First Week Highs and Lows
It’s been a week since I signed my name a thousand times to purchase the old 1945 cottage, and I have to say it’s been a crazy week already. I have a month left in my current lease, but I wanted to get as much done as possible before “officially” moving into the home.
Let’s be honest, moving is the absolute worst! You get all giddy about your new home and picturing where everything will go and the improvements you will make, and then reality set’s in. You’re surrounded by moving boxes and bubble wrap and that shipping tape that doesn’t cut just right. On top of that, half of your items are at one house and the other half is at the other. All I’m saying is my coffee maker ain’t moving until my bed does. I’m not saying I have a problem, but my coffee maker and I have a special bond.
While I’m whining about all the little things, I promise I am still excited about my vision for this home. Buying a fixer upper has its ups and downs as everyone probably knows. You peel back the layers and find things you weren’t expecting—like termite damage or mold. Both the termite damage and the mold were discovered in the same night at the cottage.
The boyfriend immediately pressed the panic button as I sat on the stairs contemplating whether I made a solid decision on actually purchasing this home. I’m sure it will not be the last time those thoughts cross my mind as we discover new challenges in the home.
I didn’t necessarily intend on starting this much demo in the first week of being a homeowner, but that’s we all know what they say about “good intentions.” I was taking off the trim to get ready to level the home when I noticed a bit of mold.
The mold was fortunately contained (that we know of) to the living room under the big window. Our guess is that water seeped into the walls from the old window, and the previous owners replaced it.
The boyfriend noticed some bubbling in the sheetrock in “his room” that butts up to the water heater. To assess the damage, he picked up a hammer and knocked a hole in the sheetrock and proceeded to panic as he saw termite tunnels that covered the entire wall.
Termites. I feel as if I have learned so much about these little pests in the last few days. Nothing says “welcome home” like termite tunnels all over my beautiful shiplap. While there were no live pests on the wall, the shiplap in this room will have to be taken down. Let’s take a moment of silence for the shiplap…
Okay, moving on. At this point, we are demoing both of the guest bedrooms before “officially” moving into the home in a month. While there are many challenges so far, I still have hope that this will be the home I envision. Until then, I will have to roll up my sleeves, put on a dust mask, and see what happens.
Your friend,
Laci
