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2006
Rearranging Porch/Attic
Storage (June-July):
I finally got the last of my old stuff that was
being stored at my parent's house. In preparation,
I rearranged out screen porch, which currently functions
as a type of work/storage room. I also had to haul
all the boxes home and get them up into the attic.
Chad will be very glad when we don't have to haul loads
of boxes up there anymore.
Hot Water Heater
(June):
Just 2 days after we finally got the washer/dryer
actually installed, Chad found a puddle of water on the
utility room floor. Wouldn't you know it?
Our water heater had gone bad. We shelled out the
big bucks, but got the unit where the plumber has to
come out and service it every year for free.
New Washer/Dryer
(May-June):
It really shouldn't be a big deal to get a new
washer and dryer. We decided to use our tax return
to upgrade. What we didn't realize was that we'd
end up having to upgrade a bunch of other stuff to put
in the appliances. First, we had to get a $275
outlet installed so that power interface was up to code.
Then we had to pay $175 to have the gas detached from
the dryer (I didn't even know dryers could be heated by
gas) and a proper valve attached. Our cute $700
unit became a nearly $1200 expense.
2005
Kitchen Stove (August -
November):
When we bought the house, we purchased a home
warranty policy, which was supposed to cover appliances
and major components of the house if something were to
go wrong that wasn't expected by the home inspection.
The stove tested fine in the inspection, and then when
we went to bake a pizza in August, it wouldn't work.
We called in to the very irritating and poorly organized
claims service on our policy, and were told to call a
particular place to come out and do an estimate.
We did so, and the estimator found that there were about
5 things wrong with the stove, and it was so old that it
could not be repaired. The warranty company then
tried to tell me they wouldn't cover it because it was
pre-existing. So...I faxed them the home
inspection. Next came 3 months, no exaggeration,
of fighting to try to get a person from the company to
talk to us and take care of the problem. They are
absolutely the worst! Avoid the HMS Home Warranty
company at all costs. They were supposed to be
responsible for finding and installer, but they said
they couldn't find one in our area, so they'd either
send us the stove and we'd have to find an installer, or
they would send us the cash equivalent of their
monstrous discount - the equivalent of about $275 (which
won't buy any stove, by the way). We found
an installer on our first call. I'm still fighting
in 2006 to get our reimbursement for the installation
cost. Luckily the new stove is very nice.
Bathroom Shower Faucet
(August - October):
Within days after we moved in the cold water side of
the faucet began leaking. Chad tried several times
to tighten the fittings, but to no avail. We paid
a plumber $68 to come fix it. He said it was so
old that there was little he could do but replace the
plastic gasket, which didn't end up working. Chad
watched what the plumber did, and he would go in every
few days to fix it and replace the gasket again.
We were losing quite a lot of water and Chad was going a
bit crazy, so I finally went to a plumbing supply house
to see if we could order new parts. After much
searching, they managed to find our model, and we got
the replacements. It was such a relief to get that
resolved. It's been great since.
Radon Evacuation System
(July):
When we got the house tested for radon in the home
inspection, it tested high, so we had to put in a
system. It was actually pretty painless and the
installers were very nice. It's a big pipe on the
back of the house, but we feel better now that it's
safe. |
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