Letter from a friend re woes of house repairs

A California friend sent me the following letter re her home project in Alameda. I cautioned them about buying this house. They bought it anyway.---BA

Whew! Some people have called this past year 2007. Some have called it The Year of the Boar or The Year of the Pig. We call it "The Year of the Never-Ending House projects."

It started simply enough: The front of the house did not look very inviting because of the 20-year-old landscaping that had been minimally maintained at best and had no particular rhyme or reason. Step 1: yank out all the old stuff. And then, we were off and running.

Out with the old (at least most of it) and in with the new, but first, pull lots and lots of buried river rocks hidden under all those old plants. Oops, that pick went in a little too deep. Replace some pipe. Uh oh, that original pipe was installed improperly. Pull it out, replace it with proper connections. Done. Turn on the water. No pipe leaks but why the heck did the valve spring a leak...you get the picture.

Once the landscaping was coming along, it was time to have the pros come in and prune the trees in the back yard that had been butchered at some point by someone who knew nothing (a la Colonel Klink) about proper pruning. Well, while we're at it, we really should have that wonderful Japanese maple in the atrium tended to.

Ah ha! As we suspected, the north side fence in the back yard is not where it should be. Negotiate with the neighbors; call in a surveyor, move the fence to the lot line. But wait, the neighbor over the west side fence would like to have our common fence area replaced as well. Bring back the fencing company. Job done.

Gee, by now we're on a roll. We knew the windows and patio sliders would have to be replaced when we bought the house. Call in the contractor, get a bid, and schedule the work. But wait (again)! When this window, and that window, and that one too, are removed, that siding will have to be replaced. In fact, we should do a careful inventory of all the siding and window framing. Get a bid for replacing the siding in the areas at the same time as the windows are replaced.

Well, nice new windows really deserve new window treatments. Off to the design center. Make the choices, then jump through hoops to have the delivery and installation of the window coverings occur the day after the windows are installed.

Window installation day. Crew arrives early! They jump right to it. Wow, this is going to happen in one day. Well, not really, but it only took two days to pull the old windows, install the new ones and replace the siding.

This is very encouraging. Until, that is, the window boss stepped into the atrium and his foot went through the old redwood deck. Don't gasp, he wasn't hurt but the deck sure as heck was. No worries, he can bring someone in to install a new deck with synthetic material that will never crack, warp, chip, fade, etc. Fine, how quickly can we have that done? Two weeks? Sounds like a plan. Ninety days later, we are still waiting to have the final trim work done. Meanwhile, it really does look pretty good.

But, remember that new siding? It has to be painted. Is it really possible to take 20-year-old siding to the paint department and have it color matched? Well, kinda. That man made three valiant tries, but the closest match was just that, close. So, my little brother, who is quite a guy, repainted the entire house, by hand with roller and brush.

All of this was accomplished before a mini family reunion at our house when a long-missed uncle came to town. Seventeen people for a big spaghetti dinner in the smallest house in which we have ever lived. Cozy, boisterous and loads of fun.

Take a deep breath and here comes Thanksgiving. Traditional dinner for a much smaller number.

Oh my gosh, the Christmas shopping hasn't even been thought about, let alone the decorating. Gotta hop right to it. But first, the toilet in the hall bath might be leaking. Sure enough. Little brother, will you please change out the toilet? I knew there was a reason I love that guy. No more leak.

We are exhausted. Think it will be all right to make this a Happy New Year letter instead of a Christmas letter. Gee, we sure hope so. In fact, this letter might have exhausted you, too.

May 2008 be a great year for you especially if you decide to make it "The Year of the House."