The House That Hope Built

…and more color!

Sat, 26 May 2012 13:33:00 -0400

living room

hallway and office

…and more color!

A sneak peak at the master bedroom, with color!

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:15:28 -0400

A sneak peak at the master bedroom, with color!

Where have I been?!?

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:14:00 -0400

…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

Yes, folks, that right there is a fully installed gas line. A...

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:44:00 -0400

Yes, folks, that right there is a fully installed gas line. A FULLY INSTALLED GAS LINE! And that’s all I’m gonna say about it for now, because that’s the truly important part of the story. I’m EXHAUSTED. Buenas noches, my dear bloggies.

Bidding adieu to the plumbing company! And waiting for the...

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:26:36 -0400

Bidding adieu to the plumbing company! And waiting for the Verizon guy. Just got a call from the gas folks. They should be coming through tomorrow. I just need to hold tight and keep the good energy flowing a little while longer. Come on, Universe! You’ve been wonderful to me for so long. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The good, the bad, the ugly...and the Phoenix

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:43:00 -0400

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.

...and a HUGE thank you, to YOU!!

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:37:00 -0400

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!!

Wacka Wacka Wacka!!! It’s so beeyooteefulll!!!

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:21:25 -0400

Wacka Wacka Wacka!!! It’s so beeyooteefulll!!!

All the guys were at the house at 10:00 pm this evening...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:19:44 -0400

All the guys were at the house at 10:00 pm this evening (when I went to drop off more last-minute stuff). They were putting in overtime to get the hardwood floors installed in time for tomorrow’s inspection. Looking great!

Almost There!! This morning I went over to Amicus to pick up the...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:35:00 -0400

guest bath--the sink and toilet are in!

master bath--awaiting the custom mirror

master bedroom--my "oasis" fan

The appliances are getting situated

prepping the floors for the hard wood

Almost There!!

This morning I went over to Amicus to pick up the final light fixture for the house! When I dropped it off, the house was buzzing (literally) with action. Stanley, the plumber, was there finishing up the fixtures in the master bathroom. Tony, the electrician, was busy putting in the light fixtures and fans. Stephen was prepping the floor to lay the hard wood planks. The kitchen appliances were almost in. And I could see the final house taking shape!!

This upcoming Tuesday, the sewage and water lines get connected. And (crossing fingers) the gas line comes in right on its heels. Everything now is in fast-track mode. We are truly almost there!!

In the belly of the beast Today I traveled out to Springfield,...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:15:00 -0400

In the belly of the beast

Today I traveled out to Springfield, VA, to the headquarters of Washington Gas. I wanted to make sure I got my payment directly in their hands as quickly as possible, so they can schedule my gas line installation. I was also hoping to meet some of the folks I’ve been talking to for the past four months. My timing was a little off, though, as I got there right at the peak of lunch hour, so everyone was away from their desks. Oh well…

It was kinda empowering, though—being there in person. It demystified it from being this crazy, powerful corporation (like the Wizard of Oz), because I got to see some of the folks that work there. They’re just “regular ol” people, like me. And the receptionist was really friendly. The building and parking lot were a little ominous, though, because of their sheer size. That place must house thousands of workers.

Anywho, that particular battle is now out of my hands, and it’s up to Washington Gas to see through their end of the deal. Bob, my customer service rep, said he’d “put a bug in” the ears of the contractor, to expedite the scheduling of my install. That’s another reason why I wanted to meet him in person—so I could help him connect my name to my face (you know, charm him!), and make my case more real to him. I truly pray he’ll come through for me.

Overall, though, I can’t tell you how relieved I feel! It truly was Emancipation Day!

If you happen to be in Anacostia today...

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 11:47:00 -0400

If you happen to be in Anacostia today...:

…or even if you’re not, but want to experience something really great, check out Lumen8 Anacostia. A joint project between the DC Office of Planning, ARCH, and the PinkLine Project. Free arts, pop-up restaurants and shops, and music in Anacostia!!! Whoohoo!!!

So here's the deal... (updates, pt. 1--The gas ordeal)

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 11:36:01 -0400

I can’t believe it’s been almost a full month since I’ve posted anything. Time is really flying…which isn’t necessarily a good thing, in this case. May 5 is “D Day”—the FINAL final day that all of the work on my house must be completed by, according to the bank. Now, we’re really down to the wire. Lots has been happening since my last post, but I just haven’t been on my A-game, as far as the blog is concerned (though, I DID finish my grad school comps, and am half-way through my final paper!!). So, I’m going to post a series of mini-updates this weekend, to get caught up to speed. And first-up:

The Washington Gas “Sichashun”

After all of that back-and-forth with Washington Gas, those busters came back and said they just weren’t going to do joint trenching. It pretty much comes down to them being scared of “liability”. For those of you who live in DC, you know just how much of a litigious town this is. The fear of something going wrong and being sued for it trumps reason, it seems. The Washington Gas rep called me from my property on Thursday morning (at 7 am, mind you)—LOOKING AT the newly-paved patch of road that both the sewage and gas lines go in, SEEING that they are, indeed close enough to joint trench—yet said, “In my 33 years of doing this work, I’ve never seen joint trenching done in DC, because of DC regulations. So, I’m not saying it’s not possible, but I’m just telling you we probably won’t do it…” Back to square one with that. Three months of time wasted.

So, I have officially gone “balls out”, as they say (though when my brother explained where that term came from, it kinda grossed me out…). I have literally wiped out all the pennies I have, borrowed from my parents, and am paying them their exorbitant initially-quoted fee, because at this point I just need the gas line installed, so I can have a certificate of occupancy in hand by May 5.

I am stepping out on faith that I will not lose my job any time in the next year; and though the possibility of me earning more money in my current position doesn’t seem likely (from a recent, very frustrating conversation with the HR Director), at least I’ll have a stable income for a while and can figure the rest out from there… I am thankful.

I am also TRULY thankful for my parents, knowing they are making a great sacrifice to help me finish this project. Again, it has taken a village. And, again, I have to pay it forward…

Until Pt. 2, bloggies… (my blog homies, that is :-)

Here comes the color!! Stephen called me this afternoon,...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:30:00 -0400

Dusky blue exterior in process

Check out that stain. So rich!

A beautiful bloom of spring color!

Countertops

Counterops with the ceramic sink

Sunset from my front porch. Aaaahhh

Here comes the color!!

Stephen called me this afternoon, “Rebecca!! You’re gonna LOVE your kitchen countertop. It’s BEYOOOTIFUL!” Now, the last time he called me in the middle of the day for some non-urgent thing, he told me I was gonna LOVE my attic. And I did. It’s an absolute work of art. So I had reason to believe him on this one, too. Fortunately, I had planned to go over to the house after work today, anyway.

When I pulled up, the sun was just beginning to set, and the rain from earlier in the day was starting to turn to a nice spring steam. What struck me first when I got out the car was how peaceful everything was. Last weekend, the guys were over grading the ground to prepare it to be seeded. Today all the construction junk was gone, and there was a beautiful, light bed of straw carpeting the entire yard. The birds were chirping. And the sun was reflecting so nicely off the NEWLY PAINTED exterior!! The house has started to transform into the dusky blue cottage I had envisioned. It was lovely.

The rest of the house is still in dusty disarray, but the kitchen is also transforming. The counter tops are, indeed, beautiful. The saddle brown matches the cabinet color perfectly. The chartreuse is the exact color that I chose for the walls (just eyeballing it). And the blue is like jewels. I really wish the light in the house were a little better, so you can see just how pretty it is. But, alas, bloglandia will have to wait until the final unveiling to see it all the way it was meant to be seen.

I stood in the kitchen for a good 20 minutes, just imagining how it would all come together—with the appliances, the painted walls, the setting sunlight streaming through the window, a bunch of carrots and kale sitting on the countertop, a glass of red wine, and my favorite tunes drifting in from the living room…

I can’t wait to have y’all over!! :-)

The Caulk ‘n’ Putty Party In order to lower the...

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:45:34 -0500

The Caulk ‘n’ Putty Party

In order to lower the costs of my building project, I agreed to take on the interior painting work. To me, painting means just that—painting! I sent out an evite to my friends, calling them to over for a Painting and Dance Party. We’d splash color on the walls, blast our favorite tunes, and boogie on the hardwood floors when “our song” came on. I was excited, and so were my wonderfully corny friends.

So when Stephen sprung the whole, “You gotta caulk the baseboards and fill the nail holes with putty before you paint” thing on me, I’ll have to admit, I was more than a little bummed. Being on hands and knees on a dusty unfinished floor, applying putty into hundreds of little holes and spreading goopy caulk with my finger was really not part of the plan. But, alas, that was our charge, if we wanted to get to the fun part.

So on this beautiful, sunny afternoon, four of my dear friends valiantly armed themselves with caulk guns, putty knives, and knee pads for the newly-dubbed Caulk ‘n’ Putty Party. They were soldiers, taking to the unanticipated task with nary a complaint. Light beamed through the front door and gaps in the boarded windows. And everyone’s spirits were high. We breezed through the master bedroom, master bathroom, office, and hallway in two hours, then skipped off to Mama’s Kitchen (the new local pizza/sandwich joint with delicious bread and sauce!!) to eat.

It was so wonderful having the ladies over. They filled the house with raucous laughter, smiles, and great energy. It was an auspicious (and very productive) first gathering. A prelude to what will be years more gatherings of light and love… :-)

Here’s the latest… Though things have been quiet on...

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:21:00 -0500

Front porch action

The doors and trim are in full effect!

Hallway closet

Messy kitchen with cabinets

My future master bathroom vanity counter

Here’s the latest…

Though things have been quiet on the blog front, things have been very active on the house front. In a nutshell:

Last weekend, two of my dear friends and my brother helped me move the contents of my apartment to the basement of the new house. And as of March 1, I’ve been hiding out in a cozy “in-law” suite of a co-worker’s place, to save money until the new house is done (the “angel offer” I referred to in a previous post). My body is still recovering from the beating it took moving all those boxes and bags repeatedly up and down 3 flights of stairs. And I don’t ever want to see a roll of packing tape or the inside of a U-Haul truck again! But the move was successful (TOTALLY on account of “my men’s” brawn and boundless patience), and no one has disowned me, so it’s all good!
The walls of the house are almost finished being primed. My friends (a different set than the moving crew—I swear, it takes a village!!) are gonna roll up their sleeves and help me out during a massive “hit it and quit it” painting/dance party next Saturday. Hopefully we can get everything finished in one afternoon…and hopefully the colors will fit the space and lighting, because I haven’t had time to do a test, and I won’t have time to do a re-do between now and the end of March. That’s because…
I take the biggest exam of my academic career on March 23 and 24, and I have a major paper due at the end of this week. So I am on complete lock-down between now and then. The timing is horrible. But by the end of April, I’ll hopefully have a Master’s of Library and Information Science in hand, AND I’ll have a brand new, finished house!!
The doors and trim have been installed. I never realized what trim actually does for the look of a house, until now. Trim is one of those “invisible” details that has always eluded me. But when I saw it around the doors and windows at today’s quick visit, it made me smile. It’s the little things…
The sewage/gas thing is still in development. I’m just asking the Universe to make it all work out in time, and in budget. As with everything with this house, I’m keeping hope alive…

Okay, that’s all for now. Back to studying! Peace, love, and soooouuuulllll!!

Eco paint and "color nerds" blog!

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:35:00 -0500

I went to Premier Eco Paints today, to see what they’re all about. I knew they sold zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint. VOCs are a slew of chemicals that can be found in regular house paint, and the organic compounds decompose at room temperature, so that over the years of the paint being on our walls, the chemicals become part of the air we breathe, and can be quite toxic. Why is this allowed to be put in house paint, in the first place??

But fortunately, paint companies are getting hip to the need for zero VOC paint. And this is what I want to paint my house. I pass by Premier Eco Paints everyday on my bus ride to work, so I figured I’d check it out. I love Amicus, but if I can buy the same product from a place that’s only 10 minutes from my apartment, I’d much rather do that, than schlep out to Kensington. Premier Eco Paints is a really cool spot. It’s owned by a woman of color, and it’s in Southeast, DC, no less! Yay! Odette, the owner, is great. I was the only one in the store at the time, so we got to chat a bit, and she gave me some suggestions about color. I LOVE COLOR!! I have wanted a house for so long, just so I can paint it really bold colors and hang all kinds of yummy art work on the walls. So this was an exciting morning. I went through the fan deck of colors and chose the five closest to my original colors (which weren’t from a zero VOC company). And Odette said she’d mix them for me to pick up tomorrow. She suggested I just get a quart of each color to test on my house walls before the big !!PAINTING PARTY!! in March.

When I got home, I was just rummaging around on the net, and I found this blog, which I am in love with. A fellow “color nerd” keeps it up, for Yolo Paint (another eco-friendly paint company). Yolo isn’t sold anywhere locally, but their blog is great!

http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/blog/

Movin’ right along! Gas update: The Ward 7 Constituent...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:10:00 -0500

detail of master bathroom shelving wall

master bathroom shower stall

guest bathroom with tiled floor

stairs to the side entrance

almost there!

Movin’ right along!

Gas update:

The Ward 7 Constituent Services Office has been extraordinarily helpful with lowering the costs of my gas install. DCRA has agreed to let us do “joint trenching”, which means the gas line can be put in at the same time as the water/sewage line—saving me almost $5,500!! Now I just have to coordinate the dates of that work, which would be pretty simple, EXCEPT it seems that the permit was never put in to do the water/sewage line, as Stephen thought had been done. The sewage company thought the previous contractor did it, and the previous contractor thought the sewage company did it. So now, we have to wait for it to actually get submitted and approved. DOH!!

Bank loan update:

After a seriously stressful few days, the bank agreed to extend my construction loan for three more months, which should (fingers crossed) be more than enough time for all this to pan out and for the house to be complete, with certificate of occupancy in-hand. They were really hesitant to do it, but after reviewing my case closely, they saw that I actually hadn’t drawn any money on the loan until close to one month before the loan was set to originally expire, because of all the shenanigans with the original builder going M.I.A., and the drama with the DC permitting office regarding the raze and building permits.

Building update:

Here’s the great news, as you can see from the photos…The house is inching towards completion! I met with Stephen this morning, so he could review the proposed exterior paint colors. At first I wasn’t really “feeling” his suggestion of evening blue, beige, moss, and brick. “Why can’t it just all be evening blue,” I asked? “Because it’s not gonna look right, Rebecca.” “Oh.” He showed me some photos of paint jobs on other similarly-designed houses. The houses looked great. And hey, he’s the expert, so I trust he’ll do an amazing job with it, as he’s done with everything else in the house thus far. I told him to do his “thug thizzle”. He laughed, but he didn’t really get it til I translated—Stephen, do yo THANG!! Put your foot in it!! Then he laughed again.

Cabinets and interior stairs get installed in the next two weeks. Then interior trim goes in. And finally the appliances, plumbing fixtures, and lights. Then MOVE IN!!!

We’re getting there. Movin’ right along. *smiling big*

While the gas “sichashun” works itself out…...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:02:00 -0500

Hello HardiPlank!

One side done (minus the paint)!

Guest bathroom w/the "subway" tile

Master bathroom slate tile

While the gas “sichashun” works itself out… Things are moving right along on the house itself! Stephen upgraded my siding at no cost to me, out of the goodness of his heart. (He continues to be such an amazing partner in this process. I truly don’t know how I’m going to be able to thank him.) So check out the variation in the siding—plank, shaker, and flat pieces. It’s beautiful!

And I was totally surprised when I visited Friday morning to find the tile process started in the bathrooms. From the photos, you can’t really see the beautiful colors in the master bathroom slate tile, but trust me—they’re GORGEOUS!! I can’t wait!

Also, I got another angel offer—one of my dear and very respected work colleagues will let me stay rent free in the in-law suite of his family’s house. This will enable me to save March (and potentially April) rent, while I wait for the gas and water lines. He, his wife, and children are so incredibly gracious. I just keep having to say THANK YOU!!

The wheels are a-turnin'!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:13:54 -0500

Things are looking up on the Washington Gas front. I’m (respectfully) leaving no stone unturned in my quest to reduce the costs of the installation of the gas line. And it seems the wheels are starting to turn!

In my previous post, I mentioned the uber-helpful call from “Sam” from Washington Gas. Well…

Today I got an e-mail directly from Councilwoman Alexander, the Chair of the Public Services and Consumer Affairs Committee. “Sam” suggested I reach out to her, since she has control over all the agencies whose help I would need on this case. Her Constituent Services Director followed up by e-mail and voicemail, and was kind enough to take my call at 6:45pm, once I had finished teaching a class. We spoke for a while. He was very open to my suggestions, and expressed his commitment to working with DDOT, DCRA, and the Public Services Commission to find a solution. He said he’d do some investigation, put a few calls in, and would get back to me tomorrow.

Marion Barry’s office has also been doing due diligence around the issue—fact checking and making calls to fully understand the issue.

I know that technically “that’s what they’re supposed to do” as my representatives. But I still feel so grateful for and humbled by everyone’s true concern and action. I will continue to advocate for myself as respectfully, rationally, and articulately as I can. And it helps to have these true public servants on my side.

We will get there yet!!

*doing the happy HOPEFUL dance in my living room*