Inspection

June 25, 2005

We had our inspection today. I was a bundle of nerves the whole time. Wondering if there was deep, hidden and expensive secrets about our house. Our good friend Rodney inspected it for us. He's been doing building inspections for 20+ years and was so competent.

So, the good news is there isn't any major issues with the house, we didn't expect there to be. There are some minor repairs/maintenance that will need attention in the upcoming months. But these are managable.

I still can't believe that we are going to own a home. We now will have a never ending project. One of my first (& quite time consuming) projects will be dealing with the paneling. There is nasty paneling in quite a few sections (living room, dining room and stairs) of the house - yuck! To compensate there is really lovely hardwood floors and beautiful wood trim & doors throughout. Lots of character with some distasteful 70's paneling thrown in. Welcome to the world of home ownership.

It's been an emotional roller coaster week for me as this whole process and commitment sinks in.

I'll post photos when I have a chance. Took tons today at the inspection.

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barbara on June 25, 2005, 6:43 a.m.

Your new house sounds like an interesting decorating challenge. If the panelling is real wood, save the wood, it might come in handy for something else. Make sure you take before and after pictures so we can see the improvements that you make. I wish we were there to help. What colours are you planning on going with? Fixer uppers can increase the value of your home at resale time, so they are well worth the investment in time and money to do the updating. Can't wait to see those pictures!

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Amanda on June 25, 2005, 3:24 p.m.

Welcome to project land! At times it is a fun land and other times it is very hard to all take in. It's good to hear that there are no major problems with the house. Are other house was condemned for three months before we could live in it. I hope you are not like me, When it comes to painting and stuff I want it done all at once. I get so excited and want to see what it will look like in the end. My Parents have paneling in there house. Instead of taking it all out they just painted over it and it looks really nice. If you rip it out I hope you don't have to do to much work to the walls behind it. Most paneling isn't "real" wood. I can't wait to see pictures of before and after. I will also post pictures when we get the cable we need to hook up are camera to here. Good luck with everything.

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- barbara on June 26, 2005, 5:41 a.m.
  
  Amanda's got a good idea. Painting over the panelling is probably not a bad idea at all, and a good "quick fix". If you take it off, you will probably have to drywall the wall because usually there isn't drywall behind panelling. I have even seen wallpaper put over panelling, and if it is done carefully, it can be quite attractive. But painting it is good. The panelling grooves kind of give the wall an interesting texture. Try it on one wall, before you start ripping it off.
  
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  - renee on June 27, 2005, 1:35 a.m.
    
    I actually did a fair amount of research last night on painting over paneling. Not only can it be done but it can look quite attractive. Our friends did this all through their living room and it looks really nice - they have a country theme so this works well. I'm thinking we'll start with this and see how it looks.
    
    Good news about our hardwood floors as well. A friend from church today offered to come over the day we take possession of the house and see if we can rip up the newly laid carpets in the living room & dining room. Apparently the hardwood underneath is in good condition. So, we'll see but this would be so great if we could do this now.
    
    This is what the living room looks like now. This picture is taken from the dining room.
    
    And this is the dining room, which is attached to the living room. This picture is taken from the kitchen. The door you see is the front door that leads to the porch.
    
    The Persian rugs are the sellers, laid overtop the carpeting?? Our plan is to paint/remove the paneling, take off the carpet exposing the hardwood below, change the drapes and fixtures and voila - a whole new room.
    
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    - Karen on June 30, 2005, 2:08 p.m.
      
      However you choose to redecorate (I think the idea of painting the paneling sounds good - if you don't like it, all you've lost is the cost of the paint - and your time, of course), it will make your house really feel like your own. Maybe I could help you with some curtains if I have enough days in August. It looks like you have some nice open space - good for your family and having company.
      
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    - barbara on July 2, 2005, 9:08 a.m.
      
      Lifting carpet off hardwood is a lot more work than you would expect. Before you start this project, talk to Ed Weymouth. He did this in the new house he and Joanne bought recently. He will give you a reality check. I have to admit, he did a beautiful job, restoring the hardwood floors in their new home. They chose some beautiful paint colours and their new home is very tastefully redecorated.
      
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      - damien on July 5, 2005, 9:27 p.m.
        
        We have a friend who is a builder who will be helping me out with this. The carpet is only a few months old, and the hardwood is in very good condition, so according to my friend, this shouldn't be to difficult.
        
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