a home of one's own

it so happens that the day i turn the keys over at my apt is a sunday so i can't have a walk-through. i have to wait till monday morning. but they want to do the walk-through first thing in the morning. i have class till 11:30 am. yet, i want to be there for it, otherwise there is no telling what they will pin on me. well, there's no telling what they will pin on me anyway. but for my peace of mind. so i had to call power and gas to reschedule to stop service on sep 27.
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this is the same month i bought zoom zoom last year. so had to go and take care of registration issues at the court house. now there is the emission testing. deadline this month. of course!
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cable took three days to hook up. busy time of year? dunno - but i slept on my air bed in the apt till they did hook it up at the house. it's better to have nothing in the background in a placethat you know than in a place that you don't. i think.
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note: give phone and cable at least three days notice to switch service. usps is pretty efficient in this regard - they started forward mail service from the very next day.
*correction*: usps "said" they would start forwarding from the next day but in reality took about a week to start.
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meanwhile, my floor installers are still making regular visits. if it's not one thing, it's another with them. they redid the trim to match the pergo on tuesday. but brought a god awful salmon colored rubber wall base to put in the kitchen toe kick. atrocious mismatch with oak pergo. what was the guy thinking? i sent them back. which means they will be returning soon. reminds me, i have to call the dreaded, lackadaisical store guy (asst mgr., no less) again.

i spent my first night in my *own* house. it's actually more pedestrian than it sounds. i didn't really feel any different. probably because i am so tired from all the work. one good thing is that i sleep like a log these days. plus, in my practical economist mind, i am not really *owner* in any sense of the word. so it goes.
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a major factor behind my blase attitude is all those trips up and down stairs with boxes of things that i had to make all of yesterday and part of wednesday. i normally pack boxes quite light because of my upper body strength issues (lack of). but even so -the number of boxes were absolutely overwhelming. periodically i would stop and survey the remainder of the boxes at my apt and it would always seem to increase in numbers. positively demoralizing.
finally, managed to hang in there long enough to take everything over last night. some large empty boxes remain. i am on break from housework today - i figured i would collapse if i didn't take a time out. plus, i hurt my wrist some time on monday and it has aggravated to a point where part of my right wrist is now swollen. i am a little worried over it.

i was supposed to spend the night at the house on monday. but decided not to since the locks had not been changed. i couldnot find anyone to help me change them so i went to lowes and bought me some new locks for the front and backdoors. cost me $89 and rekeying was free of charge. the guy even showed me the ropes on how to change them. in theory. he assured me that i could do it on my own and in reasonable amount of time.
on tuesday morning, bright and early, i took the old ones out and began to install the new ones. the back door went really well. i was confident that the front door would be similar. it was the costlier set of the two (titanium deadbolt) and fancy enough to require more time and energy. by the time i had put both lock and deadbolt in, i realized both were upside down. i was so tired by then that i decided to leave them that way until a later time more suited for a re-do. i went back to the apartment with a headache and after lunch fell asleep for 1:45 minutes. which is very unusual for me. i think i was so stressed out by the possibility that i might not be able to do it myself and the consequences of that failure (an entry door with no locks) that i possibly passed out with the relief of having averted the crisis.

all day sunday, i packed up the apartment - well, at least cleared the bigger items for the guys who were coming on monday to help me move. then, had friends gather at the house for a prayer session. it's a family tradition that we don't start living anywhere without one prayer meeting at the premises. and as luck would have it, it was the night of shab-e-barat. lis made halwa. i bought some veggie samosas, mishti and savories for the guests. we offered asr prayers and a doa. i was pleased with the event. i felt especially blessed to be able to have it on such an auspicious day.
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on monday afternoon, two students showed up in a small toyota truck and managed to transport everything to the house in abt two hours (four trips). then they picked up my range which was sitting in the middle of the living room ever since the floors were done and lifted it over the counters and into the kitchen. why did they need to carry out such a maneuver? well, because since the floors were done, the fridge had been delivered, blocking the way into the kitchen for anything larger than a human body. later, they also hooked up the water line for the fridge's ice maker and so when they were all done, i paid them a $100 dollars. that's money well-deserved.
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a pleasant moment of surprise on sunday was when t noticed that my front lawn had been freshly mowed. i was stumped for a while, but then realised the neighbor across the street had done me the favor. later she told me she'd figured - quite accurately i might add - that i didn't have a mower yet... the kindness of strangers... i was deeply touched by the gesture.

finally, got rid of my handyman after a some drama (a minor exchange of harsh words which was resolved pleasantly later) on friday sep 16. the floor and tile shower remain unfinished and so is the painting. but that all is my responsibility. he will come back again for some hours to install shower door, mirror, remaining trim on the outside door and backsplash during the 2nd weekend of oct. by the time we called it a day on friday, he had logged 36 hours - 14 hours overtime.
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after he left, i cleaned up the mess he had created. reclaimed my bedroom to some degree from the drywall dust and debris of demolition. sanded the walls one last time and primed them for texturing and paint. then, took the next day off to distance myself from mental trauma of a remodel that proved to be far more involved and taxing than i had bargained for. helped out some friends with their garage sale on saturday morning. a lot of drama ensued there as well (it seems drama goes wherever i go). one of their close friends has taken a particular dislike to me based on her assumption that, since my move to the city, my friends have been neglecting her. anyways, long story short - came back later that night to texturize and start painting the walls a light lime green (sherwin williams - frolic). t and me got a headstart and in abt two hours lis and zu came and joined us. we took a dinner break and started again. by this time night had fallen and we were working by the light of one single lamp - because there are no overhead lights in my bedroom. paint quality suffered due to lack of light but we managed to put on first coat. vaulted ceilings did not make matters simple. but with good conversation and friendly companionship, it was smooth going. and by now, lis, zu and me have perfected our act of painting rooms with minimal stress.
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note on texturing: although one can of orange peel is supposed to cover 100 sqft, prepare yourself for a disappointment. it doesn't. and coverage at the heaviest setting is not really very heavy. aim from closer to the wall than recommended.

on thursday the handy man was laying down the underlayment for the bathroom floor when a sliver of wood pierced his finger. he took it out with the blade of my utility knife and put the knife in a box. later, when he asked for a pair of pliers, i cut my hand with the knife while rummaging through the box looking for the pliers.
i was overtaken by panic for a moment. i was already upset at being so far behind on the work.... the vanity was not proving co-operative. it was higher than average at 33.5" - which meant the sink water lines were not long enough to connect to the copper tubing coming out of the floor. the plastic tubing was short by 8 inches now. grover's had given me the wrong stone counter top cut for an undermount sink instead of a drop-in like i was planning to re-use. if they did not have supply of the kind i wanted i would have to spend more on a new sink and faucet fixture. i was over-budget as it was....every change or decision meant additional labor time. and then the cut with an unwashed blade that had a stranger's blood on it. overcome by frustration and fear i called snuffy and left a msg that i was having an existential break-down, so would he - could he - please call back? he did in abt an hour and sounded comepletely distraught. and then he reassured me that it would be alright and made me feel safe. he was sweet and caring - his voice full of tenderness.
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when i first told snuffy i was going to buy a house, he asked me not to. he gave me a number of reasons - the extra money and the extra work. but later told me the real reason... "if you buy a house, you will never move back here." i asked him why i would move back... he had taken the escapist way out: "to work with me in my law firm..." it was not a good enough reason for me. or for him. but now, everytime something happens regarding the house i am in two minds to tell him b/c he might say: i told you so. and i wouldn't like it.

when i left the house on wednesday night, i gave the handyman the key, so that he could come back early the next morning to re-touch the mortar in the shower base that he had finally managed to pour last thing that evening. i had planned to sleep in and since i was going to change the locks later anyway, i felt it wasn't quite a risky move. as luck would have it, r c willey called at 7:10 am on thursday morning to schedule the delivery of the fridge and WD for 8:30 am. so much for sleeping in...
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i arrived at the house before the handyman and got started on sanding the drywall. i figured that if i put in some solid hours, we would be able to finish by that evening. i sanded and sanded and sanded till 12:30 pm when i took a break for lunch and then came right back. i inhaled a bucket of drywall dust and felt my lungs closing in. the room was thick with dust. face masks make me more claustrophobic if anything and when you are sweating it ends up stinking. the handyman had come at 8:45 am (which was nice of him b/c he didn't have to) and leveled the shower floor. he came back in the afternoon and we realized that the plumbing store had given me the wrong vanity counter top. so in about 3 hours we called it a day and left.
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next day, i vacuumed the job site to clean up the dust and sand. ended up with a vaccum cleaner that turned white with chalk dust in every crevice and looked like it would never work right again on regular carpet.

we have been working on the bathroom since saturday. we put in a solid 18.5 hours till sunday. when the 'amateur' handyman went over time on his bid of 22 hours on monday, we were still left with an unbelievable amount of work. so far we have logged 3.5 hours over. we have plenty more to go.
for $25/hr, i was slated for a good deal. until i factored in the externalities of working with a 27 year old with a post-adoloescent outlook on female companionship. i think now he is prolonging the job for the conversations alone. and how those conversations strain my resolve to remain calm and agreeable. i have been inundated with stories of conquest and his desirability... this from a man who does not realise when his fly is open, has horse breath, and who farts at surprising frequency. in my presence. yes. we have become that close. apparently.
i am buying him lunch, spending all my time in his presence since saturday. i have not had a chance to pick up groceries, wash my hair and do laundry. not to mention, the packing that i need to get done before my scheduled move this coming weekend. yesterday he scheduled an appt. for 4 pm. showed up at 2:00 pm and called me at home to demand lunch. took an hour to talk and eat. and then started - guess when - exactly at 4 pm.
if i never see his face again, i think it'll be too soon. but i have to say, he brings the power tools without which this project would be impossible. he owns a truck - crucial to transport material, esp. in circumstances where buying and returning big, awkward items are frequent.
bad news is that so far i am dangerously close to going over budget on both labor and material. i think now, he is wishing he had quoted me a higher hourly rate. although i know not why. in customary contractor fashion, he is droning on now whenever he gets a chance that it is far too much work than he had estimated/anticipated (although i have added nothing extra since the bid). he apparently "hates" going into the crawl space, drywalling, mudding, and dealing with foam insulation. so as a constructin guy, i wonder what he doesnot "hate" abt construction. he constantly compares his rates with others, the others who would have been bonded, insured and licenced.
my colleague who recommended him suggested today that i leave the house when he is working (that's what he did). i will try that from today but i think he is far too dependent/reliant on the 'stellar' conversation/attention my presence grants him and it will be difficult to wean him off. all due to one small judgmental error on my part when i decided that by being there i could only help matters. how naive.

i drove a hammer through a wall - y'all! on purpose. and it was scary at first but then i got desensitized pretty fast. we demo-ed (if that's a word) the bath area last evening. it took us three hours but this is what we accomplished:

- took out the vanity, mirror and lights
- sawed out shower enclosure (inhaled fiberglass dust in bucketfuls)
- ripped out pocket door - frame and all
- ripped dry wall off two walls
- pulled out a 2x4 to expand the opening going into the shower and toiler area
- ripped out carpeting and some vinyl off floor

the place is now ready for building but first i have to clean up the mess a little.
and when i say little i mean a lot.

thank heavens, james had a sawsall - otherwise this work could have taken us a whole day. i'll try to upload some pictures of the systematic destruction.

the house i bought was a rental property for about 8 years. listed as the owner's second home, it got taxed at $2250 per year. but this is my primary residence so i will get a 50% home owner's exemption on my taxes (reduces the annual amount by about $700-$800 if i am lucky, given the reassessed property value, and also any changes to the 2004 levies). but grab this, i will continue to pay $180 in taxes per month even though this is my residence. the tax readjustment won't go into effect till june 06. that's the way uncle sam has it designed - they collect back taxes every six months, for reasons i can not clearly understand. meanwhile, your monthly payments accumulate in your escrow account. from what i gather, apparently, the feds collect the taxes for jan - jun in dec of same year and jun to dec in jun of following year. this is heresay, so don't quote me.
point is, my taxes will not be readjusted till mid-06 at which time i am responsible for notifying the mortgage company. the former owners did make adjustments for the first 8 months of 2005 when we closed on the house. bottom line is, for no justifiable reason, i will be paying abt 60 dollars additional for the months between aug 05 and dec 05, and as a result, uncle sam will get to add approximately $60*4 = $240 in their 'ill-gotten gains' coffer.

FYI: if you are having professional installers put in new vinyl on your bathroom floors - keep in mind that they will take the toilet out but won't put it back on again.
Also, make sure the measuring person listens to you carefully on what the project actually involves before he starts measuring the floor space.
Also note, that flooring stores don't always carry wood wall base (?!) so you might need to make seperate arrangements for that.
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Note: also, watch like a hawk to make sure that the 'professional' installer does not leave bubble(s) in spanking new vinyl floor!

i have decided to give the job to a student who does this sort of thing part time. two things come out of it: (1) i can perhaps save some money, and (2) get some hands-on experience in DIY.
am i getting myself in too deep? we'll find out. the labor costs (200 a day) are not that different from a professional contractor's (250 a day). the only areas where i save are the mark-ups on tranportation of material and total cost of project.

my friends lis and zu and i painted the kitchen a "fabulous red". exactly the shade i had in mind. but bad quality paint.
note: do not buy american tradition (at) paint from lowes. esp. in satin finish and for smooth walls. it thickens in the tray, does not give smooth, even coverage, and is drippy. and it's not very cheap either. for comparable expenses, you will do well to buy sherwin williams contractor grade paint - in flat (which is surprisingly eggshell-y) or satin finish. it goes on like a dream. is perfect. i have tried kelly moore, at and sw. latter is by far the best.

today i got the first quote from a contractor abt the bath remodel that i had earlier mentioned. it came to 4240 with prefab shower enclosure and 4845 with tile. the bids reflect everything - due emphasis on 'everything' - that is to be done, including buying and transporting all required material and fixtures. had it been a normal case, the numbers would not be so bad but i have to worry abt a house already at a $125/sft, and want to avoid getting into negative equity, if i can. there's the flooring installation to think abt as well. bid for that will come in later today. not to mention the appliances - like the fridge and washer-dryer. well the appliances are mine to keep so should not be considered part of the house price. but still with flooring i am perhaps looking at $6000 in renovations (conservative estimate). that drives the price per sft to $135.38. Not too hot.
the cherry on top is that i couldn't have been doing this at a worse time, apparently. with the hurricane damage in the south, gas prices are up and it is expected that the lumber prices will go up as well as most other plumbing supplies. well, isn't that dandy? if we could buy and store the material right away, we would perhaps be better off but that means i have to decide on the final project and the contractor in a day or two.