Keys to Change

Yesterday we did the walk through with the landlord and got the keys. To say I have mixed emotions would be an understatement.

It was apparent from the moment I arrived that he wasn’t too pleased with the previous tenants who, by the way, are friends of his. My husband was already on the scene and they were talking in what was a very empty garage, missing a few components he said would be staying because they were his. Mainly I’m talking about the two workbenches that were in the garage. Funnily, they didn’t take the shed or their garden boxes, but he was going to find out why later that day and figured they could stay if we’d use them. Part of me is hoping that this is the case. The shed may not be much to look at, but outside storage for the lawn tools, mower and chicken feed and supplies would definitely be a plus.

Trust me when I say there WILL be Before and After pictures of this place. The people who lived there before had put so many holes in the walls both big and small there might be some integrity issues to worry about. And there is a missing door and hole in another door, light fixtures that had been cut with tape covering the switches and smoke detectors ripped from the ceiling, all of which he said he would take care of. He seemed especially worried about the cut light fixture and said he’d get an electrician out right away to take a look at it because of the fire hazard it would pose. I mean, the guy has a vested interest in the house because he does plan on moving back in after his mom passes away, so I believe him when he says he’ll fix the stuff he says he will.

Fortunately a majority of the work is cosmetic, like painting over the Pea Green living room and Carrot Orange kitchen/dining room. The carpets are nasty, but we did walk through while they were covered in dirt and grime from not being vacuumed and cleaned. I hope that they clean up somewhat, but part of me thinks it’ll be a lost cause. Fortunately the vinyl flooring in the kitchen, entry and bathrooms are all in extremely good condition and even remind of the slate tiles we put in the half bathroom last year. However, there is enough Pergo flooring to redo the entry and the landlord gave us complete permission to install it there if we chose to do so! I wish it was enough to do the entire living room.

Alas, while I was a little nervous just a few short minutes ago when I started writing all this down, that has changed to excitement. Excitement over the possibilities. Excitement over the challenges. Excitement over the chance to have a fresh start. Now if only we could get our good friend Sarah or my cousin Amanda, who actually has a degree in Interior Design, to help us out in exchange for cakes, that’d be great.