Organization: House edition

[kittydesade]

No, not THAT House. In order, roughly, of completion, with a few 'if then's.

1. Call real-estate attorneys Or email, that works too.
1a. Set up appointment with attorney
1b. Drop copies of paperwork by law office.
2. Send thank-you notes
3. Call and get rough quotes on forced-air heating systems.
4. Call/shop online around for homeowner's insurance (consult bank checklist).
AAA*, State Farm, Allstate, GEICO** (*have membership, *have car insurance)
-- MUST provide replacement cost coverage
-- MUST include Windstorm and hail damage coverage
-- MUST have a maximum deductible of 5% of the policy's dwelling coverage amount
5. Call and get estimates on electrical tidy
6. Collect phone numbers of local masons
7. Collect phone numbers of local chimney sweeps
8. Check with Realty Lady to make sure you're clear on protocols for this point on
9. Give name of real-estate attorney to Mortgage Lady (and update Mortgage Lady)
10. Contact plumber (eventually)
11. PACK
12. Microchip Murdock the little escape-artist shit 9AM-6PM Humane Society Shelter place
13. Discuss pull-down ladders with boy; relocate? contact local carpenter contractors? etc.
14. IF relocating attic access THEN contact local contractors for that
15. Explore fountain removal, do we just need to take out the mud mat?
16. Look into local fire ordinances, can we have a legal fire pit out there? It looks like it needs a permit, double check with fire marshal or local fire department.
17. Look into outer wall lead paint procedure
18. Price out wasp spraying, might be cheaper just to take care of it ourselves
19. Double check inspection report, make sure all things marked as needed repair have been planned for/addressed in budgeting.
20. Breathe.
21. Don't die.
22. Name house
23. Make list of small repairs, put in box and at least one other place where you can easily access and strike things off over the next 6-months. (And then after that there will be MORE small repairs. And more. And more.)
24. Re-read mortgage paperwork + how-to booklet
25. Check on Home Depot credit cards, terms, no-interest periods, generic credit card vs store card only? (store only would be preferable)
26. PAY APRIL RENT.


To repair (barring the big three systems):

Comments

[oldandnewfirm]

Re: pull down ladders, how complicated is reaching the access to the attic? Because I know they sell do-it-yourself pull down ladder install kits. As long as you've got the power tools and someone to help you, you can get it done in about a day. My dad installed two of them in our house for the attic and the garage. But again, whether that will work or not depends on your setup.

[kittydesade]

The access to the attic is one of those rectangles that looks like it should have a pull down ladder but doesn't... and it's right over the stairs. Which is the only annoyingly complicated part.

[oldandnewfirm]

A pull down ladder over a stairwell...that sounds like an Escher painting waiting to happen.

[kittydesade]

PRETTY MUCH. Damn, where's a Jareth icon when I need one. If we keep it there it's going to end up being two stairladders at diagonals to each other. The boy wants to relocate the access to the hallway or maybe a spare bedroom so that no one's in danger of a long drop.

[oldandnewfirm]

Yeeeeah, that sounds like a safer plan. Especially if things will actually be stored in the attic. Hauling a box down over endless stairs would not be fun. Parachutes might be more practical.

[kittydesade]

Jareth would be more practical. As in, using him, rather than as a person he would be. So, yeah, looking into how that would be managed. I'm still not sure what the frell possessed someone to put in an attic access over a staircase.

[oldandnewfirm]

Magic does make everything easier. So long as he doesn't demand a child in return. Or worse, a cat.

But it makes perfect sense! That way, if you somehow miss the stairs out of the attic, there will be more below to catch you!

[kittydesade]

Cat would be worse, I actually have those. Then again, not having kids didn't save Cinderella, either.

Stairs aren't very good at catching people. They're very clumsy and tend to hurt.

[oldandnewfirm]

That's only because Cinderella didn't have cats!

Double the hurting if they're made of wood. I slipped down a few steps on our stairwell once because I forgot my mother had put some kind of sealant or polish on them that hadn't dried yet. That wasn't fun. My back hurt for days.

[kittydesade]

Always possible! Maybe he doesn't like cats, though. Maybe they stole his boots.

I think most of the interior of this house is made of wood. Hardwood floors, wood panel walls. Well, okay, not most, but there's a lot of wood. Including the steps.

Then again I'm looking forward to lots of cats skittering around on freshly waxed/polished/whatevered hardwood. I may be a bad person.

[oldandnewfirm]

...there's a story in there. Puss's Mission Impossible style adventure to get a pair of Rumple's boots in revenge for some minor incident.

Skittering cats is the greatest thing about hardwood floor ownership. Back when mine was a kitten, it was great fun watching her look of surprise and horror as she wheeled over the kitchen floor like an out of control car. Fortunately, kittens are bouncy. She'd ping off of a cabinet and go on her way again.

[kittydesade]

... Puss and Rumple Prank Wars.

I am looking forward to that like you would not believe. It's been so long since I've had cats and hardwood floors to watch them skitter on.

[oldandnewfirm]

I fear for all the residents of Fairy Tale World.

You'd think at some point they'd figure out that racing onto it would end badly. Maybe they do it for their own amusement as well.

[kittydesade]

Pretty much. That would be fairly epic in scale.

Maybe they provoke each other into doing it for their amusement. And then they lurk around corners sniggering.