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“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.”

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Monday, July 16, 2007

our Home Crap Home

 There was almost NO insulation in the walls and single panes on the windows. This is what all the windows would look like every winter. Plus, the wind blew through the paneled walls - literally and honestly knocking off photos that were hanging on the walls.  Plus there was ice that formed on the bottom of the living room exterior wall every winter. It was a VERY cold house.

 When we first moved in the house was sinking. Well, just the kitchen and the right side of the living room. This is how much it fell within the first 2 years! It dropped more than 8 inches (about 3 on the right side of the photo and 8 on the left). It got so bad - lol - that we couldn't allow the kids to all stand at the sink or the stove at once because we were afraid that side would cave in!!


This is a photo of my two eldest kids the summer we moved in. You can see how the boards are starting to rot out and this back room is starting to cave in. We eventually had to use it just for storage because it was poorly built and maintained over the years and .... well... there was no saving it. Plus - for YEARS - it didn't have any siding. It was ruined by the weather.


This was taken within the first few years of living in the Money Pit. The floor slants dramatically to the right. Why??? Well for one, untreated termite damage from the owners. And two, TONS of water damage. We found out later when we tore this entire area out (foundation and everything... all the walls, the ceiling. Everything except the roof was gone. This was empty and nothing but dirt) that all problems with the house weren't actually fixed - they were covered with drop ceilings, carpet, paneling and the like. But underneath everything was rotted wood that was barely holding the house together. By the early to mid 90's, the damage was so bad (not by us, mind you... the damage was already there years and years - decades - before we got there)... the house was only worth $9000. Yep. And the biggest complaint was the falling flooring and poor structure. We had our work cut out for us!

The dropped ceiling that covered a ceiling nightmare.

Within the first few years the bathroom was the first to go. The hot water tank literally fell through the floor, and the tub was next.




This shows just how damaged the siding was and how badly it was eaten up.


The living room ceiling also hid a mess... and it was falling down tile by tile.

sigh....

Didn't I tell you?? A money pit!!

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