Then the very next day, the guy we chose to replace our front steps started in on that lovely project. He managed to get the steps out, but not before we had a minor moment of panic wondering if the bricks on the archway were part of a support beam/foundation for the house. The bad part of that is that some of those bricks are crumbling and he was worried about what could happen if we get too far into the project. After two more people arrived to check it out, we got the go-ahead to keep tearing things apart. The job ended up being somewhat bigger than expected (go figure!) as we had to also tear our part of the sidewalk in front of the steps in order to get them out easier. That'll raise the cost a bit, and we may even need to take out more of the sidewalk later to meet code. Sigh.
That was an exhausting day! Dealing with the possibility of losing the front part of my house was more than I was prepared to deal with. We've now had a nice bout of rain since the steps went bye-bye, so the dude hasn't come back to work on the project. Instead of steps, we have a blue tarp covering a large hole. Oh, and that same day, I also had to run to Menards to get a mailbox to attach to the railing outside the steps so that we can continue to have our mail delivered while we await the return of construction dude and the re-pouring of our steps. I am not exactly one to figure out how to attach a thing, so my fix may not be the most beautiful, but it is functional. Wondering what I did? Two words: Bungee Cord!
Next project on the horizon: a new roof. Ugh. The thought of getting into that one isn't even something I want to think about right now. We've had some good recommendations from others though so that's a positive. I'm not sure if we'll actually do the roof this summer, but I have a feeling it will need to be done sooner rather than later given the look of it and the ice dams we had last winter.
Ah, the wonders of home ownership! Perhaps I should revise that to say "the wonders of 70-year old home ownership." It seems that as we dig into projects like these, confusion ensues thanks to the previous owners of this 70-year old gem we call home. We love the house, but whoa! So far, we've learned about some crazy wiring in the basement and some funky strange pipes leading to God knows where in our basement ceiling. We still have some mystery cords plugged in places in the basement that appear to be coming from a distant part of the house, or dare I say it, maybe even outside.
I'm just hopeful that during one of these house projects I will discover a million dollars or some crazy good treasure hidden somewhere in the fireplace, in the wall, the basement ceiling, the garage loft, or the sewing room attic cubbie! I'm ready to call Geraldo to come broadcast the experience.
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