Reconstructing an old House
My daughter and I have moved back into the house I grew up in. There is a lot of work to be done to the old place. My mother had been sick for several years before she past, but had not let any of her family know until the last few months, by then she couldn’t hide it with the clothes she wore anymore. For the most part she had come to my sister’s and my home so we never really realized how bad her house had become. We knew she was a pack rat, but according to my mother she was straightening it out a little at a time and no she did not want or would she appreciate our help. So we left her to do it on her own.
Our first mistake, we should have checked on her and the house more often. After her death it fell to me to clean up her home. I was the only one living in our hometown by that time. After much discussion with my father and sister we all decided someone should be living in the house. I was the only one that could pick up and move.
Now my daughter and I are three quarters of the way moved in, with a ton of work to do not only on the house but also sorting through the things my mother left behind. Trying to figure out what to keep what to toss out and what to sell has been to say the least a nightmare. In the middle of all of this we also have to repair a roof that leaks, a tub that is worn out and can’t hold water, because of a hole in the side. Numerous things need fixed or replaced inside as well as outside the house. So where do we start?
I decided to make a list of all the repairs that I am aware of at this point and time. As I did I decided what was the largest priority at the moment and then took the weather and time of year into consideration. Some things I cannot accomplish during the winter months, like the roof. It will have to leak until we get some warm weather for a couple of days. Hopefully it will warm up soon and the snow and rain will stay minimal until we can get up on the roof to fix the damage. So although it is the most important thing at this time it had to be put below something else. With three small children living in the home who do not like to take showers became the priority so my dad and I have started to work on the walls the ceiling, and buying a new tub for our bathroom.
So in the middle of moving out of a rental house and moving into a home that I grew up in we also have construction going on. I feel over whelmed, but I know it all has to get done. In a time limit I have given myself as well as my landlords for the other house. There are walls to be built while others need torn down and repaired. Sink faucets that need replaced and cabinets that need to be refurbished.
