I never aspired to be a landlord. I never thought I would have the opportunity. When we were talking about buying our second home, my main concern was that we couldn't buy it until we sold our first. I was under the impression that we don't make enough money to "own" two homes. I still hold to that, but the bank apparently thought differently, so we ended up with a new home and made our old home a rental. Our intent was definitely to sell it, but it needs some work...like everything else in our lives.
We've had terrific renters, but the house is 100 years old and tends to have old house problems on a regular basis, as well as the usual wear and tear. Our last renters had their own washer and dryer they wanted to keep in the home, and they just moved it out this weekend to their new home. We had the old washer and dryer in our basement and needed to get it back to the rental, but the washer had developed a leak that needed to be fixed. There was also a light fixture in the rental that needed to be replaced, and the shower drain wasn't working. My husband, who is the handy one, was working one of his two jobs (three if you count pastoring a church), just got over double pneumonia and has no open weekends in sight.
So, I called a holiday from home school and decided to tackle stuff on my own this morning and this is how it went down {roughly}:
9:00 After dropping off my 1st grader and his classmate at their school 15 minutes away, I come back to town and have coffee with a friend.
10:45 Set off to do landlord stuff. I stop at an appliance repair and sales shop to see if they have any washers that fit the bill, and they say to "just bring the washer in" and they will give me a diagnosis and see whether or not it's worth salvaging. "Just bring it in" by myself...well that would have to wait.
11:15 Place a call to my hubby at work and apprise him of the situation. We both concur that having a rental sucks.
11:30 Grab lunch for my remaining boys and drop off at kindergartener.
11:45. As I'm leaving, I get a text from my friend who also happened to be my previous renter and the mother of my current renter. I know...it's complicated. She was wondering about the shower drain at the rental, and if I wanted to use the U-Haul she had rented to move to get the washer and dryer from my basement to the rental.
11:50 Call my friend to explain that the washer needs be dropped off at the appliance shop. Only catch? The U-Haul has to be back by 1:00. I tell her I have to grab a bottle of Drano and a clog removal stick and I'd meet her at my house in 30 minutes.
12:30-1:00 With clog removal stick and Drano acquired, we assemble at my house, at which time my awesome neighbor asks if we need help, and the four of us load the washer and dryer into the U-Haul and head to the appliance store.
1:10 Officially late on the U-Hual, we drop the washer at the appliance store and beat feet over to the rental, drop off the dryer and send the U-Haul on it's merry way.
1:15 Hook the dryer up. It's broken. SERIOUSLY????
1:20 I set to work on the drain, but not before I'm distracted by the heater in the bathroom which has been missing it's cover for Lord only knows how long. I get it put back together and realize I have to stop stalling and try to get this drain sorted out...
1:30 I place a second call to hubby at work to get the play by play on how I should proceed...even though I pretty much already know...still stalling.
1:32 Apply rubber gloves. Use clog removal stick. No results.
1:35 Pour Drano in tub. No Results.
1:37 Try clog removal stick again. No Results. Try again. Clog removal stick breaks off in drain.
1:40 Discover hole in gloves where Drano has seeped in and is now burning my fingers off. Strip gloves off, throw in trash with broken clog removal stick. Cry and swear a little and run to kitchen to wash hands.
1:43 Find plunger and go all crazy plumber on drain. IT WORKS!!!! YESSSSS!!!!
1:45 Turn on hot water and fill bathroom with steam...Wait, what's that sound? Oh, my alarm reminding me to pick up my kids from school! (at this point I forget that it's early release Monday for my kindergartener) Is it almost 3 already? Dang! I didn't get the light fixed!
1:50 Place a call to renter to let him know the dryer's broken and that he shouldn't use the shower until I come back and retrieve the broken clog remover stick part...oh and I left the hot water running a bit to clear the drain.
1:55 Place third call to hubby. Tell him about the dryer and that I got the drain unclogged. He's totally impressed.
2:00 (I still think it's 3:00, mind you) I pick up Noah from Kindergarten and just happen to overhear another parent mention that it's early release Monday. I realize I really have a whole hour and I can now go fix the light fixture!
2:15 After stopping at my house to get some drywall {for another fix I think I might be able to do}, and needle nosed pliers to remove the broken clog removal stick from the drain, I go back to the rental, retrive the broken clog removal stick and head upstairs to fix the light fixture.
2:20 Measure and cut out drywall patch to patch hole in ceiling. I decide I'm in over my head with that project. So my hubby will install...later.
2:20 Place fourth call to hubby and get a crash course in wiring a light fixture. Realize I'm missing several wire connection caps.
2:25 Run back to house (5 blocks away) to get caps.
2:30 Back at rental, turn off main power and try to follow husband's instructions.
2:40 MY ARMS ARE KILLING ME!!! Realize drywall screws I brought are too short. Swear a little and go back home for longer screws.
2:50 FINALLY get the fixture mounted...but break the glass light shade in the process. More crying and swearing.
3:00 Clean up glass shards. Place a call to renter to apprise him of the situation and that he needs to vacuum before he walks around barefoot and that all his alarms are going to be screwy because I turned off his power.
3:05 Remember to turn power back on! YAY!!!
3:10-3-30 Go back out to pick up my 1st grader and his classmate 15 minutes out of town. On the way back in appliance repair guy calls. The washer is totaled. I tell him it to keep it and that it makes sense because my dryer is totaled too. He says he wants my dryer for parts and will come pick it up whenever. I tell him I will meet him at the rental in 20 minutes.
3:40 Drop off classmate at home and head to rental.
3:45 Meet appliance guy at rental. Help him load up dryer. Tell him to let me know if he gets a cheap washer and dryer set in the next few days. Head home.
3:50 Get call from appliance guy. He has a set for $200 that will be ready tomorrow. THERE IS A GOD!!!!
4:00 Get kids out of the car that they have been in for many hours watching movie after movie as I run around like a chicken with my head cut off.
4:05 What's for dinner? I should blog this, cause you can't make this stuff up!
4:15 Start on dinner and sit down to blog my adventure before I forget what happened :)
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