The Dream Home

I guess I never posted that we were approved by the banks for the house on Feb. 28.  We were very excited.  Yes, I did use the past tense.

We had our inspection on Friday.  First we found a hollow tree on the property that had been chained together in the 50's.  It's amazing that it survived the windstorm, really.  Also a few other trees were uncomfortably close to the house that the inspector suggested we take care of right away.  Near the foundation was some wood rot outside because there aren't gutters, meaning we should add gutters to keep the water from splashing, install some new cedar siding, and paint every few years to keep it contained.  There was also an unstable walkway, but we were planning on putting some sort of deck there anyway, so that wasn't too bad. 

Meanwhile the septic inspector found a dry well that was covered only by rotting wood (and we don't have Lassie to help us out, so Oliver would have been in big trouble!).  That and the septic tank and leach field weren't in working condition considering how long the house hasn't been occupied and how full the leach field was.  That would mean a $7,000-$10,000 price tag for a redesign of the septic system because someone thought that instead of a sloping pipe to have a u-shaped pipe.  Ok, so we could do that if we used our tax-credit for a new septic system instead of a new kitchen.  That'd be doable.

Then we got inside and for the most part, the house was wonderful.  The roof was 10 years old, and he complimented the new construction that had been done to it.  We knew that the old windows had layers of lead paint on them, and that the old panes would definitely mean energy losses.  There weren't enough smoke detectors.  Easy fix.  The bathroom remodels upstairs were done very well with grounded wiring and good water pressure.  The stairs were steep with low banisters (just how they were all built back then).  The inspector suggested a runner, which we were planning on anyway.  There was grounded wiring in all of the updated parts of the house, but then the kitchen only had one grounded outlet that the fridge was plugged into.  The laundry room had a couple of suggestions, one being to replace the rubber hoses, and then to buy a pan to go under the appliances and protect the wood flooring.  These were all the kind of fixes we were imagining came with the house, and we were ready for them.  Then we went down to the cellar. 

We got a really cool history lesson down in the cellar.  We saw all of the different type of lumber that had been used to support the house through the years.  Unfortunately, because of all of the piping and electrical work, a lot of structural supports that were there were doing nothing because they had been cut away.  He highly recommended putting in new lolly columns to fix the supports of the house for good, instead of all of the lumber patches that we could see.  Then we learned about electrical wiring through the ages.  There were three generations:  30's, 50's, and 70's.  The 70's was good and safe.  The 30's (knob and tube) has live wires running right next to dry wood framing, with cloth insulation.  Major fire hazard.  We would need to worry about getting the rewiring done and be very careful with how we loaded our outlets upstairs, especially since there were a lot of "add-ons" to the train track wires, and they were definitely overloaded.  Then we got to the oil tank, which was 50 years old, rusty, and based on the surrounding kitty litter, needed to be replaced soon.  And last but not least, the boiler was leaking, and he recommended getting it serviced before move in for safety reasons.

The inspector loved the house too.  It had so much charm, so many original elements from 1865, along with all of the charming elements that had been added since.  I had even figured that we could live with the 50's kitchen as long as we replaced the range (which I would be a little afraid to even turn on).  However, having to spend all of our money on the septic system would leave us strapped for all of the additional work that needed to be done in the next few years. 

We were still contemplating it, and calling around to find home insurance, only to find out that the house would be uninsurable with the knob and tube wiring still in tact.  If we signed a waiver saying that we would replace it in the first year, they'd let us have it, but that would be more money that we would have to spend right away.

Finally, we found out that the failed septic system meant that we would be unable to receive financing on the house.  That makes sense, because most people don't have an extra $7-$10,000 hanging around, and we were planning on using the tax credit anyway. 

So, we pulled out our offer.  The bank will have to fix the septic system (since it is a short sale), and probably the wiring to get that house sold, and we didn't want to spend more time waiting on the bank, just to find something else wrong with the house.  There was so much that was known that wasn't written on the property disclosure that we were a little afraid that even our awesome inspector may have missed something.  The fact that people were actually knowingly living in such a dangerous situation is scary enough, and we know that there was quite a bit of dishonesty on their part, and I'm honestly glad to not have to worry about it anymore.  I just hope that the bank doesn't let that beautiful house go to waste.

Now we are sort of in limbo.  We already gave our notice to our apartment, but we should be able to sign another lease or at least go month to month.  In the meantime, our Buyer's Agent doesn't want us to just give up.  We may have been over excited when we felt the relief after finally deciding not to go through with the house when we decided to sign another year lease.  Seeing that there are a few good options on the market is refreshing compared to the last time we were looking.  Especially since the property taxes are lower on most of these houses!

We were a little disappointed about losing our "dream home", but that was really just a dream, and turning down the house that actually exists is quite relieving.  Once we finally made the decision, we felt much lighter and very optimistic.  We know that Heavenly Father has been watching over us every step of the way, and the light feeling that we felt even as so many people in our ward were trying to help us get in touch with good people to help fix up the house...we just know that that house isn't where we need to move.  We have learned so much already, we've got a great Buyer's Agent, a great loan officer, and that inspection made me feel all nerdily excited with my engineering background that I don't mind having to go through (and pay for) another. 

We've also decided to write down, and tackle, that list of things that we were putting off because of the imminent move.  Addressing all of those little things, and thinking of ways to make our bare minimum apartment more homey, has added a spark to our daily life that was being put off because we were moving.  And, even if we do find another house and end up moving, what we've done here will still be fun and make the here and now a little better.  Plus we have a really cute baby.

A Flavor Seizure

In an episode of Psych, something amazing is mentioned that could revolutionize the way we think of fried food. Cuatro Quesos Dos Fritos. Here’s the dialogue from the season three episode, Truer Lies:

Carlton Lassiter: Then maybe you'd like to tell me who did kill him.
Lyin' Ryan: An Assassin.
Carlton Lassiter: An Assassin.
Lyin' Ryan: A hired assassin. No, two of them actually. Yes, you see, that has to be it. The night before, I went to this restaurant to get a basket of these things called Fries Cuatro Quesos Dos Fritos. You know, the ones where they inject potatoes with a four cheese mixture, fry them three quarters of the way, pull them out, batter them, fry them again, and then serve them with bacon and an ancho chili sour cream. Anyway, as I was sitting there, a car speeds right through the storefront across the street. It makes such a loud noise, I had to turn my head and look and that is when I overheard the guy with the curly-Q's on his face tell the other guy at the corner table about the assassination plot.
Shawn Spencer: Can this be true?
Burton 'Gus' Guster: No way.
Shawn Spencer: I mean, is it even possible?
Burton 'Gus' Guster: I couldn't imagine it.
Shawn Spencer: There's no way you can prepare a fry like that. That'd be way too much for the human palate to manage.
Burton 'Gus' Guster: It would be a flavor seizure.

A flavor seizure indeed. Inspired but such an awesome snack, I invented this morning, Cuatro Breakfast Dos Fritos!
First you make french toast normally: dollar bread dipped in egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, then fried in a pan with butter.

Then you take that normal french toast, dip it in thinly mixed pancake batter, and double fry them (thus dos frito) with, why not, more butter.

I found that when I first took them out of the pan, the pancake coating was a little soft like, well, a pancake. So I put them back in the pan to crisp up a bit, plus Megan was dealing with a fussy 7-month old at the time, so breakfast had to wait.
When crisp, serve while still warm (and crisp) with a pat of butter and heated syrup until you can't resist but take another picture.
 
Megan and I both rated them very highly. A little more effort than either pancakes alone or french toast alone, but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts in this breakfast. Mmm mmm mmm mmm!

Easter Baby

Just some early Easter pictures of Oliver.  Isn't he a doll?