Progress outside

We decided to start outside. There is so much to do inside in so many different rooms, that we figured we can get the back in good enough shape to enjoy somewhat quickly.

While we still have more ideas - this is a good start. Mostly, it was filthy - years must have passed with only the weeds to enjoy the yard.

Before:




In Progress:



We hung this lattice by simply nailing furring strips directly to the cinder block wall - using my new favorite tool: a power hammer. This thing is amazing, and scary. You put a nail in the front and a .22 caliber round in a chamber - voila! We like the lattice look and have considered going down the other wall with it.


Craig just had to see what the stain looked like - we'll finish it soon enough.

Closed - An Unsettling Settlement

We finally did it.

I find the "Buying and Selling" post comical at this point. Did I actually think there were going to be no more surprises? Because the first few steps went so well, I was delusional I suppose.

Just about every thing that could go wrong, did. While the end result turned out to be better than we had ever imagined, getting there was stressful and terrible. We had a mortgage broker completely flake out on us (think two separate week long periods where there would be no contact whatsoever). We lost the opportunity to get into a needed program for the mortgage. Then - when everything seemed to be falling into place with a new, better mortgage co. - we had appraisal issues (too low) in combination with a stubborn seller. We actually were forced to go look at other houses less than two weeks before we were scheduled to settle. Apparently this showed the seller we weren't messing around and he lowered the sale price to the appraisal amount (by $20,000, mind you).

Settlement ended up going mostly smooth and we found out that the house is much older than we thought - the first recorded sale of the property was 1809! We'll have a bicentennial party next year.

So now that we're moved in - and sort of unpacked - we're eager to get working. We're starting a few small projects. Unfortunately, the first major step is removing some load-bearing walls and that is something that we don't consider DIY. Contractor's will be coming by to give some quotes and I'll have some pictures and updates as work progresses.