, and replaced, his hardwood floors. The rep showed up in a full suit and proceeded to tell me that 1) the floors could not be refinished, 2) it would cost $9000 to put in new hardwood floors on the second floor, and 3) he recommended recarpeting instead which he estimated would cost between $3500 and $5000. This visit crushed both Laura and I. About two hours later the general contractor came by to look at a repair we need to make in the basement. On a whim, I asked him to also look at the floors. He took the time to walk through the process of refinishing the floors, explain why the floors were in the shape they were in, and, ultimately, assured me that they could be saved.
Perhaps it's the simple relief that the floors can be refinished that has brought on this desire or perhaps it is the fact that we may or may not contract hepititis from our current carpeting. Whatever the reason, Laura and I are very close to making out first major decision in the household. Well, other than the one that we've already made (will follow in the next post)...
Laura and I will need to make a number of expensive decisions in the near future:
-- What sort of carpeting do we put down in the basement and who do we have install it (Home Depot, moderate contractor, someone more expensive but very trustworthy)?
-- What furniture do we need in the coming months? Do we attempt to furnish both the bedroom and the living room? Do we simply buy a bed rather than an entire bedroom set?
Our problem is the same as most people's, we only have so much money. In the past, I would have simply slept on an old futon, continued to have Laura's queen bed sit on the floor, or bought something cheap from IKEA. But, although this would help financially, it defeats the purpose of owning our house. We will never be exorbitant in what we buy, but it's time for us to buy some nice things that fit our tastes rather than filler or transitional furniture. This house should be a place that we love to live in. This house should reflect who we are. This house should grow as we grow.
So, with that in mind, refinishing the floors may make sense right now. 1) It will lay a foundation for how we will develop each of the rooms on the second floor, 2) we will be taking care of this BEFORE owning a lot of furniture (everything must be removed prior to refinishing), and, most importantly, 3) it will add to the love that we have for this house. Side story: Laura cleaned the carpeting on our stairs about two weeks ago. We have talked about how clean the stairs are at least once a day and take serious enjoyment out of walking up and down these stairs. In fact, we're so obsessed with these stairs that I'm faily certain the combination of a clean refinished floor and our love of wood would result in spontaneous combustion. Sometimes you just have to push the envelope.
I had two people come by the house this past Friday. The first was a flooring expert recommended to us by Tristan the Fellow Homeowner who recently refinished, and replaced, his hardwood floors. The rep showed up in a full suit and proceeded to tell me that 1) the floors could not be refinished, 2) it would cost $9000 to put in new hardwood floors on the second floor, and 3) he recommended recarpeting instead which he estimated would cost between $3500 and $5000. This visit crushed both Laura and I. About two hours later the general contractor came by to look at a repair we need to make in the basement. On a whim, I asked him to also look at the floors. He took the time to walk through the process of refinishing the floors, explain why the floors were in the shape they were in, and, ultimately, assured me that they could be saved.
Perhaps it's the simple relief that the floors can be refinished that has brought on this desire or perhaps it is the fact that we may or may not contract hepititis from our current carpeting. Whatever the reason, Laura and I are very close to making out first major decision in the household. Well, other than the one that we've already made (will follow in the next post)...
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
What Happens in Vegas...
stays in Vegas. And by 'happens' I mean my money.
Laura and I took a trip out to Vegas this past week to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday. While fun, it definitely took a chunk out of my wallet.
Word of advice to anyone that has just bought a home: Don't go to Vegas. Lesson learned. I wonder if AC is a different story...
Laura and I took a trip out to Vegas this past week to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday. While fun, it definitely took a chunk out of my wallet.
Word of advice to anyone that has just bought a home: Don't go to Vegas. Lesson learned. I wonder if AC is a different story...
Friday, August 28, 2009
SOS, We Need Help
Today's caption is brought to you courtesy of the Suicide Machines. Suicide Machines, bringing decades of punk rock music to confused teenagers.
Last night JoAnn the mother took a shower. Last night I heard the echo of rain from the basement. Last night we learned that our shower is leaking into living room. Last night I cried.
It seems that some component of the bathtub is not quite right. Laura and I are unsure whether it is an issue with caulking, there is a leaky pipe running through the ceiling, or there is some other issue. What we do know is that it has reached a head and water began dripping from the living room ceiling last night. We can see where the ceiling is beginning to crack along the drywall seams, which means that we'll likely need to replace a few drywall panels once we fix the leak.
I've repeatedly heard over the past few weeks that being a homeowner sucks, or at least that it is a lot of work. I'm slowly realizing what all the fuss is about.
Update: David the Plumber stopped by this morning and the source of the leak...an inadequately tightened PVC valve. The S trap has four pipes running into it. In theory, each of these pipes should be tightened at the S trap. One was not, causing it to leak when the bathtub drained. David's help cost much less than we anticipated and after letting the area 'breath' for a week everything should be right as rain.
Last night JoAnn the mother took a shower. Last night I heard the echo of rain from the basement. Last night we learned that our shower is leaking into living room. Last night I cried.
It seems that some component of the bathtub is not quite right. Laura and I are unsure whether it is an issue with caulking, there is a leaky pipe running through the ceiling, or there is some other issue. What we do know is that it has reached a head and water began dripping from the living room ceiling last night. We can see where the ceiling is beginning to crack along the drywall seams, which means that we'll likely need to replace a few drywall panels once we fix the leak.
I've repeatedly heard over the past few weeks that being a homeowner sucks, or at least that it is a lot of work. I'm slowly realizing what all the fuss is about.
Update: David the Plumber stopped by this morning and the source of the leak...an inadequately tightened PVC valve. The S trap has four pipes running into it. In theory, each of these pipes should be tightened at the S trap. One was not, causing it to leak when the bathtub drained. David's help cost much less than we anticipated and after letting the area 'breath' for a week everything should be right as rain.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
I Fought the Toilet...
and the toilet won. Or so it would have you believe.
Following the ritualistic tearing up of carpet, it is finally time to paint the basement. We cleaned the baseboards, taped off the walls (of which there are A TON) and laid down the primer. The entire process took roughly a day and a half considering I took the project on while waiting for the ADT security service guy and for my car to be repaired.
For the most part, the process was simply long but not altogether difficult. However, I just primed the basement bathroom today and painting around that toilet rocked my world. When combined with the upstairs toilet matchbox car incident, it's Toilets: 2 - Homeowners: 0.
We plan to paint the entire living area of the basement this evening.
I have also uploaded new pictures. Flickr is restricting the number of uploads that I can make, so I've put these on Picasa. They are essentially just pictures from tearing up the carpetting and laying down the primer. You can view the pictures here.
Mrs. Putnam Goes to Washington
Cliche title you say? I say stop speaking French.
Following our quick jaunt to sunny and unbearably hot Dallas, Texas, we had the pleasure of hosting Laura's mom at the new house. Her visit provided us with the perfect excuse to eat at our new dining room table for the first time. Drawing upon our weeklong experience of homeownership improvization, we were forced to hang a sheet across the dining room bay window. Our dinner looked that good.
The dinner was lovely and JoAnn the Mother gave us tons of tips on what cleaning products to use with various stains. We took two things away from the day: 1) JoAnn the Mother is the MacGyver of household cleaning, and 2) it is incredibly difficult to complete major house renovation tasks during the work week.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Status Update...
1) We ripped up all of the basement carpeting and padding Wednesday afternoon. Underneath is concrete, some of which smells and some of which does not smell. We also swept the entire basement. It was all very exciting.
2) I took apart the shower doors in order to clean the mold. I forgot how to put the doors back together so now we are 'bath' people. Just kidding. We eventually put the doors back together although they still aren't completely clean.
3) I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday to buy a garbage/recycling can. We have multiple 20% off one item coupons for this store; however, they did not have the garbage can that we were looking for. I freaked out and bought a mop and various cleaning supplies instead. We saved $5. Ouch...
4) We assembled Laura's bed. We reassembled Laura's bed two more times. We disassembled Laura's bed last night and will burn it tomorrow in protest of the IKEA gods.
5) The upstairs refridgerator has a bit of a funk to it that seems to be driving Laura crazy. We may purchase a new fridge as a result.
6) We hung one blind, one dress, and one table cloth in front of the upstairs windows to give us some privacy. All of the other windows are still sans blinds.
7) We bought and erected bookshelves from Crate and Barrel. We learned that we have far too many books, VHS tapes, and about the right number of DVDs.
8) There are more radios in the house than TVs (two to one ratio, in that we have two radios -- you can do the math on TVs). The screen on the radios is as big as the screen on our TV. There are no screens on our radios.
9) We bought a set of non-stick pots and pans. We have no microwaveable plates or bowls so we microwave our plastic camping plates because, although cracked now, we can throw them away once we invest in real plates. We have two knives, two forks, and two spoons.
10) This weekend marks the end of four straight in which Laura and I have not been in DC (we fly to Texas this afternoon). It will be nice to finally have a full weekend to work on the house. (Editor's Note: I just remembered that Laura is driving to New York next weekend and I will be in PA next Sunday for the 8:05 PM Phillies game).
That's all folks.
2) I took apart the shower doors in order to clean the mold. I forgot how to put the doors back together so now we are 'bath' people. Just kidding. We eventually put the doors back together although they still aren't completely clean.
3) I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday to buy a garbage/recycling can. We have multiple 20% off one item coupons for this store; however, they did not have the garbage can that we were looking for. I freaked out and bought a mop and various cleaning supplies instead. We saved $5. Ouch...
4) We assembled Laura's bed. We reassembled Laura's bed two more times. We disassembled Laura's bed last night and will burn it tomorrow in protest of the IKEA gods.
5) The upstairs refridgerator has a bit of a funk to it that seems to be driving Laura crazy. We may purchase a new fridge as a result.
6) We hung one blind, one dress, and one table cloth in front of the upstairs windows to give us some privacy. All of the other windows are still sans blinds.
7) We bought and erected bookshelves from Crate and Barrel. We learned that we have far too many books, VHS tapes, and about the right number of DVDs.
8) There are more radios in the house than TVs (two to one ratio, in that we have two radios -- you can do the math on TVs). The screen on the radios is as big as the screen on our TV. There are no screens on our radios.
9) We bought a set of non-stick pots and pans. We have no microwaveable plates or bowls so we microwave our plastic camping plates because, although cracked now, we can throw them away once we invest in real plates. We have two knives, two forks, and two spoons.
10) This weekend marks the end of four straight in which Laura and I have not been in DC (we fly to Texas this afternoon). It will be nice to finally have a full weekend to work on the house. (Editor's Note: I just remembered that Laura is driving to New York next weekend and I will be in PA next Sunday for the 8:05 PM Phillies game).
That's all folks.
Woof...
that's the sound a big dog makes. Stupidity, that's the sound a big group of teenagers make anytime after 10:00 at night; as in the group of teenagers that greeted Laura and I on our first night sleeping at North Capitol.
For some context: Laura and I had just spent a very nice weekend down at the Jersey shore and were looking forward to our first night together in the house. Because we chose to get on the road late Monday night, we didn't arrive until around 10:00 or 10:30 PM. We also had no shades on any of our windows and very little material goods in the house. So, after what seemed to be an endless battle setting up Laura's bed (it has since been dismantled after breaking three times in two days) we were ready for some sleep. At that same time, a group of about 8 teenagers gathered on the corner of T and North Capitol and proceeded to be loud for the next few hours. This also begs the question. What on Earth could anyone talk about for that amount of time that would require the information to be yelled? Perhaps they were expressing their love for freedom? Their love for America? Their love for that concrete paved street corner? Needless to say, Laura and I made a snap decision and moved into the far back bedroom to a night of restless sleep on my salvaged futon. In response, we went to Home Depot the following night and purchased one, yes count it, one window shade. Our other windows are now covered by a dress and a table cloth; and yes, we're both MacGyver's in training. Perhaps that's why the teenagers haven't congregated on that corner since.
As this is a bonus feature, I'll regale everyone with one other story. This Monday, we arrived to a post-it from UPS saying that I had missed a delivery. Their scheduled 2nd attempt would, of course, be scheduled for the following day between 10:30 AM until 2:00 PM. Is it reasonable to assume that anyone will be home during the afternoon on a weekday in order to sign for a package? Or course not. Does it matter? Of course not. So, I came home Tuesday to another post-it from UPS, this one re-asserting their commitment to deliver my package during afternoon hours (final delivery attempt was scheduled for Wednesday from 10:30 AM until 2:00 PM). I chose to call the UPS bluff and left work early on Wednesday to wait for my package. As the hours ticked by I decided to call Laura and have her track the package. The answer? The package would not be delivered on account of some problem involving my hand and a signiature. The result? The package would now be delivered the following day (Thursday) during...you guessed it, the afternoon.
Not to be undone, I called UPS and told them I would pick up the package myself, to which they responded that someone would call me back within the hour. An hour later, my phone lit up telling me (via voicemail) that Brad would allow my package to be picked up between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM that evening. No address, no return phone number, no last name, no love.
I called UPS main and determined that my package was most definitely, maybe, probably at the Landover, Maryland location; however, UPS was not allowed to give me a number for that service location. In searching for the UPS service location phone number with my trusted friend Mr. Google, I happened across two things: 1) a Yelp site where 8 people had submitted reviews of the Landover UPS site. The reviews were ALL one star and each told of a story in which the person had been permanently jaded, were forced to take a scalding hot shower following their experience, and, in one case, where the UPS debacle meant a person did not receive their time-sensitive medication until 4 or 5 days after it was needed (I am not joking about this last one); and, 2) in July 2009, ATF agents arrested two Landover UPS employees for...wait for it...little more...selling handguns and semi-automatic rifles out of a duffel bag in the the UPS parking lot during afternoon business hours. See an article here.
It was with hat in hand that I arrived at UPS late Wednesday night with low expectations. Although the line was backed up and the employees looked utterly miserable, the entire experience only took about 15 minutes. Sadly, the Verizon high speed internet equipment that I picked up has since wrecked Laura's computer.
Alas, a tip of my cap to you UPS. Well played sir, well played...
For some context: Laura and I had just spent a very nice weekend down at the Jersey shore and were looking forward to our first night together in the house. Because we chose to get on the road late Monday night, we didn't arrive until around 10:00 or 10:30 PM. We also had no shades on any of our windows and very little material goods in the house. So, after what seemed to be an endless battle setting up Laura's bed (it has since been dismantled after breaking three times in two days) we were ready for some sleep. At that same time, a group of about 8 teenagers gathered on the corner of T and North Capitol and proceeded to be loud for the next few hours. This also begs the question. What on Earth could anyone talk about for that amount of time that would require the information to be yelled? Perhaps they were expressing their love for freedom? Their love for America? Their love for that concrete paved street corner? Needless to say, Laura and I made a snap decision and moved into the far back bedroom to a night of restless sleep on my salvaged futon. In response, we went to Home Depot the following night and purchased one, yes count it, one window shade. Our other windows are now covered by a dress and a table cloth; and yes, we're both MacGyver's in training. Perhaps that's why the teenagers haven't congregated on that corner since.
As this is a bonus feature, I'll regale everyone with one other story. This Monday, we arrived to a post-it from UPS saying that I had missed a delivery. Their scheduled 2nd attempt would, of course, be scheduled for the following day between 10:30 AM until 2:00 PM. Is it reasonable to assume that anyone will be home during the afternoon on a weekday in order to sign for a package? Or course not. Does it matter? Of course not. So, I came home Tuesday to another post-it from UPS, this one re-asserting their commitment to deliver my package during afternoon hours (final delivery attempt was scheduled for Wednesday from 10:30 AM until 2:00 PM). I chose to call the UPS bluff and left work early on Wednesday to wait for my package. As the hours ticked by I decided to call Laura and have her track the package. The answer? The package would not be delivered on account of some problem involving my hand and a signiature. The result? The package would now be delivered the following day (Thursday) during...you guessed it, the afternoon.
Not to be undone, I called UPS and told them I would pick up the package myself, to which they responded that someone would call me back within the hour. An hour later, my phone lit up telling me (via voicemail) that Brad would allow my package to be picked up between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM that evening. No address, no return phone number, no last name, no love.
I called UPS main and determined that my package was most definitely, maybe, probably at the Landover, Maryland location; however, UPS was not allowed to give me a number for that service location. In searching for the UPS service location phone number with my trusted friend Mr. Google, I happened across two things: 1) a Yelp site where 8 people had submitted reviews of the Landover UPS site. The reviews were ALL one star and each told of a story in which the person had been permanently jaded, were forced to take a scalding hot shower following their experience, and, in one case, where the UPS debacle meant a person did not receive their time-sensitive medication until 4 or 5 days after it was needed (I am not joking about this last one); and, 2) in July 2009, ATF agents arrested two Landover UPS employees for...wait for it...little more...selling handguns and semi-automatic rifles out of a duffel bag in the the UPS parking lot during afternoon business hours. See an article here.
It was with hat in hand that I arrived at UPS late Wednesday night with low expectations. Although the line was backed up and the employees looked utterly miserable, the entire experience only took about 15 minutes. Sadly, the Verizon high speed internet equipment that I picked up has since wrecked Laura's computer.
Alas, a tip of my cap to you UPS. Well played sir, well played...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
This Coffee is Making Me Angry
I have no time, hence no post. I did however manage to upload a few more pictures. They are under 'Moving Pictures' on our Flickr account.
You can view the pictures here.
I promise to write another installment in the next day or two. It will be much easier once Laura and I have Internet at the house. Sadly, the UPS guy is doing all he can to make this not happen. He insists on delivering our equipment between the hours of 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM. Perhaps he is in leagues with DirectTV...
You can view the pictures here.
I promise to write another installment in the next day or two. It will be much easier once Laura and I have Internet at the house. Sadly, the UPS guy is doing all he can to make this not happen. He insists on delivering our equipment between the hours of 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM. Perhaps he is in leagues with DirectTV...
Friday, August 14, 2009
Green Living
Although I had to drive to Mt. Vernon to get it, I love the new table in the front window. Made from reclaimed lumber by the woman who sold it to us, it fits in perfectly with our vision of the room and our attempt to create a green healthy living space. (I just made that up...I hope Mat agrees:) Pictures, Pictures Everywhere...
Thanks to a friendly reminder from Laura that we need to capture the moving in process, I've taken the liberty of posting a few pictures from our move. They aren't much but we'll be adding to them as the house is set up.
View the new pictures here.
As the pictures can attest, we do not have many things and even less space to put them (plan to buy bookshelves today to partially remedy this situation). You can also see how our first two purchases look in the new house (dining and sofa tables).
View the new pictures here.
As the pictures can attest, we do not have many things and even less space to put them (plan to buy bookshelves today to partially remedy this situation). You can also see how our first two purchases look in the new house (dining and sofa tables).
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Too Much Wood...
makes dining a dull room. Actually, I just like the quote almost as much as Laura and I love things made out of wood.
Laura and I held a quorum and agreed that this sofa table would fit in nicely with our vision for the dining room. Lets hope that it feels the same way about us (and that we hear back from the Craigslist poster).
I Want To Rock and Roll All Night...
and not pay any property taxes.
We have run into our first minor snags in the adventures of first time home ownership. I came into work today to find two emails, one from Gemini Title and another from Chris the Realtor. Gemini Title informed me that I am required to pay $2,900 (and change) in second half property taxes. Chris informed me that the Gemini request was legit.
After 10 minutes of sending spontaneous emails that ran the gamut of rehab program emotions, I opened my settlement paperwork. You know what? Gemini was right. I was credited about $1,900 (and change) at closing to pay for property taxes from April 1st through August 3rd (we closed on August 4th). So, in reality the roughly $5,000 that we thought was saved at closing is really more like $3,000. Still not bad for a day's work.
Sadly, this minor irritation came on the back of yesterday's debacle with DirectTV. Some context: a representative from ADT (security company) came by on Monday to survey the house and recommend a security system makeup for the house. All is well, but the security system requires a hard line to run through.
This meant that on Tuesday, Laura and I decided to purchase the bundled Verizon package (Internet, phone, cable). The phone? No problem. The Internet? It will be installed on August 20th. The cable? DirectTV (Verizon's cable service) asks customers which 4-hour (YES, FOUR HOUR!!!!!!) window they'd like. I chose yesterday (Wednesday) from noon-4:00, keeping in mind that Laura and I had softball later that evening (6:30 PM). In anticipation, I left work around 11:45 and spent the first few hours unloading my remaining junk, setting up our 14-inch TV (pictures to come), cleaning some of the windows, and measuring out all of the window enclaves for blinds. This took me until about 3:30, whereupon I receive a call from DirectTV saying my guy will be over in 25 minutes. At 5:00, after getting lost, he shows up. He was really nice but then proceeded to take until 6:30 to set up the box and satellite that I anticipated having finished by 3:30.
Needless to say, I was late for the game, felt like I had wasted the entire day waiting around, and was all around frustrated. Oh well, a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of things.
We have run into our first minor snags in the adventures of first time home ownership. I came into work today to find two emails, one from Gemini Title and another from Chris the Realtor. Gemini Title informed me that I am required to pay $2,900 (and change) in second half property taxes. Chris informed me that the Gemini request was legit.
After 10 minutes of sending spontaneous emails that ran the gamut of rehab program emotions, I opened my settlement paperwork. You know what? Gemini was right. I was credited about $1,900 (and change) at closing to pay for property taxes from April 1st through August 3rd (we closed on August 4th). So, in reality the roughly $5,000 that we thought was saved at closing is really more like $3,000. Still not bad for a day's work.
Sadly, this minor irritation came on the back of yesterday's debacle with DirectTV. Some context: a representative from ADT (security company) came by on Monday to survey the house and recommend a security system makeup for the house. All is well, but the security system requires a hard line to run through.
This meant that on Tuesday, Laura and I decided to purchase the bundled Verizon package (Internet, phone, cable). The phone? No problem. The Internet? It will be installed on August 20th. The cable? DirectTV (Verizon's cable service) asks customers which 4-hour (YES, FOUR HOUR!!!!!!) window they'd like. I chose yesterday (Wednesday) from noon-4:00, keeping in mind that Laura and I had softball later that evening (6:30 PM). In anticipation, I left work around 11:45 and spent the first few hours unloading my remaining junk, setting up our 14-inch TV (pictures to come), cleaning some of the windows, and measuring out all of the window enclaves for blinds. This took me until about 3:30, whereupon I receive a call from DirectTV saying my guy will be over in 25 minutes. At 5:00, after getting lost, he shows up. He was really nice but then proceeded to take until 6:30 to set up the box and satellite that I anticipated having finished by 3:30.
Needless to say, I was late for the game, felt like I had wasted the entire day waiting around, and was all around frustrated. Oh well, a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of things.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
And Then There Was One
Today is my last day in the Cleveland Park house. Tomorrow, I will move into North Capitol full time followed by Laura on the 15th.
We spent yesterday airing out the fridge and cleaning up the bathroom a bit. This was one of 9 million small projects that we have identified over the past week and half. Other include:
-- replacing various fixture covers
-- attaching/re-tracking doors
-- building a rock wall on the back patio
-- learning about mid-sized plant life that can dominate
-- building everything that our house needs
-- re-upholstering everything our house needs
-- building two additions by hand using only a hammer
Yes, the last few were sarcastic, but we are both very excited to become more handy and take on as many projects as we think we can handle.
On a side note, I found out Friday that my driver's license had been suspended for the past two months, unbeknownst to me (long story). I was able to remedy this on Monday thanks in large part to the most helpful DMV woman that I have had the pleasure to meet. All is right with the world.
We spent yesterday airing out the fridge and cleaning up the bathroom a bit. This was one of 9 million small projects that we have identified over the past week and half. Other include:
-- replacing various fixture covers
-- attaching/re-tracking doors
-- building a rock wall on the back patio
-- learning about mid-sized plant life that can dominate
-- building everything that our house needs
-- re-upholstering everything our house needs
-- building two additions by hand using only a hammer
Yes, the last few were sarcastic, but we are both very excited to become more handy and take on as many projects as we think we can handle.
On a side note, I found out Friday that my driver's license had been suspended for the past two months, unbeknownst to me (long story). I was able to remedy this on Monday thanks in large part to the most helpful DMV woman that I have had the pleasure to meet. All is right with the world.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Whirlwind Bore
For those that have been anxiously checking this blog with bated breath, I apologize. For everyone else, you should have been.
Monday seemed a fitting day to schedule the closing. It was the start of a new work week and the start of homeownership, the first Monday in the month and our first time buying a new home, the 3rd of August and we like the number 3. Basically, it was destiny.
The actual closing consisted of signing lots of pieces of paper in a minimal amount of time while Chris the Realtor offered moral support and Jack the Gentleman Closer (no joke, his business card says something to that effect) made jokes about everything. Fun fact for the day: John is a tool and was not enjoyable to be around for an hour. Highlights from the actual settlement: 1) Bank of America had not yet approved the settlement figures, although somehow this had no bearing on my completion of settlement paperwork (still haven't figured out that one) (update: BOA signed off on the costs the following day), 2) closing costs were about $5000 less than anticipated, 3) Gemini Title & Escrow would not accept my cashier's check because it was for $5000 more than the closing costs and requested that I cancel the check and wire them the closing costs following settlement, and 4) all of the documentation had my full name (including middle initial) which meant that my signiature took about twice as long.
Since Monday, Laura and I have been moving things over to the new place and cleaning/prepping the house to be lived in. I changed all nine door locks to the tune of some $600 and paid David the Plumber $250 to repair all of the water issues found during our home inspection (more on this in a later post). Next up will be re-carpetting the basement and painting everything.
Oh, and we bought the Balinese table and chairs. They are perfect.
Monday seemed a fitting day to schedule the closing. It was the start of a new work week and the start of homeownership, the first Monday in the month and our first time buying a new home, the 3rd of August and we like the number 3. Basically, it was destiny.
The actual closing consisted of signing lots of pieces of paper in a minimal amount of time while Chris the Realtor offered moral support and Jack the Gentleman Closer (no joke, his business card says something to that effect) made jokes about everything. Fun fact for the day: John is a tool and was not enjoyable to be around for an hour. Highlights from the actual settlement: 1) Bank of America had not yet approved the settlement figures, although somehow this had no bearing on my completion of settlement paperwork (still haven't figured out that one) (update: BOA signed off on the costs the following day), 2) closing costs were about $5000 less than anticipated, 3) Gemini Title & Escrow would not accept my cashier's check because it was for $5000 more than the closing costs and requested that I cancel the check and wire them the closing costs following settlement, and 4) all of the documentation had my full name (including middle initial) which meant that my signiature took about twice as long.
Since Monday, Laura and I have been moving things over to the new place and cleaning/prepping the house to be lived in. I changed all nine door locks to the tune of some $600 and paid David the Plumber $250 to repair all of the water issues found during our home inspection (more on this in a later post). Next up will be re-carpetting the basement and painting everything.
Oh, and we bought the Balinese table and chairs. They are perfect.
Friday, July 31, 2009
If a Table is Bought Before You Own a House...
does it cease to be useful? This is a minor dilemma in my ongoing struggle between being productive at work and searching craigslist for furniture that represents our vision for the house. Most recently I ran across what looks to be a beautiful wood table (ignore the crack running the length of one side) and 6 chairs that accompany it (still debating whether these would remain in the house at the dinner table). Out of sheer curiousity I contacted the poster only to discover that they're asking a very reasonable $250 (likely even less given the nature of her response).
The catch is, the owner and her family are moving out of the country first thing Monday morning. Considering we will not close on the house until Monday afternoon, I wonder whether Laura and I could check out, buy, and stash said table at the house without anyone knowing other than Chris the Realtor (who would have to let us in of course).
Stay tuned for scenes from next week's episode...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
I Was Never a Critical Reader
or so the SATs told me.
I received an assortment of documents from FirstSavings Bank the other day in preparation for our Monday closing. In reading through, and subsequently signing, them I realize that my comprehension of words has dropped off the face of the Earth. The saving grace here is that I have no shame in emailing Loan Processor Megan about anything and everything. Sure it might frustrate her, but she doesn't let on and will only have to deal with my inane questions for another 30 years.
On a related note, we have homeowners insurance. Contrary to what I may have told some people, it is NOT only $310 a year. In my quote application, I had requested only $50,000 in dwelling coverage. Simply put, that's not enough. Somewhere along the line I must've entered that amount as a placeholder. The real dwelling coverage bumps our insurance coverage to $877, which is still in line with our anticipated monthly expenses.
All is still right with the world.
I received an assortment of documents from FirstSavings Bank the other day in preparation for our Monday closing. In reading through, and subsequently signing, them I realize that my comprehension of words has dropped off the face of the Earth. The saving grace here is that I have no shame in emailing Loan Processor Megan about anything and everything. Sure it might frustrate her, but she doesn't let on and will only have to deal with my inane questions for another 30 years.
On a related note, we have homeowners insurance. Contrary to what I may have told some people, it is NOT only $310 a year. In my quote application, I had requested only $50,000 in dwelling coverage. Simply put, that's not enough. Somewhere along the line I must've entered that amount as a placeholder. The real dwelling coverage bumps our insurance coverage to $877, which is still in line with our anticipated monthly expenses.
All is still right with the world.
Maturity Begins...
at 1:00 this Monday, August 3rd. The stage has been set and I will be there. I will now be able to wear my adult onesy pajamas with pride.
A preliminary walk-through of the house will take place at 11:30 AM that same day. I am keeping my fingers crossed that no new damages have been inflicted upon the house since the inspection.
A preliminary walk-through of the house will take place at 11:30 AM that same day. I am keeping my fingers crossed that no new damages have been inflicted upon the house since the inspection.
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Luck of the British Isles
Chris the Realtor called me in the wee hours yesterday morning to say that our lender appraisal is in. According to Chris, a lender simply tries to appraise a house up to the purchase price (unlike the city, who has the tendency to inflate the appraised value for taxing purposes). The appraisal came back about 20% over the purchase price. This means that the appaiser couldn't stop at the purchase price because there were too many amenities in the house, forcing its worth well above the purchase price. From what I gather, this is a good thing. To put this into perspective, Chris said that he has only ever seen an appraisal come back at 10% above the purchase price, and even that was abnormal. It would be nice to say that Laura and I planned this, but in reality we just loved the house and bid at a price that we could afford.
I also learned from Chris the Realtor that property taxes will be reassessed at the purchase price of the house. I was under the impression that they would be assessed against the lender appraisal figure. I'm still not certain that he or I are correct and envision future battles with the city over the property taxes. Either way, it's nice to see the ludicrous 2008 appraisal of $680,000 come back down to Earth. I'm not sure that I could ever be comfortable living in a house that was really worth that much.
I also learned from Chris the Realtor that property taxes will be reassessed at the purchase price of the house. I was under the impression that they would be assessed against the lender appraisal figure. I'm still not certain that he or I are correct and envision future battles with the city over the property taxes. Either way, it's nice to see the ludicrous 2008 appraisal of $680,000 come back down to Earth. I'm not sure that I could ever be comfortable living in a house that was really worth that much.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Termites?
More like ternots. See, I replaced the word mite (think 'might') with the word not (think 'not') and made it plural. Why did I do this you might ask? Because the termite inspection report came back today and there is no evidence of wood destroying insects.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
So today has been an abnormal day at work. I came in around 11 PM last night in order to prepare for the work that needed to be done today. A dinner combination of coffee and fast food left me antsy and in need of distraction, so instead of diving into work I spent the first half hour following up with Chris the Realtor. I emailed him about the status of our appraisal, an updated inspection report from Ed the Inspector, general preparatory steps that I could be taking, and the like. For a little context: 1) Chris has been a realtor for the past ten years in the DC area; 2) he worked on the lending side of the business before switching over; 3) he has a wife and daughter so real estate isn't his entire life; and, 4) I see the number of lists that I'm generating in these posts as a disturbing trend that hopefully won't translate into real life conversation.
With that in mind, I must have sent Chris this email around 11:30 or 12:00 in the evening expecting to hear back the following afternoon. Low and behold, about 5 seconds later I had a response from him in my inbox. It felt as if he stays up late at night just on the off chance that I might need something. Really what I'm saying is that this is emblematic of how Chris operates. As I assume many realtors do, he works between eight and twelve hour days, 7 days a week, all year round. But more than anything, he is very good at making himself accessible and instilling confidence in an uncertain buyer. Ultimately, I won't have my opinions of him validated until after the settlement and I've had a chance to reflect on the whole process. It may be that the house isn't all it's cracked up to be and the level of comfort was him looking to close the deal, but, as things stand now, I honestly believe that he's the least risky part of the entire process. In an Internet happy era when one is inundated with horror stories about first time home ownership, realtors constantly pushing a sale on their client, the fear of losing your job and not making the mortgage payment, it is good to have some sort of footing.
This post is just to say thanks and to recommend Chris the Realtor to anyone looking for a place in DC that happens to stumble across this blog. His information:
Chris Sanders
ZipRealty
703-447-0440 (cell)
866-500-4590 (fax)
With that in mind, I must have sent Chris this email around 11:30 or 12:00 in the evening expecting to hear back the following afternoon. Low and behold, about 5 seconds later I had a response from him in my inbox. It felt as if he stays up late at night just on the off chance that I might need something. Really what I'm saying is that this is emblematic of how Chris operates. As I assume many realtors do, he works between eight and twelve hour days, 7 days a week, all year round. But more than anything, he is very good at making himself accessible and instilling confidence in an uncertain buyer. Ultimately, I won't have my opinions of him validated until after the settlement and I've had a chance to reflect on the whole process. It may be that the house isn't all it's cracked up to be and the level of comfort was him looking to close the deal, but, as things stand now, I honestly believe that he's the least risky part of the entire process. In an Internet happy era when one is inundated with horror stories about first time home ownership, realtors constantly pushing a sale on their client, the fear of losing your job and not making the mortgage payment, it is good to have some sort of footing.
This post is just to say thanks and to recommend Chris the Realtor to anyone looking for a place in DC that happens to stumble across this blog. His information:
Chris Sanders
ZipRealty
703-447-0440 (cell)
866-500-4590 (fax)
Pictures
I'm trying to figure out how to link you all to the pre-closing pictures that I took during our home inspection. Hopefully this works, although most of you have seen these already: House pre-closing pictures.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A New Word Order?
Like verbs before subjects or something? Rather, something or subjects verbs before like?
You Have Been Forewarned…
Forewarn is a funny word. Forewarn – to warn in advance.
Warn – to give notice, advice, or intimation to (a person, group, etc.) of danger, impending evil, possible harm, or anything else unfavorable: Sally was warned that her life was in danger.
Aren’t all warnings (not just forewarnings) given in advance? If you warn Sally that her life is in danger once she’s dead, it wouldn’t be a very effective warning would it?
This reminds me of the George Carlin bit on the prefix ‘pre.’ “That's another complaint of mine, too much use of this prefix pre…it's all over the language now. Pre this, pre that. Place the turkey in a preheated oven...it's ridiculous. There are only two states an oven can possibly exist in, heated or unheated.”
Warn – to give notice, advice, or intimation to (a person, group, etc.) of danger, impending evil, possible harm, or anything else unfavorable: Sally was warned that her life was in danger.
Aren’t all warnings (not just forewarnings) given in advance? If you warn Sally that her life is in danger once she’s dead, it wouldn’t be a very effective warning would it?
This reminds me of the George Carlin bit on the prefix ‘pre.’ “That's another complaint of mine, too much use of this prefix pre…it's all over the language now. Pre this, pre that. Place the turkey in a preheated oven...it's ridiculous. There are only two states an oven can possibly exist in, heated or unheated.”
The Inspection Results Are In
I would like to make something perfectly clear up front: in no way did I expect this house to be perfect. 1) It is a foreclosed property. 2) It is on the market below market value. Scratch that, it's below what seems to be the market value. Given the volatile nature of our economy, who knows what the real value of a house is. Either way, barring any major structural or internal problems, I'm happy.
With that in mind, this past Friday a home inspector came by to look through the house. This was strictly a home inspection for the benefit of Laura and I. He made that very clear up front. The gist is, I follow him (and his son) around the house as they test or evaluate every aspect of the house. I ask him questions as we go along and he does his best to construct an answer that will make sense to the layperson. At the end, he provides me a detailed report on the house including any issues (both minor and major) to keep my eye on. That's how it's supposed to work. The reality is, I spent the first half hour of the inspection having my realtor explain property tax modification to me (another process that I didn't quite understand) and the second half hour being talked 'at' because I had no significant questions. For me, it was more or a less a tutorial on the make-up of a house. The answer: brick and wood. Who knew?
Overall, the inspection went well and Ed the Inspector was incredibly helpful. The problems he identified include (from most to least expensive): 1) cracked window, 2) rusting deck that is ugly to boot, 3) a closet door off its hinges, 4) a few shingles have fallen off the peaked roof, 5) some door knobs are loose, 6) protective covers on one outlet and one light switch are cracked, 7) the carpet in the basement needs to be replaced (already knew), 8) the basement smells, 9) I'm ugly. Basically, all of the problems were minor.
Due to complications arising from an unpaid water bill (The last owner prior to foreclosure had a $219 balance left unpaid. As water follows the house, the water couldn't be turned on until the bill was paid. I went ahead and paid the bill with the understanding that I would be reimbursed by Bank of America at settlement) Ed came back to the house yesterday to finish up the inspection. I haven't yet received an updated report but did talk with Chris the Realtor last night. I'm not sure if he left anything out, but water/sink/tub/washer dryer problems include: 1) minor leak from one of the pipes at the water main valve (sounds like a $200-$300 repair), 2) garbage disposal in the basement is seized (not sure if this can be repaired or must be replaced), 3) garbage disposal upstairs is slightly clogged but works, 4) toilet on the second floor is clogged and pipes may need to be flushed (minor expense?). Everything else worked fine, or so it sounds. These problems were larger than what we found during the Friday inspection, but none of them are deal breakers.
All in all, repairing the house after settlement will mean small checks here and there but all of these costs can add up quickly. The good news: 20% of the commission that Chris the Realtor receives will go towards my closing costs. I believe this comes to around $1900 and should cover all of these minor repairs (and then some). Or else the repairs cost much more than I anticipate and I sell every square inch of the house like stock.
With that in mind, this past Friday a home inspector came by to look through the house. This was strictly a home inspection for the benefit of Laura and I. He made that very clear up front. The gist is, I follow him (and his son) around the house as they test or evaluate every aspect of the house. I ask him questions as we go along and he does his best to construct an answer that will make sense to the layperson. At the end, he provides me a detailed report on the house including any issues (both minor and major) to keep my eye on. That's how it's supposed to work. The reality is, I spent the first half hour of the inspection having my realtor explain property tax modification to me (another process that I didn't quite understand) and the second half hour being talked 'at' because I had no significant questions. For me, it was more or a less a tutorial on the make-up of a house. The answer: brick and wood. Who knew?
Overall, the inspection went well and Ed the Inspector was incredibly helpful. The problems he identified include (from most to least expensive): 1) cracked window, 2) rusting deck that is ugly to boot, 3) a closet door off its hinges, 4) a few shingles have fallen off the peaked roof, 5) some door knobs are loose, 6) protective covers on one outlet and one light switch are cracked, 7) the carpet in the basement needs to be replaced (already knew), 8) the basement smells, 9) I'm ugly. Basically, all of the problems were minor.
Due to complications arising from an unpaid water bill (The last owner prior to foreclosure had a $219 balance left unpaid. As water follows the house, the water couldn't be turned on until the bill was paid. I went ahead and paid the bill with the understanding that I would be reimbursed by Bank of America at settlement) Ed came back to the house yesterday to finish up the inspection. I haven't yet received an updated report but did talk with Chris the Realtor last night. I'm not sure if he left anything out, but water/sink/tub/washer dryer problems include: 1) minor leak from one of the pipes at the water main valve (sounds like a $200-$300 repair), 2) garbage disposal in the basement is seized (not sure if this can be repaired or must be replaced), 3) garbage disposal upstairs is slightly clogged but works, 4) toilet on the second floor is clogged and pipes may need to be flushed (minor expense?). Everything else worked fine, or so it sounds. These problems were larger than what we found during the Friday inspection, but none of them are deal breakers.
All in all, repairing the house after settlement will mean small checks here and there but all of these costs can add up quickly. The good news: 20% of the commission that Chris the Realtor receives will go towards my closing costs. I believe this comes to around $1900 and should cover all of these minor repairs (and then some). Or else the repairs cost much more than I anticipate and I sell every square inch of the house like stock.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
And it was good...
or so it has yet to be determined.
The purchase of 1842 North Capitol Street NW in our pseudo-hometown of Washington, DC is well underway. With it comes a lot of nervous anxiety, excitement, and...yes...money. This blog will hopefully capture our progress, plans, activities, [insert nouns here] as we move forward.
Please remember, this is a personal blog kept by two people. One of us is eloquent, pensive, and likeable. The other one is a student of technology that can't stand the stuff. Neither of us has blogged before nor used the word blog in a sentence, but everyone must bite the bullet at some point. We will write about anything and everything and hopefully keep all of our loved ones digitally attached to us in the process.
You have been forewarned...
The purchase of 1842 North Capitol Street NW in our pseudo-hometown of Washington, DC is well underway. With it comes a lot of nervous anxiety, excitement, and...yes...money. This blog will hopefully capture our progress, plans, activities, [insert nouns here] as we move forward.
Please remember, this is a personal blog kept by two people. One of us is eloquent, pensive, and likeable. The other one is a student of technology that can't stand the stuff. Neither of us has blogged before nor used the word blog in a sentence, but everyone must bite the bullet at some point. We will write about anything and everything and hopefully keep all of our loved ones digitally attached to us in the process.
You have been forewarned...
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