You see I do expect things to be wrong in a house. Our old Wisconsin home was nearly 80 years old when we moved in so I expected things to be wrong with it and there were. But there was nothing "major" and more or less it was a bit of deferred maintenance and some bad DIY choices on that part of previous owners than needed to be rectified.
Then of course our last home was new construction. There wasn't much to do with it except iron out a few things on the punch list that the builder took care of...and just maintain it. Things like replacing toilet flappers when the toilets continue to run after they are flushed. Snake and flush out drains when they begin to run slowly, replace sprinkler heads when the lawn guys go over them with the mowers. Simple stuff really and not really a problem. That is unless you NEVER do them and then you sell your home to someone else. Then it is a problem....just not yours.
Which leads me to today's post. The great big list of FIXITS. This is the list of deferred maintenance items and other build issues that we have discovered since moving in the middle of December 2012.
- Coping stones on the hot tub need to be reset (they can be picked up and carried off!)
- Tuckpoint bricks and stonework on facade of home
- Reseal expansion joints in decking and around pool.
- Paint and seal fence.
- Find out why within 3 days of moving in 5 lightbulbs blow. (I simply love electrical issues!)
- Replace the dishwasher as it makes a horrible grinding sound that wakes the dead every time it is turned on. (Ok, maybe not that bad...but it doesn't clean dishes very well...so it's gone!)
- Replace toilet flappers.
- Correctly patch holes left by previous owner who decided to use toothpaste or some other non-hardening substance to fill holes left by wall anchors.
- Replace tub in master bathroom as it appears jets were never cleaned and lines are now filled with nastiness that is likely to spawn some type of water-born illness.
- Replace broken deadbolt on side entrance and reset strike plates on all 3 back doors so deadbolts can actually be locked without lifting the doors up.
- Replace the spring tension latch on library door so it can be closed.
- Repair scratch marks on interior library door courtesy of POs canine resident.
- Repair and patch nail pops in ceiling of master bedroom
- Replace springs door stopper caps as 90% of them are missing. I am assuming this is also something we can thank POs dog for.
- Replace front door! When the wind blows it sounds like a freight train is heading into our foyer thanks to a wooden door and western exposure in the Texas sun. (Never a good idea to defer maintenance on a door and allow a 1/4 gap to form due to warping heat.)
- Replace weather stripping on door leading into garage from house as it too generates incredibly loud wind noise. (This baffles me though as first the wind must enter the garage through the CLOSED double bay door and then enter the house to make all it's noise)
- Repair magnetic latches and shutter fins in the library and master bath and entryway.
- Repair the not-so-lovely drywall installation in the home theater. (This is where POs covered a window...and left a large bulge in the wall....and cracked drywall.)
- Replace septic aerator and pump. (Actually, we already did this as waiting was not an option unless we didn't mind it backing up into the house.)
- Correctly install outlet "blue boxes" in kitchen and garage so that covers stay flush to the wall.
- Repair or replace the west window in the library as seal has broken and a draft strong enough to blow out flames is present when the wind blows
- Rid home of fleas. (Ok...this is another one we have already remedied. Waking to find my DS covered in bites is a good motivator for immediate action...and a temper tantrum!)
- Correctly install light/fan switches in each room. Roughly 3/4 the rooms with ceiling fans were wired with the fan being the first accessible switch instead of the second.)
- Discover why there is no power to outlets in the library...possibly they are on the incorrectly labeled breaker in box that cannot be reset.
- Drill grommet holes in library desk to accomodate a computer.
- Convert all "phone" jacks that terminate in RJ11 ends to RJ45 to accommodate the already installed cat5 wiring. I'm still wondering why a house built in 2006 doesn't have a single data line in the entire house.
- Replace the mismatched kitchen faucet...or at least repair it so that the water selector doesn't turn every time you use it so you think you are using cold water when in fact it is scalding.
- Re-run HDMI cable that runs through the wall to the projector in movie room as PO was kind enough to break the existing one when he removed his components.
- Remove the heinously stinky decorative grass in the back yard.
- Install prep sink in kitchen so cooks do not have to walk 10 steps from cooktop to sink while preparing meals.
- Install tip-out trays on tip out panels in front of sinks. Not sure why a builder would bother with installing the panel hardware if he wasn't going to put the trays in...but that's what was done.
- Replace missing baseboard trim in kitchen
- PAINT, PAINT, PAINT!
So there you have it! The initial list of things that need to be done in this house. This isn't a list of things that I actually want to do as much as needs to be done for safety and or sanity...except for paint...because every room in this house is a shade of brown, on top of brown floors, next to brown cabinets. These are things that should have been done by the builder to complete the house or done by the owner to maintain the home.
There are days I seriously wonder if the people we purchased the home from actually needed to downsize...or if they had just put off so much stuff for so long that it was just easier to sell and "start over".
On a positive note, this is a list long enough to keep me busy and feel like I am contributing something other than babysitting skills and menu planning.
