March 20, 2011

You might not have noticed, but I haven't posted for a while. My mother was diagnosed with lung cancer last August and given 3-6 months. So between my job, the rebuilding and numerous trips to Texas to see my mother, I've been busy.

March 25th is right around the corner. March 25th is our one year anniversary of our fire. I've booked another trip to Texas to celebrate. And to keep the trifecta going. I've entered a big writing contest with results posted on that same day. With my luck so far this year, what do you think the chances are that I will final? Slim? None? Honestly, I wouldn't have entered if I'd realized the date the finalists would be announced.

Back to the house. What have we been doing? Well, in August - nothing, In September - nothing. In October we got a deck and french doors leading to the deck. By the end of the year we had a new HVAC, some new wiring and some new plumbing.

The plumbing came with it's own special issues. My husband wanted a steam shower. I ordered one online. One of the lessons I've learned is that ordering online is not always a good idea. The plumber didn't like the quality of the shower and called the building inspector. The building inspector called the factory.

Heck no, it hadn't been inspected.

Were we daunted? No. For only $250.00 we were able to have the shower re-crated and sent back.

We ordered in another shower (from the same company. Several thousand dollars more expensive, but this one had been inspected), but only by the electricians - not the plumbing people. For five weeks, the shower sat in front of my house like a ugly lawn ornament while we tried to get them to take the second shower back.

At that point we gave in. No steam shower. But that's when we learned that the vanity we'd demolished had been custom built. So the new vanity wouldn't work. Nor would any other vanity work because I only had an 18" depth. So I pondered. What is long (5') and skinny (18")?

A sofa table.

Okay, I have to admit it. The new vanity is going to be so cool. A gray marble top, claw and ball legs, a clear vessel bowl. I'll post photos as soon as it's in.

Our fire has been a mixed blessing. We're getting a brand new house, but at what cost? In my next post I'll tell you about the roof and the siding which weren't damaged by the fire, but still get to be replaced. (Guess what? The insurance company isn't paying for the roof and siding).

Next time I have a house fire I'm not calling the fire department until it has burned to the ground.