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!?!?!?!?!

it is BIG. and Square.

our foursquare has an offset door with an entry on the right, the smallest downstairs room, then the whole rest of the front of the house is one big room, this large room in the back left part, then the kitchen is long and skinny on the back right, because between it and the outside wall of the house are the basement stairs. Our scanner is broken or i would draw a picture...

the mystery room has a sad story behind it. we're buying the house from the 5 sons of the recently deceased owner. the sons grew up there, their parents bought it in the 60's. when we were there with our house inspector the sons were there moving stuff out, so we got to ask a few questions.
when their parents were buying the house this room was a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves. their son told us it had beautiful glass pocket doors between this room and the large front room. it explains why there is no window to the backyard, and why it seems like it's so big when you stand in it, if shelves stuck out from the walls it would definitely not seem so strange for a dining room, which it was when we saw it.
so what happened to the room, you ask? where are the beautiful glass pocket doors and all the supposedly beautiful woodwork?
while their parents were closing on the house, someone stripped the house, and stole much of the original woodwork. I'm amazed we have the matching glass doorknobs throughout, and the old doors that match at the entry and the top of the stairs. maybe they weren't worth as much then? all we really have now is the original doors, and beautiful glass doorknobs, and the banister/stairway. covered in white paint, and presumably lead clad. (removal+baby=nervous mom.)

but back the the question, what to do with this room? eventually the ideal would be to knock out a wall and enlarge the long skinny eat in kitchen. and maybe a downstairs bathroom. and an addition out back, first floor laundry (currently basement)... completely altering the back of the house. but at move in we will be at a loss as to how to treat this space. well, the carpet and wallpaper and light fixture will go! but then?

and if anyone ever reads this who has a similar room in a 20s foursquare that hasn't been stripped, i would love to see it. but if you show me glass pocket doors i will cry.



doorway where the pocket doors were, shown from the front room. sorry it's fuzzy, these are all i have, from our first walk through-