There is no more knob and tube wiring in the basement! And 2 first floor outlets are grounded!

The living room is mostly painted blue. The kitchen is deciding what color it wants to be. The 2 colors I tried didn't make me happy.

Can't rip out the porch carpet because of the lead paint underneath... Layers and layers of crumbled paint you could sweep off with a broom, not attached to the wood AT ALL. But the carpet didn't test positive for lead, I was worried about the dust seeping through. Well, I guess dust doesn't seep, but whatever.

More later, upset toddler!

Wheee! The entry is not finished, but it feels so much better! And we have hardwoods we can see in the bedroom!

The entry was white, with granny curtains, and the bedroom carpet was faded ugly rust colored. But not anymore! We won't be refinishing the floor till the rest are uncovered. The floor in Amelia's room was already exposed, and I've looked at most of them. My craft room has white paint slopped all over the hardwood floor under the carpet because they apparently didn't give a crap when they painted, knowing they were putting in carpet. Not surprising considering the overall condition of everything. Under the carpet in the entry/hall area upstairs and in the dining room the wood looks like it's never been walked on, it looks completely unworn, it is BEAUTIFUL, (then again, so is the worn stuff in the bedroom) but it has some ancient adhesive stuck to it that needs to be removed. And the stairs have 2 layers of ugly brown paint on the top of the steps that has to go.

I'm pretty much ripping the carpet out in sections with a box cutter, rolling it up, and putting it in the basement, then it leaves on trash day. I did the bedroom in a couple hours, but it didn't have the strips of tacks or padding like the rest of the house, so it was faster/easier. The rest is slower to remove, since I'm scraping away at the old adhesive before moving to another section. It's slooooow, but feels rewarding. For now... (the adhesive is under the padding and has NOTHING to do with the current carpet, but I found a piece of ooooold black looking carpet stuck in it. Did old carpet have adhesive?! We just got the internet today, so I'm going to research what it is in a few minutes, but it's OLD, whatever it is.)

The cable got hooked up today, the TV has to be plugged into one of the only 2 grounded outlets in the kitchen, and so do our laptops when charging. But we FINALLY got an electrician to come by and look around. Till today they don't call back or don't want to do the job. He pronounced our house a firetrap. I am quite sure he's right, or why call him in? We need the knob and tube (house-wide) cut off. New wiring throughout, overhead lights in rooms that have none... He quoted us $12,000. Basement, attic, top to bottom, everything. (And he advised me not to get a disposall because nothing should go in the drain, but we compost and have a strainer and things STILL go in the drain sometimes, so why can't I chop it up?!?) There's a lot of creepy wiring that isn't up to code. And things are wired into the knob and tube improperly, and it's insulated around... Basically the house is priced like it is because of the electrical work needed. Joe is talking to the bank to see if a piggyback loan is possible, or else he's spending his day off tomorrow talking to banks about a loan. It will cover the porch too hopefully, which would be awesome.

We did lead tests and almost all of the paint that's chipping badly is the top 2 layers that are NOT lead, and the lead underneath is firmly stuck and not chipping! All good news for prepping the walls and trim for new paint. BUT of course the worst spot that has lead is in Amelia's room, her windowsills reacted with a crazy bright pink lead test, The top layer is apparently still lead, and if you pick at it, it chips. Tomorrow I'm getting to work on it while Joe's off work. I hope the chipping part isn't bad, maybe just the lower part... Regardless, I want her to have lead free windowsills and build a window seat, not put up a baby fence around it forever! For now, she just doesn't realy play up there, she's with us downstairs and barely old enough to really realize she HAS a room. Luckily, I guess, if she was a bit older a determined 2 year old shut out of her room would be a hand-full!

Entry Before-


Entry Now-


Entry Before-


Entry After-


After-


Entry Floor-


Functional (unfortunately) K&T Firetrap Push Button Lightswitch-


Ugly Bedroom Carpet, much uglier than you can tell in this picture!


Bedroom Floor Now!






Bedroom Door frame where the door fell off on me in the middle of the night-


Ancient Adhesive in the landing/hallway at the top of the stairs, outside our bedroom-


Awesome drywall job in the bathroom. The ONLY bathroom- (try telling a toddler not to splash the drywall touching the tub when they play in the tub... Can't wait to rip this out!)


Can we say firetrap? This is in the bathroom-


I can't wait till the wiring is done. It makes me nervous.

The less orange entry pictures are more accurate, it was sunset and not really light enough for my camera. Tomorrow I'll try for daylight pictures when it will focus better, and maybe take some pics of our firetrap wiring...

It's almost anti-climactic, but I may still cry when we get the keys today...

Since the owners breached the contract when their lawyer never sent the abstract of title and paperwork required 10 days before closing, we still have not closed, but had a little leverage to move things along, finally. Night before last when we realized the contract was definitely breached Joe drafted a letter to our lawyer with parts to send on to the owners lawyer, pretty much demanding that he courier the paperwork to the title company lawyer by the end of the day, to reassure us this house is really for sale, and give us the early occupancy we've asked for repeatedly over the last 5 or 6 weeks. Basically, we're losing faith, and you breached the contract... so make it right.

Yesterday Joe got the paperwork and signed for 7 days early occupancy. (our lease ends Sunday and new tenants get the keys to this house Sunday, so we needed to get in NOW.) Today the owner signed, and around noon their realtor will drop off the keys with Joe at his job. (Where I will steal them and unload the Escalade full of boxes as soon as Amelia naps.)

While I do not think anything about getting the keys will really be anti-climactic, it won't be the scene Joe envisioned carrying me over the thresh-hold after we got keys at a signing. It won't be OUR house until next week. But then again, our lawyer says this could very much work in our favor. There are things we knew were wrong with the house that were obvious, and part of lowering the price earlier on, like half the attic floor being destroyed, the knob and tube wiring, possible lead, a gas line from the basement to the stove that isn't up to code according to the home inspector. a water leak into the electrical box that the bank inspector made them fix already. But now he said we get to make a really detailed list without guessing as to what repairs are needed that will lower the price.

AND because we requested early occupancy to fix the blocked off fireplace, get grounded wiring, level the porch, etc, the owner (selling their deceased parents house and mostly claiming not to know anything about the condition of the house) can't claim not to know about the problems needing work. He knew for over a month, and didn't let us get in to fix anything before move-in. Soour lawyer thinks we should be able to get more money knocked off the closing price. (Like "hey, when your dad ripped up the attic floor and put pink insulation down over the knob and tube wiring, that wasn't too cool...")

but it's going to be a frustrating week, because we can't change anything. And the more we unpack and settle in the more of a pain it will be to move stuff and rip out carpet/paint/etc. And with no grounded outlets we can't plug in TV's and computers. Well, one old box tv currently in the attic, and the dvr is a cable company rental. Might risk their health...

Surely they won't care if I rip out the weeds?!?! I swear I'll leave the rotting astroturf carpet on the porch just to celebrate the closing by ripping it off next week. And ARGH, we want to donate the wheelchair ramp, but will have to live with that for a week too. Heck when it's gone I want to put the concrete steps on craigs list for free and hope someone will carry them away. I don't think Restore will pick them up from an hour away:(

Ooh, and we went to Restore for the 1st time the other day. They gave us free bread donated by Panera. mmm. If I don't use my curb finds I will definitely get a door or two from them for our headboard. And cabinets for the craft room for sure. Very excited about the price of cabinets and countertops there, because for a craft room they'll be great. Someday prolly for a laundry room too...

So another week of unpacking, and continuing to refinish furniture. I got a new DeWALT sander the other day and have finally been working on some of our curb furniture we've accumulated in the two years since we got here from Louisiana. I stained our dresser red mahogany to go with the darker wood in our room, so now it doesn't look like curb furniture next to the antique trunk and the new bedside tables. Maybe tomorrow I can take pictures of it all IN OUR ROOM!!

We seriously spend a few hours a week driving around Utica and it's 'burbs either gawking at houses or on specific neighborhood trash nights. It's down to a science. And I have a collection of curb windows I want to use to decorate walls in the new house that I may get to work with this week too!

There will be plenty to do while we can't do anything to the house. It figures we'd be waiting to sign on a holiday weekend too... Hopefully it stops raining this evening for moving. Then where will I charge my computer???? Come to think of it, I don't know when the cable/internet gets turned on, I forgot what Joe said.

House keys in 20 minutes!?!?!?!?!

The closing date was today. The sellers attorney called the realtor today, and the realtor told Joe he was "crying on his shoulder" about being so busy he didn't find time to stamp the envelope and send the title paperwork. The contract we have with the seller states they have to send the title paperwork etc. by 10 days of the closing date. The homeowner said they saw their lawyer send the paperwork when they were in his office last Thursday. Never happened. Maybe they were confused, but I still have trouble believing this house is REALLY on the market. If it's really for sale how could they not know their lawyer is doing NOTHING, and has caused the contract to be breached? We are requesting that the paperwork sent by courier tomorrow, and that we get the keys tomorrow, which they were agreeing to do by Friday, as per the early occupancy agreement we've asked for for 5 weeks. Or ANY agreement, well almost, because our lease is up Sunday. Sunday the landlord is taking the keys and giving them to the new tenant.
All I want is the paperwork courier-ed to the title company's attorney, so I will feel like this house really is for sale and it's not all just some weird game. Poor Joe hasn't rented a truck because he can't ever get a date out of these people. Everything has been ready to go but the title search for 5-6 weeks, and we've been waiting around for the papers to be sent be sent to the title company lawyer, and for what? Will we ever get a house?
Ugh. we were supposed to get the carpet ripped out and work on the floors and have grounded electrical work done BEFORE moving in. Now we may move in before we own the house, and can't do anything till we sign papers.
And another one of the Rutger Street mansions is listed now, a pretty Italianate from about 1890. Joe thinks he used to live pretty much next door, and that it's not even divided into apartments. $39,900 and the seller will pay $2,000 closing costs. These are the mansions of the founders and original movers and shakers of Utica, who cares if we could never afford to heat half the house? I do want to go look at it soon, but I also would like to buy my foursquare please.

We still have not closed on the house. Turns out our lawyer was in the hospital for about 3 weeks. I have no idea why someone couldn't let us know this until about a week ago. We went with a lawyer Joe's dad recommended, or I thought we did. Turns out his lawyer friend he recommended has a lawyer brother, and we got the brother. During the last week or so the non-incapacitated brother was supposed to be getting stuff done, but nothing happened on our end.

We were trying to get an early occupancy agreement. The owners were supposedly fine with it and just needed their lawyers okay in case we burned down the house or something. Noone worked on this closing while our lawyer was hospitalized, as far as I can tell.

I am so frustrated. The closing date is Monday. We wanted to get grounded wiring and overhead lights put in and rip out the (fugly) carpet before moving in. Now The lawyer is supposed to call today and let Joe know if we can move in Sunday. That's like the day before the closing date. I wasn't even fully awake when Joe told me this, so I don't know if we are just dropping things off there or if we're actually moving?

About a month ago the only problem was the title search hadn't been done. As far as I know it still isn't... Last week Joe said their lawyer needed to send title paperwork to our lawyer and it would take 2 days from then to get the title search finished. We have gone in circles with Joe sending everyone everything they need, but none of them send necessary paperwork to each other. We pay them, but they don't DO anything. Now I know why people stay in the same house forever, they probably tried to move and no one ever did their job in the closing process...

At least it's a foursquare, and when we need to block off a room to work on it we can still access the rest of the house and get in and out. I'm imagining the worst will be removing the paint from the stairs and banister etc. since the only bathroom is upstairs. The baby is in diapers, so if we all stayed downstairs, she'd be fine. And we could set up some unmentionable emergency bucket in the basement if necessary, I'm envisioning lead paint in the removal process and actually having to seal off the stairs... But other than that most of the rooms can be accessed even if one is closed off for work. If we'd gotten a crazy-mazey Victorian it might not have been that simple...

As if it will be simple...

I need to find houseblog friends doing DIY with a toddler living in the house, for inspiration. We just got Amelia her first lead test last week (at 1 and 1/2) and she's all good. So we know if anything happens it's the new house, or us that caused it.

Since writing that when I woke up I have talked to Joe a bit more. He called our lawyer and it turns out THEIR lawyer STILL has not sent the abstract of title to our lawyer. It's been what, at least 6 weeks? The other day our neighbor made a comment to the effect that he thought there was a problem with one of the kids about selling. Our house is being sold by the 5 kids of the deceased owners. There was no will. I am now wanting to ask the neighbor what he heard or over-heard. (at the time he made the comment I didn't know there was any problem other than our hospitalized lawyer, and didn't think it was relevant....)

Our lawyer has been calling their lawyer for weeks now, about the title. He has never gotten a response. Part of the time their lawyer was supposed to be on vacation. We found the house pretty much immediately, within a few weeks of the owners death. Within the first week of the ad being online. The realtor had said they wanted to sell asap because they don't want to pay to heat it in winter etc., but I really wonder now what the heck is going on. I think all 5 sons were there the day we met them when they were moving their parents stuff out and we were having the house inspected. Supposedly they're all on board. But I really wonder why we can't even acquire the title info, if they want to sell so badly. With a motivated seller, why would they let their lawyer stall forever unless there's some problem!?!?!

Why put it on the market and then not do your part in the process of selling? We could close 48 hours after their lawyer sends it. This makes no sense to me...

Joe talked to our lawyer today. He found out the other lawyer still has not sent our lawyer the title paperwork for the house. THe ONLY thing we're waiting on is the title search. It can't begin until their lawyer gets off hs but and sends whatever paperwork necessary to our lawyer. Then it's supposed to take about 2 days. One would think these people wanted to get paid, and would send a simple fax or whatever is required. Apparently that's a Herculean effort.
I am annoyed. I want to take a sledgehammer to the blacktop in my new backyard. I would feel so much better. And put that wheelchair ramp on Craig's List. Then I would sit on my front porch and contemplate the ugly green outdoor carpet till I couldn't take it anymore and ripped it out too. I would sleep so well.
Hurry up lawyers, my house needs me.

(yes, we hate the siding too)

note the slope from water eroding the ground under the porch and around the house, and the lovely green carpeting. the railing will just get a coat of paint for now, as we need to raise the porch, fill in the dirt, and get gutters on the house and just deal with water/porch issues first. Before winter and next snow-melt. And the skirt part needs to be ripped out without disturbing the peeling sure-to-be-lead paint, and then replaced. On the other hand, the only larger expanse of original wood currently visible on the exterior is the porch ceiling. And the soon to be visible porch. So We will be happy to at least have mostly wood there very soon after moving in
don't get me started about the landscaping. that will wait till next spring, since we'll move in in late summer, almost fall. And REALLY don't get me started about that siding. And the horrid shutters that go with it.

We have a foursquare next door, and 3 across the street, possibly more, and we're constantly comparing them to ours and wondering what's under our siding... someday...



under the front porch which we need to re level-



Does anyone know where any floor plans for foursquare kit homes are online other than sears? It doesn't seem to be any sears kit i've seen, and it'll be a couple weeks before i can check the frame for marks. i'm so curious to see if it's a kit house.

we are jen, joe, amelia, and bloomer. i am jen. joe is the hubby, amelia is a 1 and 1/2 year old, and bloomer is amelia's 9 week old puppy. who won't house train. moving into a new house.

we are waiting. seems that closing on the house will take forever. the bank didn't give our lawyer a paper he needed so he never started the title search. Then everyone was ready to roll except for that, and he hadn't even started and said it would take 3 weeks. joe tried calling everyone involved to see if those online title search in 24 or 72 hour things would be acceptable, and no-one said no, but everyone passed the buck and said it was up to someone else, who never had a problem with it, but why throw away a few hundred dollars to find out they all have no idea what they're saying?

Meanwhile... we are trying to get an early occupancy agreement. the owners are the 5 sons of the last occupants who have now both died, and they are willing, but waiting for their lawyer to decide about liability issues.

we have knob and tube wiring throughout, and it's not a problem to insure in utica,ny where we live, but we need grounded outlets put in, and there's no overhead lights in the 4 bedrooms upstairs, just ton overhead at the landing at the top of the stairs, and in the bathroom.

With the early occupancy we hope to get the electrical done, see about gutters (house has none), we need to rip out carpet up and down stairs, and raise the porch. And add dirt to run water away from the house. Pressure wash the back porch. Rip the green carpet/astroturf off the front porch and see the flooring. Rip out 60's or 70's walpaper. put in cork flooring in the kitchen, get rid of the zbrick in the kitchen, and tear out the cabinets, and paint EVERYTHING. or so it seems.

we'll settle for grounded outlets and lights at move-in, and hopefully have the carpet out, so we're not ripping it out while our furniture is already there.

Still need to decide if we want to test the "vinyl" for asbestos in the kitchen, or just ignore the possibility of what lies beneath (besides poison) and put down cork. Which seems safest with a baby.

And we need to do all this with a baby and a puppy.

Fun, Fun, Fun!!!