I somehow have neglected to fully convey the state of The Palace during those first 30 days.
As we waited to be able to get rid of the stuff left behind, I worked to get as much as possible down to the basement garage.
This involved many boxes, bags, and trips up and down the stairs in an un-airconditioned attic-like space.
In summer.
I believe that I also neglected to mention that the previous owners had dogs.
The smell in the house was/is/hopefullywon’teverbeagain something. To put it lightly.
As the bumped door was replaced, we took up a bit of the existing flooring so that the door would be flush with the new flooring that we will install later on.
There was a layer of vinyl “wood look” tile on top of ceramic tile. As we moved tiles out of the way a gooey yellow substance remained.
This was not glue.
In fact, I don’t think they had adhered the tiles to the floor at all, they were really easy to remove.
This was congealed, dehydrated dog pee.
Pee from many pees. Pee that had been wiped up on the surface but continued to lurk down below.
Waiting. Years.
For this very moment. A chance to release its stench.
Basically, this is what the house smelled like: Oaky stale air, with dense notes of mold and damp, and a full bodied aged dog pee finish.
Lovely.
Fix It Mommy!
A phrase commonly heard around our house. It sounds more like “Fizz it, Mommy.” Usually closely followed by a sharp “No, Mommy do it!” If anyone else tries to intervene.
This was not going to be an easy fix for mommy.
We were in a holding pattern with the garage now fully packed out. There were two twin mattresses and box spring sets on the first floor along with 5 dressers.
Nothing left to do but wait.
I got bids and lined up a lot of the work that needed to be completed.
One of the daughters, Daughter 2, came to check the mail and talk for a minute one day. She wasn’t friends with Daughter 1 from the B&E and also doesn’t talk to her mom.
It was an interesting encounter.
And then I went on vacation for a week. Yes, thanks for asking, it was lovely.
While we were gone, our awesome roofer ripped off the two old layers of shingles, made some repairs, and put down the new roofing.
He measured and ordered windows.
He also installed new gutters, gutter guards, and downspouts.
The old downspouts were structured so that they drained as they wrapped around the foundation.
For a house with a wet basement this, as my 2 year old would say, was “not good.”
Out of the Office
While heading out of town I received an email from one of the family members.
She was Daughter 3, and wanted to pick up some things from the house, we arranged for her to come the Monday after we returned.
The 30 days would be up on Wednesday.
Daughter 1, the one from the B&E, texted me to say that she too would like to go through the remaining possessions. I set up a meeting with her on that same Monday.
In that family there are 6 children, 4 girls and 2 boys. 2 of the girls are twins. Daughter 1 is friends with her mom but doesn’t talk to her sisters, daughter 2 talks to her twin D4, and D3 talks to D4 but not D2 or D1.
D2 loved her dad but can’t stand her mom. D3 is seen as the “bad guy” because mom couldn’t move in with her. But, D1 is much better suited to have mom live with her so that’s where she moved.
Are you confused? It was hard to keep track of who is friends with who. The sons stayed out of the mess.
Back to Reality
We came back home and I unpacked, sorted out our house, and got ready for an appraisal.
We have been working on getting our HELOC redone since rates are so low, and they needed to appraise our house.
After letting out a sigh of relief that it was over, I turned my focus towards the meetings with D1 and D3.
Neither of them came that day.
Or the next day.
Or Wednesday, or Thursday.
Thursday night I sent out an email and text to D1 and D3 letting them know I would be setting belongings out in The Palace driveway on Friday and posting them online for pickup.
D1 said she would come Friday to look over things and D3 asked to pick up the dressers on Saturday but said she didn’t want anything else.
My husband and I wrapped up the porch couch in plastic and set it at the curb for a scheduled pickup.
D1 came to The Palace on Friday and took her things, she wasn’t there long.
Her husband is a saint.
He worked hard to get an automatic chair lift out of the stairwell and hauled out the boxes that she wanted.
D3 came Saturday morning and took her three dressers. She had her brother in law help and he had underestimated the dressers’ weight, so I helped out.
Free At Last!
Now the rest of it could finally go! After posting “free” ads on online, I was truly amazed at the turn out. We sorted out things that were truly trash and put them out on garbage night, filling six cans. We chipped away at what was left over the next two weeks.
A couple came with a trailer and loaded it to the gills with the things lining the driveway. They also took the two bed/boxspring sets.
Two people took the old glass doors.
Someone else came and took the whole metal shed, its contents, as well as the deck and deck/pergola set up!
Someone needed the Palace fireplace.
And for $60 we got the hot tub, stove, and dishwasher hauled away! The hot tub was gone!!
Empty house!
Now that The Palace was empty we could begin the demo process in earnest.
It was a slowww few weeks of shuffling things around and peeking in the walls to see what was there.
I called to get a dumpster delivered. It would be a week and a half wait.
No worries, I would make piles and have it ready to toss in as soon as it arrived.
Having a “construction items only” dumpster is far cheaper than one that can accommodate household items as well.
I was excited about the savings, and felt pretty confident that we could fit all of our debris in a 40 yard dumpster.
My husband started cutting back the extremely overgrown landscaping and it felt like we were able to really begin to make our mark on The Palace.
All of this cleaning out was setting off a spark!
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