Our Money Pit

by Caryn

We've been here about 2 months and are finally getting things in place to do the badly needed repair and maintenance work on our “new” 84 year old house. Next month someone is coming to install piers and replace old beams under the house so I won't be sitting sideways while I type on the computer and we won’t have to crawl uphill to get off the sofa anymore.

Much of the electrical wiring needs to be upgraded and we need to consolidate three breaker boxes (two are piggy-backed off of the main one) and get the house properly grounded. It's a wonder my mother-in-law never had a fire in here! In her bedroom she had 3 very old extension cords daisy-chained from one side of the room to the other so she could have a lamp next to her bed. The dishwasher had an old lamp cord wired to it with a hole cut on top of the counter so it could be plugged into the wall outlet. We didn't see that until we moved the microwave that her boys bought her back in the day when microwaves were first sold for personal use. There is no main cutoff for the electricity - yikes! Shortly after we arrived, there was a thunderstorm and I watched the lights on the ceiling fan glow with each lightning strike ... and the ceiling fan was turned off! And there's a breaker that bounces when we use our microwave and won't completely trip, which is disturbing.

The doors don’t close properly and windows have terrible wood rot. There are cracks all over the house that are an open invitation to creepy crawly things from outside, and Oklahoma has a LOT of creepy crawly things!

We had to wait to start this work because we didn't want to put a lot money into the house before we got a clear deed, although we did get the kitchen outlets replaced and the dishwasher wired properly. Soon, the real work can begin. Correcting the foundation problems, bringing the electrical system up to code, replacing the heating and window a/c units with a geothermal system, putting in ductwork for that, insulating, installing thermal doors and windows, repairing the driveway that looks like a jackhammer has been taken to it … these are all on the “to do” list before winter hits.

We have to let the professionals take care of these things before we can start on the do-it-yourself cosmetic projects. The fun stuff will probably have to wait until next spring. We don’t know the condition of the drywall because the entire house has wood paneling, with the exception of the kitchen and two bathrooms. So we may be replacing drywall as well. There are lovely hardwood floors under the very old gold carpeting in the front of the house that I’m looking forward to refinishing.

My mother-in-law was widowed when my husband was just an infant and she bought this house with insurance proceeds. She eventually put herself through beauty school and built a beauty shop onto the house so she could be home with her three young sons while still being able to support herself. In one of the bedrooms you can still see the pipes where the shampoo bowls once stood. The front porch is enclosed and was once the space where clients sat under the old chair dryers.

There are lot of inconveniences we’re living with and will continue living with for awhile. It will cost a bit to get things in order, but this is our home. It’s the first place my husband and I have owned since we got married 11 years ago. It’s the place where my husband grew up…so many memories in these walls. From the first time my husband brought me here, I felt there was something special about this house. Now it’s a place our children and grandchildren can come to make more memories. Back in California we rented one of those fairly new “McMansion” type homes for the last 4 years and in spite of all the upgrades and bells and whistles it had, I never felt as happy as I do in this moment. This place reminds me of my grandparents’ home in New Jersey. Theirs was a 3-story place with my grandfather’s general store in front. When we visited, I would wake up in the middle of the night and go down to the store to sneak a gumball (probably why I have bad teeth). I still have one of the ice cream scoops he used back in the day when he made 10-cent cones for the neighborhood kids. The place has since been sold and turned into a seafood restaurant. I drive by when we’re in Cape May and I’m immediately transformed into the little girl in pigtails and sandals, with all the smells of the shop and of Nanny’s home cooking so deep in my senses, it’s as if I’m there again.

I sit in my office chair, straining to keep it from turning into the downhill slope in the floor and I breathe a sigh of contentment. For me, it’s not about how shiny or new or pretty it is. It’s about where the love is, and our love is here. My husband has a great job that he can see himself at for the next 20 years. We are closer to our children and our grandson. With luck, more grandchildren will be enjoying these walls as the years pass.

And we are finally home.