H has been in the house for 10 years, and when he bought it, it was more a mid-twenties punk house time in his life. The asbestos thing, if it is truly isolated in that one place, I can totally see an inspector missing that, because it was totally hidden behind a ceiling.
H knew there was termite problems before, and there is a warranty, at least. Hard to tell what is old damage and what is new.
The mold is a result of flooding and insufficiently agressive response to flooding in the last 10 years. We were sorta weighing the possibility of pulling the drywall out at some point anyway, so it's not a total heartbreak, just another stress.
Some people are gifted with an "it's probably fine" attitude of equanimity, and some people are cursed with a "really are you sure that isn't mold, shouldn't we get someone to look at it?" "I feel like the floor is getting less level over time" kind of persistent lowlevel anxiety, so now that we are a couple years married, we are working our way through a backlog.
The other thing, is I LOVE MY HOUSE. Having a house makes so much cool stuff possible.
A-frame construction update: drywall hanging complete, mudding/taping has started, all of the disgusting dog piss carpet has been torn out, rotten beam has been replaced under the front door, too many giant spiders keep appearing ;(
Next things: deck in front, continue to mud/tape drywall for sanding, refinishing wood floors.
Working all week and then remodeling up there on the weekends is exhausting but we're learning a ton.
We ended up having to rip out more of the basement drywall than we anticipated and we're now weighing DIY vs contractor for when we put it all back together.
It's not HARD, necessarily. Just takes a lot of patience and time. It's a frustrating process - measuring, cutting, attaching, taping, mudding, mudding, mudding (3 coats of mud at least over screws and seams) and then sanding and painting.
Honestly if we had a few thousand extra bucks I would've just paid a crew to do it over a few days, but that's not really an option we had.
I'd imagine that drywalling a ceiling would be a huge pain in the ass because you'd have to build scaffolding and then attach it whilst on your back on top of the scaffolding.
@flossy_log_lady we did most of the interior but left the big room up front with just the raw wood. Don't have pics because I'm too lazy to get them off my phone. Sorry!
They were supposed to come install the power braces on our foundation wall, finally. Instead they discovered that our foundation lacks footings and the wall cannot be braced. It will either need excavation and replacement ($$$) or else a new cinderblock wall constructed parallel to it, which precludes the possibilty of interior stairs to the basement. Either way, I am bummed. Selling the house is on the table again.
So, i tore out some more drywall to get rid of the mold, and i found a weird plywood panel in the brick foundation wall that is clearly sealing up some kind of hidden chamber!!! What could be inside?
My guess is that it is an old oven or furnace. My husband's guess is: hiding place for piles of confederate gold (which would hopefully pay for all our home repairs My mom's guess is: DEAD BODIES!
my guess is that it will be incredibly disappointing and there will not be any indication of why the panel is there at all. Behind it just a dank hole.
It is a huge cavity! Like, a secret room, much larger than anticipated. Underneath the powder room (where really, more foundation ought to be) but also underneath the entire back porch. It is filled (~4 feet deep) with construction debris. Rotting joists, lots of insulation, copper piping not connected to anything.)
My guess is that (~30 years ago) the wood joists holding up the first floor were getting rotten on the ends because the foundation is not tall enough. So instead of actually fixing it, they made the footprint of the house smaller and built a new brick wall holding up the joists.
I wonder if we can reclaim it and have a weird new secret basement room! For all our canned food.
Our semester ended and we spent the weekend doing domestic chores and projects: - I dug a firepit and lined it with stones and cinderblocks I salvaged from around the yard - I lit a small fire in it and stood and stared at it - I dug up my garden and buried compost in it - I planted garlic - I discovered a mystery slab of stone in the yard and dug it up - Gary got mad at me for digging a bunch of holes in the yard and making piles of dirt everywhere - Gary cleaned up all my messes with a wheelbarrow - I baked two loaves of bread - We cleaned the house and washed the dog - We did our christmas shopping - We racked our cider
Post agent meeting update: We looked at three houses, each in a different neighborhood. Nothing wowed us, but we won't be moving until spring, so we've got some time to browse and get to know the area better.
Honestly, though, it's so early in the process that right now we're just looking at a few places around town trying to figure out what we actually want. There's not too much on the market here in Manteo, but we're hoping that people will start listing after the holidays.
We are now stripping the basement out to the studs. Everything is going into storage. At least 2 of the foundation walls need complete replacement. It is EXPENSIVE.
A new complication: we've been approached by a developer, who's renovating a neighboring property and wants to buy ours too because a larger project would be more attractive. They'd probably knock the house down and build something ugly. But they might be motivated to pay us enough to move in somewhere else comparable without the problems?
It's hard to imagine moving. It's hard to imagine finding something else in the city that would allow us a vegetable garden, a basement studio, proximity to transit & the park & H's family, and adorable neighborhood kids hanging around like it's sesame street. But maybe developer guy will write us a big check that could make it possible?
What I really don't know: does our anger at being sold a house with a fuckedup foundation and asbestos and etc ten years ago and the sellers lying about it mitigate our potential complicity in gentrification of the neighborhood by the conversion of our single-family home into a probably ugly condo building?
Thing is, will it be fancy condos or rental apartments? Density isn't a bad thing, and replacing single family homes with multiple units can potentially let more people afford a place to live. Although it can also lead to displacement. I'm a big fan of density but not displacement, which can be a hard balance to ride I suppose.
Either way, I definitely wouldn't judge anybody in that situation, ESPECIALLY given that your house has had so many problems that the seller lied about. Try and get the biggest check possible from that developer?
It would be boutique condos, probably, judging from their other projects.
I'm pro-density and anti-displacement too, and the challenge in the city right now seems to be there's a lot more of 1-2 bedroom stuff going in. 3+ bedroom is what's harder to find, and often what families need to be able to stay. Whatever they build here on our lot would all be 1-2 BR.
That may be true, but supply can help to solve the problem indirectly too. In the past, young professional singles and retirement-age couples might have chosen a 3-bedroom house. Now, they'll be more likely to gravitate towards smaller units, which can free some of those up for others.
First meeting with developer went okay. Their opening offer was about what i guessed. we have some hardball negotiation ahead, but I think if we play it right we might be able to buy a 6 bedroom house that allows us to provide some affordable housing for artist friends at below market rent so we get to feel like there is a surprise positive outcome.
Comments
He has many other redeeming qualities!
fuck
H knew there was termite problems before, and there is a warranty, at least. Hard to tell what is old damage and what is new.
The mold is a result of flooding and insufficiently agressive response to flooding in the last 10 years. We were sorta weighing the possibility of pulling the drywall out at some point anyway, so it's not a total heartbreak, just another stress.
Some people are gifted with an "it's probably fine" attitude of equanimity, and some people are cursed with a "really are you sure that isn't mold, shouldn't we get someone to look at it?" "I feel like the floor is getting less level over time" kind of persistent lowlevel anxiety, so now that we are a couple years married, we are working our way through a backlog.
The other thing, is I LOVE MY HOUSE. Having a house makes so much cool stuff possible.
https://www.redfin.com/OR/Portland/3517-SE-72nd-Ave-97206/home/26620890
https://www.redfin.com/OR/Sisters/69712-Camp-Polk-Rd-97759/home/93644233
http://portlandtribune.com/sl/273753-148211-county-city-at-odds-over-accessory-dwelling-units
http://www.pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/277861-153346-granny-flat-builders-getting-creamed-by-multnomah-count-on-their-taxes-
It particularly affects NE, N and some SE properties where the assessed value is very low in comparison to the current value because those neighborhoods were at bottom when the 1996 property tax law became effective.
Next things: deck in front, continue to mud/tape drywall for sanding, refinishing wood floors.
Working all week and then remodeling up there on the weekends is exhausting but we're learning a ton.
We ended up having to rip out more of the basement drywall than we anticipated and we're now weighing DIY vs contractor for when we put it all back together.
we need to drywall our ceiling
Honestly if we had a few thousand extra bucks I would've just paid a crew to do it over a few days, but that's not really an option we had.
I'd imagine that drywalling a ceiling would be a huge pain in the ass because you'd have to build scaffolding and then attach it whilst on your back on top of the scaffolding.
@flossy_log_lady we did most of the interior but left the big room up front with just the raw wood. Don't have pics because I'm too lazy to get them off my phone. Sorry!
They were supposed to come install the power braces on our foundation wall, finally. Instead they discovered that our foundation lacks footings and the wall cannot be braced. It will either need excavation and replacement ($$$) or else a new cinderblock wall constructed parallel to it, which precludes the possibilty of interior stairs to the basement. Either way, I am bummed. Selling the house is on the table again.
My guess is that it is an old oven or furnace.
My husband's guess is: hiding place for piles of confederate gold (which would hopefully pay for all our home repairs
My mom's guess is: DEAD BODIES!
What do you think is in there?
BUT TELL US! Did you open it yet?????????
It is a huge cavity! Like, a secret room, much larger than anticipated. Underneath the powder room (where really, more foundation ought to be) but also underneath the entire back porch. It is filled (~4 feet deep) with construction debris. Rotting joists, lots of insulation, copper piping not connected to anything.)
My guess is that (~30 years ago) the wood joists holding up the first floor were getting rotten on the ends because the foundation is not tall enough. So instead of actually fixing it, they made the footprint of the house smaller and built a new brick wall holding up the joists.
I wonder if we can reclaim it and have a weird new secret basement room! For all our canned food.
that is disappointing indeed, although may lead to future awesomeness (secret sauna)
So much work left to do but starting to see it pay off.
Our semester ended and we spent the weekend doing domestic chores and projects:
- I dug a firepit and lined it with stones and cinderblocks I salvaged from around the yard
- I lit a small fire in it and stood and stared at it
- I dug up my garden and buried compost in it
- I planted garlic
- I discovered a mystery slab of stone in the yard and dug it up
- Gary got mad at me for digging a bunch of holes in the yard and making piles of dirt everywhere
- Gary cleaned up all my messes with a wheelbarrow
- I baked two loaves of bread
- We cleaned the house and washed the dog
- We did our christmas shopping
- We racked our cider
Honestly, though, it's so early in the process that right now we're just looking at a few places around town trying to figure out what we actually want. There's not too much on the market here in Manteo, but we're hoping that people will start listing after the holidays.
A new complication: we've been approached by a developer, who's renovating a neighboring property and wants to buy ours too because a larger project would be more attractive. They'd probably knock the house down and build something ugly. But they might be motivated to pay us enough to move in somewhere else comparable without the problems?
It's hard to imagine moving. It's hard to imagine finding something else in the city that would allow us a vegetable garden, a basement studio, proximity to transit & the park & H's family, and adorable neighborhood kids hanging around like it's sesame street. But maybe developer guy will write us a big check that could make it possible?
What I really don't know: does our anger at being sold a house with a fuckedup foundation and asbestos and etc ten years ago and the sellers lying about it mitigate our potential complicity in gentrification of the neighborhood by the conversion of our single-family home into a probably ugly condo building?
Thing is, will it be fancy condos or rental apartments? Density isn't a bad thing, and replacing single family homes with multiple units can potentially let more people afford a place to live. Although it can also lead to displacement. I'm a big fan of density but not displacement, which can be a hard balance to ride I suppose.
Either way, I definitely wouldn't judge anybody in that situation, ESPECIALLY given that your house has had so many problems that the seller lied about. Try and get the biggest check possible from that developer?
I'm pro-density and anti-displacement too, and the challenge in the city right now seems to be there's a lot more of 1-2 bedroom stuff going in. 3+ bedroom is what's harder to find, and often what families need to be able to stay. Whatever they build here on our lot would all be 1-2 BR.