Weekend Update

So far, we think the house is off to a pretty good start. This week we got the heating system working (well, not entirely!). There are two heating zones functioning properly, one that doesn’t turn on and another that runs full blast. This is one of the plumbing issues that the contractor will be taking care of later.

Thursday night we started doing some actual work. Chris inspected the attic to determine if we need additional insulation (we do and will probably install it next weekend). I sprayed an enzyme solution in the stinky mudroom to try to remove the dog urine smell – so far it seems to be working well. I also went through the entire house and removed all the items on the walls – picture hangers, nails, coat hooks, etc. Unfortunately, most of them have been painted over several times and it was a chore to get them all removed. Here is a picture of the full amount I removed as well as an example of the lovely paint job on them.

The weekend was very busy. On Saturday Chris installed a couple new thermostats to try to fix our heat issues. We met with the contractor to discuss schedule and the work to be completed. Our new washer and dryer were delivered – we had taken advantage of the Black Friday sales. We also removed the disgusting carpet on the basement stairs and some of the wood paneling. When we removed the paneling we discovered a ridiculous amount of small green beads. You can see some pictures below – the stairs before and after and the green beads.


Sunday was more strenuous work. We removed most of the paneling and drywall that was left in the basement. This included the closets, another part of the stairs, the ceiling, and the bathroom. The bathroom had a double layer of a thick cement board and it was extremely difficult to remove. Fortunately, the contractor showed up this morning to waterproof the basement walls and told us that they would remove our debris – see below for one of the piles (out of three)!

We also removed the kitchen sink and cabinets in the basement. The problem we ran into was that the shutoff valve was leaking with no other means to stop the water. The sink drain had also corroded through the trap. Chris ran over to the store to start the process of fixing plumbing leaks and adding a hot water valve in the laundry room. At this point I started washing the walls upstairs. The owners before us had two dogs and a cat and there was hair and disgusting smudges all over the walls. I was able to finish the living room and dining room cleaning before Chris returned.

We were also able to meet a few of the neighbors. They were all very friendly and seemed glad to be rid of the former owner. I’m sure her 160 lb Rottweiler had something to do with it. Fortunately, Tucker is much nicer!