Mortgage Monday: Not Recommended

There used to be plants there...

One of the many projects that we have checked off our list so far this summer has been to get some basic landscaping done. Nothing complicated or expensive. Basically, all we needed to do was to remove the plants around the house, side and back, and replace with grass or some means of drainage. Again, simple is better and what we really wanted to accomplish was to minimize maintenance while avoiding future potential problems.

After going through the usual process and receiving a few quotes, some in writing and some over the phone, I decided to hire a local landscaper who came well recommended. Everything was falling into place and we agreed upon the work that needed to be done. The whole process was going smoothly… at least until they showed up and actually started working.

Well, it was bound to happen. Our luck has been too good with contractors, service companies, sales people, and other transactions lately. Someone was bound to foul up at some point and last week we had a “winner”.

I took the time in the early morning to give a final review of the tasks that needed to be accomplished for the day… this was a one day project. When I left for work that morning I felt pretty good about what I would find when I came home that evening. After multiple phone calls throughout the day and seeing what still needed to be done when I pulled into the driveway that night, that level of comfort had completely disappeared... the work was going to take an extra day and the work that had been completed was not of the quality that we were expecting (I'm not sure that they are familiar with the concept of parallel lines). 

In reviewing the footage from our security system, speaking with my wife, and watching a little as they got started the next morning it was clear that this was nothing more than a paycheck for them. Now I completely understand that they need to make a living but that doesn’t mean that short cuts should be taken or they should provide substandard work simply so they could get to the next job that much faster. It was actually to the point that I had them remove some work and change things up on the second morning as I had little confidence in what they would end up producing.

Thankfully, we have a contractor that we trust and that will fix the errors left behind. But it is safe to say that we will not be hiring this company again for some of the future projects that we will be having done in the yard. At this point I’m just glad that I hired someone else to take down the trees around the property because these guys, based on the work that I did have them do, might have taken out the house, or at least the shed or gazebo, in the process. At the very least, I know they wouldn’t have done the excellent job that Monster Tree Service did a couple of weeks ago (I highly recommend this company). I think I will stick with the people I trust for now.

Mortgage Monday: Revising The Project List

My wife and I have continuously kept an informal project list of things that we would like to have done at the house. As I have written about before, some things are more pressing than others with the majority of these tasks being things that we want to do rather than things that need to be done. However, in the end, they are all projects that will transform this already wonderful home into a perfect one.  

Of course, we have to work within our budget so some things have been shifted around according to our finances. This has also impacted the overall timeline of the work we would like to get done at the house. That being said, as we have priced out some of the items on our list there have also been things shifted up or down accordingly. Lately, those prices that we have seen have allowed us to move things up in our timeline.

To review, here are the things that we have known for some time and which we had planned to address over the next few years:

• Installing office door
• Flooring (hardwood or laminate?)
• Minor electrical work (fixing existing issues)
• HVAC overhaul
• Replacing boiler with hot water tank
• Installing steel duct work
• Installing two HVAC units
• Installing underground tank for gas
• Side Deck
• Front Porch
• Repair / replace retaining wall
• Tree removal
• Installing chimney cap
• Repointing masonry
• Garage Door replacement
• Re-grading around the house

That was the basic list that we came up with shortly after we moved in and it remained relatively unchanged for a few months. Over time, we added a few more items:

Interior painting

• Replacing kitchen and bathroom hardware
• Replacing appliances starting with the washer and dryer
• Converting fireplace to gas
• Expanding bonus room upstairs and finishing

Now, the list has grown to include a few new items and some clarifications on the aforementioned ones as well. With the existing things that we knew from the beginning, previous additions, and a batch of new items, this new roster of projects now consists of the following:

• Installing French doors to my office
• Installing hardwood floors throughout
• Minor electrical work (fixing existing issues)
• HVAC overhaul
• Replacing boiler with hot water tank
• Installing steel duct work
• Installing two HVAC units
• Installing underground tank for gas
• Converting fireplace to gas
• Install gas or solar generator
• Installing composite side deck and front porch
• Repair / replace retaining wall
• Tree removal around property
• Installing chimney cap
• Re-pointing the patio
• Garage Door replacement
• Re-grading around the house
• Interior painting
• Replacing kitchen and bathroom hardware
• Replacing appliances starting with the washer and dryer
• Redirecting dryer vent
• Replacing refrigerator
• Expanding bonus room upstairs and finishing
• Replacing front, side, and patio doors
• Lighting fixtures in all bedrooms
• Replacing toilets
• Resealing basement walls
• Re-configuring landscaping (removal of flower beds)
• Replacing / adding outdoor lighting
• Replacing doors to garage with fire rated doors
• Replacing gutter guards
• Replacing blinds
• Installing new window treatments
• Replacing windows

What started as a relatively small collection of projects has grown rapidly into a long list of things that we would like to have done to the house. And while there are many more project than before, we are still hoping to get the majority of these things completed by the end of next summer. Some things will be quick while others will take weeks and some are things that we will get done eventually like replacing the windows. So, beginning this summer, things are going to be quite busy around the house but, slowly and while sticking to a specific budget, we will transform our home into one that we have only dreamed about in the past.   

Mortgage Monday: The Next Purchases

Another purchase down and many more to go... 

Now that the lawn has been taken care of and the property is in a state where we can actually enjoy some time outside it is time to start looking for all the other things that we previously avoided. While there was some outdoor space at our last rental we pretty much didn’t spend any significant time outside on the small patio and opted to take advantage of the spaces maintained by the homeowners association. Of course, we didn’t really have the time to plan anything especially since we considered that place a stopgap.

While we previously bought a tractor and already had a few other items necessary to maintain the property (i.e. snow blower, rakes, trailer for the tractor, leaf blower, etc.) we have still been needing a few other things to round out the tool shed. And thanks to a $100 refund on the tractor, we did cover a few of those things by picking up a weed eater and other small items. However, that is only a small part of the long list of things that we need for our outdoor space. Thankfully, the other items are more about relaxation rather than work.

Having purchased a lot of furniture late last year just prior to settlement I am not really looking forward to buying any more but that is the situation that we are in now. Thankfully, this is a much smaller endeavor this time around as we are looking for something to complete the patio. While we have one adirondack chair out there now for relaxing and we will be purchasing another shortly, we need to find a decent table and chairs that is also toddler friendly. We did take a quick look at a few things this past weekend but didn’t end up buying anything… some of the options at the big retailers are really expensive!

This is going to be one of those searches that both needs to get done rather quickly but that is also going to require some online investigation and, possibly, some trips to various consignment stores and thrift shops. It all comes down to finding some outdoor furniture that will allow us to enjoy the outdoor space that we now have while, at the same time, keeping it budget friendly. After all, we have had a lot of expected and unexpected costs lately and we want to retain some semblance of financial sanity. This is not an unmanageable task and we are all looking forward to making the outdoors part of our home.

Mortgage Monday: Yard Work

As the rain continued to fall off and on and the grass kept growing longer and longer, I finally found the time on Saturday to head over to the local Tractor Supply and pick out a tractor. There are a couple of other places closer to the house where I could have bought something but I decided to give a different retailer a try based on the recommendations of family members. Being that this was my first time at the store, it was an interesting experience seeing all that they have available on the shelves… the retailer is much more like a traditional hardware store than the giants that you commonly see from the highway like Lowe's or Home Depot. I prefer going here from now on. While I was there for a tractor this time around, it is nice to know that I can stop by the store (about 15 minutes away from the house) if I were to need other items.

It didn’t take long before I found the Cub Cadet that was recommended to me via text message last week and within a few minutes I was working with someone to figure out warranties and a means to have it delivered to the house…. I can fit a lot of stuff in the Jeep but a tractor is not one of them. It was during this conversation when I asked if they knew of any local landscapers who would be able to give me a head start. Thankfully, the woman with whom I was speaking had a name on hand, her landscaper, and, better yet, he would be able to pick up and deliver the tractor for me too (for free!).

On my way home, I left a message with the landscaper and by the end of the afternoon we had coordinated a time for the following afternoon to evaluate what needed to be done. And, yes, I checked with my wife to make sure it was okay for him to stop by on Mother’s Day. After walking around the property, we both agreed to a very reasonable price with work to start the following day. While the rain today has prevented us from making any progress, the work will be done this week.

While it is going to cost us a bit more, having a four man crew come in for two days and take care of everything is well worth the investment. I have no problem maintaining but I simply don’t have the time to catch up on the yard work. And, hopefully, we will have someone we can call moving forward should we need any additional landscaping or handyman work done in the future. For now, we are really looking forward to seeing the property cleaned up and seeing our son enjoying some more time outside.