This Old House of Ours

[ChuckF]

I'd estimate odds are maybe 1/3 or less that we will actually pull the trigger. One of our principles is that it has to be a place we would choose even if we were not going to be moving out for the renovation. And the costs of ownership can't be TOO disproportionate to renting.

[ChuckF]

Welp. We went and had a look today and are putting in an offer this evening. Lots of interest in this particular place, so who knows if it will be accepted, but it's a step!

[Ari]

This sounds like an important first step in owning your own Supreme Court Justice.

[ChuckF]

Offer is in, we'll know Tuesday if it is accepted. Now the irrational begins. Even if it's accepted - sizeable if - we're really only in to the extent of the diligence money. And yet I will surely spend the interim worrying about where we could put in a mini-split system to replace the weird 1970s in-ceiling radiant heating and lack of central air, etc.

[ChuckF]

We didn't wind up getting that place. We made a higher offer but the seller didn't want to accept my diligence contingency That would have been fine if we were gutting it, but we would have been living there, so that's a no.

BUT, we found a perfectly adequate rental about 2 minutes down the street and are moving on Wednesday. The contractors will start working on the new screen porch and the demo work in the following week. I have spent today moving small boxes to simplify the furniture movers' job. I am most worried about the dogs adapting. There are 4 steps down to the back yard instead of 2, so it will be a little harder for the old girl.

It is amazing how much dumb shit one accumulates. We are throwing lots of things away, and much furniture is going on a 1-way trip. So much crap.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by ChuckF

but the seller didn't want to accept my diligence contingency .

If they had had nothing to hide, they would have had nothing to be afraid of.

[ChuckF]

That was my thinking too. Or maybe they had a cash offer who could close immediately. The weird old heating system seemed kind of flammable and terrible.

Either way, I am now quite glad that we did NOT go that direction, if only because that house was ~3 hours away from our current home. We have been able to get a huge amount of our moving done over the past 2 days because we can do small car-sized trips back and forth. Makes it much less of a production.

[beyelzu]

Several weeks ago I planted morning glory seeds in a few spots along our short fence between our yard and our neighbor’s.

It was late in the year, but I thought fuck it, it’s California.


I noticed my first flower today.

The vines are still very small, most of the green is other plants

[ChuckF]

Day 3 of the remodel: asbestos floor tile! We had no idea what was underneath the kitchen and bathroom floors, but the odds were pretty good that it would be some original asbestos-containing tile from the 50s. Sure enough. They essentially intact and could be safely encapsulated again, but since there's going to be other demolition work going on, it has to be abated. Fortunately, it's only floor tiles, there's not much of it, and they can get somebody out to abate it early next week for ~$15/sq ft. And when it's time to sell the asbestos disclosure is de-risked.

[viscousmemories]

That's a good price! I want to say we had to pay ~2k to have our kitchen floor abated when we bought this house.

ETA: Actually we only paid $2600 for 250 sqft. so I guess we got a better deal. Sorry!

[beyelzu]

The previous bird died, but now that plant has like 4 birds a blooming.

[beyelzu]

We are decorated for the SEC championship game between Georgia and Bama, and somewhat for Xmas

[LarsMac]

not lookin good at the Half

[beyelzu]

Originally Posted by LarsMac

not lookin good at the Half

Yeah, we didn’t get it done. It was poorly officiated, but we didn’t play good enough. That fumble in our own end and that bullshit 4th and 4 “reception” were too much for us to overcome.

Still, like Larry Munson says “no institution more worthy of loyalty”.

It’s still great to be a Georgia bulldog. Whether we make the playoffs this year or not.

[beyelzu]

We have been doing some gardening.

I got my landscaper to remove a couple of grass bushes that I didn’t love and we are putting in flower beds.

When we bought the house there were a few hanging planters, I’m refreshing them and adding some more.

The single planter pics are before.

I replaced the liners, added dirt, remove dead material and planted a few flower seeds.

I’ve got a few more to refresh and then a few that I bought.

Pics of the flower bed will be in a future update.

[beyelzu]

The pic with little Mo is a before pic. There was another large bush next to the bird of paradise on the other side.

The flower beds have a wildflower mix that I bought off Amazon. It’s got a bunch of different plants, I’m excited to see which ones grow.

The two planters I installed have phacelia or blue tansy on either end and zinnias in the middle.