New Years Eve 2023!
We needed one room that we can relax in…so we set out to unpack the boxes to make the “family room” feel like home.
Feeling like home!
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Monthly Archives: December 2023
first few things
Jen approved me re-doing the powder room…because there is a smell in there that makes us keep the door closed and makes it not worth using. So we went to Lowes and picked up a few things. We started with waterproof flooring, some toilet parts (wax ring, floor bolts), a vanity with the sink, and 3 new toilet seats for each of the bathrooms.
During our home inspection, one of the things that didn’t work was the shower in the main bathroom. No water movement through the shower. He said it was the shower control knob. This was not a big deal because we can shower in the master bedroom bathroom and I like epsom salt baths. I decided to troubleshoot it anyway…because I could! Turns out it was a clogged showerhead. While we were out we also stopped at HomeDepot to pick up the new shower head. I wanted the same one that we had in the old house (that I brought with us)…also got a curved shower curtain rod! I have gotten spoiled!
There are locks everywhere but there is only 1 key, so changing out the locks or having them re-keyed will probably be a project in itself! Since the shed is stand alone and a very easy fix, I changed out that lock. My bike and some tools are out there. Next up is the garage door lock! (there isn’t one). The garage door also needs a new door seal and possibly replace the springs (and if we ever put the car in there, we will need a garage door opener).
The spare bedroom now has a bed. I will eventually hang the bedroom TV in there. I decided not to put it in the master bedroom because the only time is it on is when Jen is sick and wants to do a “True Blood” marathon. Now she can be sick in there! HaHa!
One of the most frustrating things about moving is now matter how organized you THINK you are, you are NOT! Seek and Find is a real pain in the ass! It only took 3 weeks to find the lag bolts and remotes for my main TV.
Now I can relax a little!
Steak delivery
Not sure what to do about this…one of the previous owners did NOT provide a forwarding address and according to the USPS, there were many family members having their mail delivered here…or they all lived here…totally unsure!! Well, they got a Kansas City Steak delivery as a Holiday gift!
We will call Kansas Steak and have them stop future deliveries, but if we ‘return it’, they would technically need to destroy it. After a few discussions on how to deal with it, we are having steak for dinner 🙂 I will not feel bad about it either!
and a little Irony…this time last year, we were in Kansas City…and I don’t think we had time to try any of the steak houses.
project number 1 – New Roof
during:
after:
the shed too:
12/3/2023 Last Day in Morton
There was a complication on the timing when it came to moving the pack-rat (or as Mike called it…”the dumpster in the yard”). I packed that thing like I was playing tetris! They would only move it on a week day and it had to be out of Morton on Friday or very early Monday…when I called in to schedule, they told me that they cant guarantee a time of pickup (and we want to unpack it with the Little Guys Moving truck) on Monday. I talked to my Realtor, who talked to their Realtor, who talked to the currnt owners and they allowed us to put it in the driveway on Friday. So it will be in the driveway waiting for us…
After Jen did some sweet-talking and negotiating, we were able to have the movers pick up everything today, (*Sunday…Little Guy Movers) and hold it overnight until we are done settlement. He gave us a nice little tidbit that I hope doesnt bite us in the ass. When we do the final walk-through, leave a door unlocked. That the HO Ins kicks in at 1 minute after midnight the day OF settlement…so we decided that we will leave the door between the garage and the house unlocked so someone could open any other doors…AFTER we sign the papers, we will call and give them the go ahead.
Once Little Movers were done loading the truck, the only things that were left went in my truck and Jen’s car, and they were packed to the top! We left just enough room for dogs and us chauffeurs. Around 3-4pm we set out to the Downingtown Holiday Inn (with a pool), Jen’s parents were meeting us there! I booked this hotel because I was really hoping to get some full body anti-inflammatory in the pool at the end of the day before our big day…that didn’t happen, I just chilled in the room with the dogs while Jen and parents went to dinner, they were awesome, they brought me back dinner!
These are some of the pictures of Morton house before we left…I am going to miss our kitchen!
last full day in Morton house 12/2
tomorrow morning the movers come, bright and early…so EVERYTHING needs to be boxed up and ready for them. Guess what, I need to work today…the 2nd phase of this big project is going to be put into production today…we start at 7am and the goal is to complete 7 customer moves. As much as I want to say we are ready, I don’t think anyone is feeling confident…but we will push through with high hopes! done by 2pm is the hope!
The house packing…I feel like we are in a good place with that…but every time I turn around my thought is…oh, we cant forget that.
UPDATE : we did not get done work until 5-6 pm, it was borderline brutal! The good thing is…work pays for dinner…no matter what we want (within reason)…so I let Jen choose, since she has to put up with me working and not getting anything else done. We had filet mignon at Outback! But again, I didnt get much packing done! I’ll get up early tomorrow!
Inspections, paperwork and packing
for Mitchell Ave:
Home Inspection 11/15 -LIBERTY INSPECTION GROUP -Chris- got to meet the potential new owners…I like them!!
The things that he chose for us to fix seemed weird to me, not because the attention wasn’t needed, but because there are bigger things I would have thought were more important. The biggest thing was a split rafter in the attic on the back side of the house, this was probably caused by the leak we had after we re-did the kitchen. Scott spent an hour up there adding a sister rafter…DONE! The new attic fan wiring needed to be put in the junction box…DONE! A GFCI outlet needed to be installed near the washer (even though this was not even close to the laundry tub…DONE! The toilet needed to be tightened…DONE! And the weirdest thing, the Inspector said that the sump pumps needed backflow prevention installed. The sump pumps come with the sump pumps…Scott tested them and everything is in working order…DONE!
FHA Inspection 11/21 -Leo– Everyone is telling me that this is the Inspection that I need to worry about…
They normally don’t tell the homeowner what needs to be done until the report comes out, but since the timing was critical, he was nice enough to give me the “list”
The basement throne needed to be ‘removed’, but we can just remove it and sit it on the floor and temporarily plug the flange. Reason being, partial privacy walls and no exhaust fan. This is something that will NOT matter once the loan is underwritten for the new buyers…they can pick the toilet back up and put it back in place…
We will need to cover the wires in the hallway that are dead, but go to the emergency OFF switch to the heater. This has been that way SO long, it wasn’t even on the radar (should say, my radar)
We may need a railing to the attic, but since this is a ‘storage space’, it may not be an issue. Turns out, he didn’t even add this to the report.
Paint the exterior of the basement windows…not sure why the exterior paint would be a health and safety issue considering that licking the paint chips would probably be impossible…but go figure!
The new owners came over and did the painting, I pulled the toilet, covered the outlet box…Leo came out the next morning and ‘re-inspected’…we are good to go!
UOC – Ridley Twp – waste of money!
This is just another way for Ridley Twp to put the screws to you…occupancy inspection/certificate. They check the ‘public sidewalk’ (not one), driveway (gravel) and railings on steps. so who gives a shit what’s on the inside…what if all of the copper was stripped…or sewage pipes filled with cement…you know, unlivable?? And to top it all off, we are being charged double because the side lot is considered it’s own ‘parcel’.
as of 12/1…we are ready on the Mitchell Ave side! am closing on 12/4