The House That Hope Built

…So I realize I haven’t posted anything in almost three weeks. But things have been happening at lightening speed…in ALL aspects of my life! At the moment, I’m sitting on my front porch, eating a bagel, drinking some coffee, and listening to the birds chirping. The neighbors are out walking their dogs (or out walking themselves). And meanwhile the inside of my house is getting streaked with color! Today the crew is over painting the interior—the LAST and truly FINAL component of the project!! It’s all happening so fast, I’m honestly kind of in a fog. There’s so much that I need to get done, and I’m not even sure what all it entails. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m about to move into my house!! This weekend!! It’s really real!! HELP!!! Lol

Okay, two days left until my construction loan officially expires. It’s a nut house over there. Everything is getting hammered and drilled and fitted and sanded. The clock is ticking. So here are the updates:

The Good…

The gas line will be installed tomorrow! After five months of agony and bungled negotiations, the gas line will finally be put in! I’d been going back and forth with the Washington Gas subcontractors for the last two weeks. And after a pretty abrasive early-morning conversation with their scheduler last week, the project manager called yesterday to give me the good news. She seems much more conciliatory and sympathetic than her counter part, for which I’m so truly thankful.

Though we won’t make the May 5 deadline, the bank is more understanding of a delay that is caused by something completely out of my control. They said they’d give me another few weeks for the gas to be completed. Of course this will come at some additional cost to me, but they’re a bank. Making money is their business… I get it.  At least they’re not taking my house away from me.

The “Bad”…

Yesterday, when the water/plumbing contractors did a pressure test of the water, it accidentally flooded the back of my basement…where all of my art work and “precious things” are stored. The surprises never stop with this project!

I went over this morning to assess the damage. A few pieces of art were ruined, a few frames broken, my two nice rugs a bit water-logged. It could’ve been a lot worse, as far as my “stuff” was concerned. The only other problem to consider is the mold. Stephen said they’re going to dehumidify the place and do a mold test, because we cannot risk having mold growing anywhere in the basement. Hopefully the test turns out negative.

The Ugly…

I got an e-mail at 1am, saying the water/sewage line is now in, BUT apparently WASA mis-marked the location of the pipes under the street. So what does that mean for me? When the subcontractor made a price bid on the job, they based it on the WASA-delineated location. When they actually dug the trench according to where they thought the line was (again, going by what WASA told them), they discovered the line wasn’t there. So they had to dig a wider and wider trench, until they finally found the line—all the way on the other side of the street. This may not sound like a big deal, until you remember that the cost of laying the actual pipes is not the expensive part of utility work. The expensive part is the street—sawing, backfilling, and paving the road. So, every foot they have to saw open is about $1000 of work. Add on an additional 5 feet, and now you’ve got an additional $5000 bill.

And that’s exactly what I got…well, $5480.48, to be exact. And why? Because WASA—the utility company whose job it is to know where all the water lines are; the company that everyone has to go to and pay to get maps of the lines, in order to get permits, in order to lay piping, in order to run water, in order to only turn around and pay WASA again—screwed up. But, check this out, WASA apparently has a clause in all of their contracts that states that THEY’RE NOT RESPONSIBLE for their own errors!!! WHAT?!? Senseless.

When I first read that e-mail, I broke down (it didn’t help that I read it right before trying to fall asleep after an already crazy day). Breaking down seems to be a consistent theme running through all my posts, I know. But I guess that’s my first response to a completely unanticipated and seemingly colossal challenge. Funny thing is, though, just like with muscle development, the break down actually seemed to strengthen me. I woke up this morning in warrior mode. Phoenix, rising from the ashes.

I AM GOING TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE THAT MONEY. I am. That’s all there is to it. My brain is valuable. It is, in fact, the most valuable asset that I posses. And I’ve been selling it short for, oh, only the last five years at least. Now, all bets are off. I am officially putting my brain on the market—AT MARKET VALUE, dang it!! Hope has a house to pay for. 

Okay, I swear I’m really (for real, for real) about to log off all social networking, cybercommunication, etc. etc. and FINISH MY PAPER (which I’ve been saying for, oh, only about two weeks now). But I did want to say thank you, so sincerely, to YOU for continuing to share my journey with me. My Bloggie Number One—“Skippymom” ;-) Mary, Sherise, Aunt Valeta, Tania, Michael, Emil, and everyone else who is stopping by my little blogosphere to check out the progress. You’re such a great boost!! Peace and LOVE!!