Saturday, March 14, 2009

Update and a Call for MTM Help

Hunting and house buying have one thing in common. The fun stops once you pull the trigger.

I'm up to my elbow in sweat and blood, as I try to get everything done before we move into our new abode. After a nearly 16 hour day of painting, caulking, and scraping yesterday I don't see anyway we are going to make the self imposed deadline of actually sleeping in our new house by Friday the 20th. There is still much to be done. Heck, there is still much to be undone as the previous owners never graduated past frat boy carpentry. They have painted over every outlet cover, register, screw, and light switch in the house. Apparently they didn't own a single screw driver to remove anything before had as even the bathroom mirrors are painted onto the wall.

More details to come but there were quite a few hidden surprises around the house once they got all their crap out. There is a shelving unit in the garage made from cinder blocks and duct tape. No I am not kidding. I'm sure the previous owners had do douse their ears in aloe yesterday as I grumbled with each new discovery. Having said that I need someone to bail me out and take over My Town Monday this week as their is no way I can check in often enough to post links in a timely fashion. I have a post already written which will go up tomorrow but Sunday and Monday I will be too busy to check in very often.

Also blogger extraordinaire and the queen of great ideas Chris Eldin has it upon another one. Here is a cut and pasted email she sent me.

Hi Travis,

The Book Roast blog (www.bookroast.blogspot.com) will be hosting a Pitch Party on St. Patrick's Day-- Tuesday, March 17 from 7am through 7pm (NY time)! More info will be posted late Friday evening on the Book Roast blog.

We're inviting participants to submit a pitch for a book (real or for fun). The theme is "luck," and the pitches will be limited to 75 words. One pitch per participant. I hope you can drop by and take a look. Or enter!! PLEASE ENTER!! You'll have fun, and you can use a pen name if you like!!

Five highly esteemed editors will select their favorite three, and say why those pitches stood out. The winning pitches will be announced at 9pm (NY time).

The editors on board are listed below. Ms. Spitfire is technically in marketing, but she has occasion to touch the slush. :-)

Evil Editor
Editorial Anonymous
Edittorrent
Moonrat
Ms. Spitfire



Please help spread the word, if you can. We just want to have some fun amidst this environment of publishing gloom and doom.


Many thanks!!

Chris


www.bookroast.blogspot.com



Y'all check it out and participate if you can. And please let me know if you can assume the link master role for My Town Monday this week so I can get the word out in my post.

21 comments:

Stephen Parrish said...

How I deal with houses I've bought from people who occupied them before me: One room at a time.

cher said...

as much as i love the thought of being the master of anything, i think i'll pass :)

duct tape? SERIOUSLY??? Now that is picture post worthy!

alex keto said...

I saw the ads on your blog for today were for the "Blastmatch firestarter" "Survival firestarter" and "CQ firestarter."

Now, I'm not saying anything about these sort of ads in this situation, but... do you really need help starting fires?

Angie Ledbetter said...

Tons of luck and prayers with those move-in reno projects. And take some Aleve tonight!

Cloudia said...

Best Wishes on your new home, Travis!

If someone takes over MTM this week, please note that my MTM post will go up Monday morning. Thanks!!
Aloha

ps: Just be glad you're not moving onto an old boat. at least you won't drown in your sleep ;-)

Phats said...

Good luck with getting everything done and moving in and all!

McKoala said...

Hey, that shelving unit will last for years. If it can't be done with duct tape, then it can't be done at all...

Of course I speak as somebody who once furnished her house almost totally with cardboard boxes.

Junosmom said...

Hi Travis, I'd be happy to help you out, with a condition: I can't put the links up until starting this evening or possibly tomorrow morning. Today is booked morning to night. I don't mind, in fact enjoy it, but I have to be home :-) So if that timing is okay, I'll step up to the plate. If you in the meantime find someone else who has today off, it's fine with me.

Unknown said...

When we moved into our new house, we did the bedroom first, so at least we'd have a place to sleep, plus our bed is huge and we never wanted to move it again! Then the nursery got done.. We've lived here over a year and those are still the only to rooms to have been renovated! Hope you have better luck!

Josephine Damian said...

I buy my cars used but my houses new - in fact I have it built and breathe down the builder's neck till he starts calling me a bitch-on-wheels and then I really start to give him hell.

And when my current house starts to need remodeling or major repairs, that's the time to move.

Anyway, here I was thinking you'd have an easy move what with now having a ton of stuff the schlep.

Oh well.

Hope you're settled in soon.

Jenn Jilks said...

I can do it for you, Travis. I just wrote my MTM, ode to spring!

Jewel Allen said...

Thanks for the link. Sounds like great fun!!

Have fun making the new house your "own".

Anonymous said...

The duct tape is a sign from your Great Granddad! He was the master of duct tape.

Charles Gramlich said...

Reminds me of just a few years ago after we bought our house, and found, for one, that the dishwasher wasn't even bolted in.

writtenwyrdd said...

Both of my houses have had surprises. The first had an excuse, being 110 years old, but the most recent one surprized me in a few annoying ways, like all the faucets leaking, the dryer being hard wired to the line instead of a plug, and every wall and floor and ceiling even being not square nor level. (Because who looks at a house with a plumb bob and a level?)

i spent 2 weeks just getting stuff painted and cleaned up to move in, so I know what you are going through. Bless you in your time of wanting to throttle someone.

debra said...

Good luck with the house. Stephen's words are wise: one room at a time.
One roll of duct tape at a time :-)
Photos would be grand.

Melissa Amateis said...

We found so many "frat boy carpentry" mistakes at our house - after we moved in, of course. I didn't see them upon first inspection. But boy, are there some doozies.

Junosmom said...

Hey Travis - you are such the diplomat :-) I am back from my busy day and see that Jenn is willing to do it, and I'm more than happy to support my blog friend in her MTM hosting turn. I'm truly busy, but wouldn't want to see it go un-hosted or let you down, but I am happy to spread the love!

Anonymous said...

You didn't grumble much more than I did!!! It is going to be great when we get it all done. Remain calm move with the grove!!!

Unknown said...

Doing home improvements huh? Please, PLEASE take pictures before you get it all fixed!!!!!!

Unknown said...

I know your pain.

When I bought my current home it looked lovely. Then over the course of the first year I discovered more and more things that were just patches over problems. The worst was the deck. By the end of our first summer there I stepped onto it and my foot went right through the middle. Bam.

I opened it up to repair it and found the whole thing, 15'x25', was suspended on two rotted beams that had been stuffed with tons of wood debris over the years to keep pushing it back up to level. It was basically floating in mid air.

Anyway, the new one I built could hold a small tank.