Our purchase agreement was unfortunately cancelled last weekend. After this whole house wrap situation came up, we could not come to an agreement with the current owners regarding the price of the house. In a counter-offer, we asked the current owners to cover the cost of the replacing the siding, putting up Tyvek or some sort of house wrap, and taking care of any water damage that may have occurred. Kyle and I were willing to increase our purchase price to reflect an upgrade in siding. The house currently has steel siding, and we were planning to put cement board siding on the house. The current owners were willing to either sell us the house, as is, for $10,000 less than the initially agreed upon price or would cover the cost of all of the repairs for $15,000 more than the initially agreed upon price. Kyle and I did not feel like it was our financial responsibility to pay for a repair that was assumed to be unnecessary when we wrote up the initial offer.
We both feel a sense of loss, as this house really seemed to meet a lot of our wants on our wish list. We do however have peace about the situation as well. Something will eventually come up. For the time being, we still love our current house.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
A mess!
Over the past few weeks, I've been cautious about posting too many details on the house that our offer was accepted. This is only because I wanted all of the details to fall in place, and know that it was going to "ours" before disclosing too much information.
This past week, Kyle and I had an inspection on the house. The inspector was someone who was recommended by our realtor, and overall he was very thorough. The inspection itself took over 4 hours. Overall, he found some minor issues with the house including a retaining wall that was pushing into the back deck, the balcony off our bedroom could use additional support, and a piece of siding was missing from the south side of the house exposing some OSB board. His recommendation was to have a licensed contractor come out and look at the above listed issues.
On Friday, Kyle, the contractor and our realtor went out to the house. The consensus - the retaining wall, deck, and balcony could easily be fixed and were really non-issues. The large issue began when the contractor began looking around the area of the missing siding piece. He noticed that there was no Tyvek house wrap in this area. Thinking that the Tyvek may have ripped off or the builder may have missed a small section, he began looking at other places of the house where Tyvek would be visible. He could not find any Tyvek paper, which is a major problem. Tyvek is a barrier between the siding and the outer wood structure that protects the house from moisture. Our house was built in 1987, and the contractor assured us that they were using Tyvek long before then. It's something that a builder would put around the entire house, not just a few sections.
This poses a pretty significant problem! The current siding on the house needs to be completely ripped off, and the OSB needs to be inspected for water damage. If water damage has occurred, that needs to be addressed. The house will need Tyvek house wrap and new siding. At minimum, the contractor feels that the project will cost $20,000, and that is assuming that there is no water damage.
So, right now everything is at a stand-still. Kyle and I are bummed out. But, we feel even worse for the sellers. Already, Kyle and I were buying the house for less than what they paid for it in 2007, and they had put over $50,000 in renovations in the house since purchasing it. Our gut feeling is that there can't be a lot of water damage, as the inspector saw no evidence of water leaking into the inside of the house. One of the current owners is very sensitive to scents/pollen/mold, and hasn't really been bothered by anything since purchasing the house, but we ultimately won't know until the siding is removed. Kyle and I are still interested in the house. We don't want to back out at this point, and we are in the process of writing up a counter-offer which would make the current owners responsible for repairing the problem, with the purchase price remaining at or around our initial agreement. Of course, Kyle and I would want a say in the type of siding and color, so the purchase price would have to reflect the difference from equivalent siding.
Our realtor is still recommending that we put our house on the market this next week, as the market in Winona has really picked up this spring. After talking to Kyle, we don't think we can. It's taken us over a year to find this house, and if this current house falls through, the selection within our price range in Winona is small. Nonetheless, Kyle and I have been still preparing our house for going on the market all weekend/or what can be called some major spring cleaning too. A huge thank you to Micah's grandparents for watching him, and a huge thanks to my parents for allowing us to temporarily re-home Brutus at their house.
More on this fiasco as more details arise...
This past week, Kyle and I had an inspection on the house. The inspector was someone who was recommended by our realtor, and overall he was very thorough. The inspection itself took over 4 hours. Overall, he found some minor issues with the house including a retaining wall that was pushing into the back deck, the balcony off our bedroom could use additional support, and a piece of siding was missing from the south side of the house exposing some OSB board. His recommendation was to have a licensed contractor come out and look at the above listed issues.
On Friday, Kyle, the contractor and our realtor went out to the house. The consensus - the retaining wall, deck, and balcony could easily be fixed and were really non-issues. The large issue began when the contractor began looking around the area of the missing siding piece. He noticed that there was no Tyvek house wrap in this area. Thinking that the Tyvek may have ripped off or the builder may have missed a small section, he began looking at other places of the house where Tyvek would be visible. He could not find any Tyvek paper, which is a major problem. Tyvek is a barrier between the siding and the outer wood structure that protects the house from moisture. Our house was built in 1987, and the contractor assured us that they were using Tyvek long before then. It's something that a builder would put around the entire house, not just a few sections.
This poses a pretty significant problem! The current siding on the house needs to be completely ripped off, and the OSB needs to be inspected for water damage. If water damage has occurred, that needs to be addressed. The house will need Tyvek house wrap and new siding. At minimum, the contractor feels that the project will cost $20,000, and that is assuming that there is no water damage.
So, right now everything is at a stand-still. Kyle and I are bummed out. But, we feel even worse for the sellers. Already, Kyle and I were buying the house for less than what they paid for it in 2007, and they had put over $50,000 in renovations in the house since purchasing it. Our gut feeling is that there can't be a lot of water damage, as the inspector saw no evidence of water leaking into the inside of the house. One of the current owners is very sensitive to scents/pollen/mold, and hasn't really been bothered by anything since purchasing the house, but we ultimately won't know until the siding is removed. Kyle and I are still interested in the house. We don't want to back out at this point, and we are in the process of writing up a counter-offer which would make the current owners responsible for repairing the problem, with the purchase price remaining at or around our initial agreement. Of course, Kyle and I would want a say in the type of siding and color, so the purchase price would have to reflect the difference from equivalent siding.
Our realtor is still recommending that we put our house on the market this next week, as the market in Winona has really picked up this spring. After talking to Kyle, we don't think we can. It's taken us over a year to find this house, and if this current house falls through, the selection within our price range in Winona is small. Nonetheless, Kyle and I have been still preparing our house for going on the market all weekend/or what can be called some major spring cleaning too. A huge thank you to Micah's grandparents for watching him, and a huge thanks to my parents for allowing us to temporarily re-home Brutus at their house.
More on this fiasco as more details arise...
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Weekend Happenings!
The past 2 weekends have been busy, but with fun activities. Two weeks ago, we used some of our tax return money to get out of Winona for a weekend. Our destination - the Cities. We had a great time hanging out with my brother Scott (aka Uncle Auggie) and our good friends, the Chamberlains. Fortunately, the weather was rainy and cold on Saturday making it a good weekend to visit the Children's Museum, Ikea and the MOA.
This past weekend Kyle worked, while Micah spent some time with his Grandparents. On Sunday, Micah and I met up with his honorary"grandparents", the Matheny's. Jerry and his wife,Vicki, will forever hold a special place in my heart. You see, Jerry was one of my first patients when I was a PT student up at the Rehab Unit on 3 Mary Brigh at the Mayo Clinic almost 5 years ago. At that time, Jerry had become very weak due to hospitalizations and several abdominal surgeries. He and I worked together for an hour and a half daily, as he re-learned to stand, walk, and negotiate stairs. And, by his side his entire time was his supportive wife, Vicki. Jerry had more determination than any patient that I know, and we really bonded during the few weeks that we worked together. The two of them (along with their Golden Retriever) live in Peoria, Illinois, but come up to the Mayo Clinic once a year for check-ups. I am so thankful that they were able to locate me, upon one of their visits, and we've been meeting up since. It's great to see how well Jerry is physically doing now!
On the look-out for "t-rucks" at the Children's Museum
I love this little man!
Busy little Beaver
Little Postman in action
Sunday was warmer, and it was great to catch up with our good friends, the Chamberlains. It was great being able to sit outside and watch our kids play in their beautiful backyard. They recently purchased a huge pirate ship playground, which was enjoyed by Micah (especially the slide).
It's impossible to get 3 kids together for a picture! Animal crackers had to be used to bribe these boys to sit for even 1 minute.
The pirate ship
This past weekend Kyle worked, while Micah spent some time with his Grandparents. On Sunday, Micah and I met up with his honorary"grandparents", the Matheny's. Jerry and his wife,Vicki, will forever hold a special place in my heart. You see, Jerry was one of my first patients when I was a PT student up at the Rehab Unit on 3 Mary Brigh at the Mayo Clinic almost 5 years ago. At that time, Jerry had become very weak due to hospitalizations and several abdominal surgeries. He and I worked together for an hour and a half daily, as he re-learned to stand, walk, and negotiate stairs. And, by his side his entire time was his supportive wife, Vicki. Jerry had more determination than any patient that I know, and we really bonded during the few weeks that we worked together. The two of them (along with their Golden Retriever) live in Peoria, Illinois, but come up to the Mayo Clinic once a year for check-ups. I am so thankful that they were able to locate me, upon one of their visits, and we've been meeting up since. It's great to see how well Jerry is physically doing now!
Finally, we put an offer in on a house. It's a house that we looked at back in December, liked it, but we wanted to sit on it for awhile. After looking at the house another 3 times this spring, and comparing it against everything else that we've looked at over the past year, we decided that it really is a perfect fit for us. After some counter-offers and negotiating, we were able to reach a deal and our offer was accepted. So we now begin the process of putting ours on the market and hopefully having a sale within the next few months. Our offer is contingent on the sale of our house and inspections. I'm optimistic that everything will work out okay.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
15 months
Our little (or big) Micah Man turned 15 months last week on April 26th. This past Monday, we had his 15 month appointment, and he had a great check-up. Our PA confirmed that he is right on track developmentally for his age. He also had to get 3 shots, which was much harder on me than it probably was on him.
15 fun facts about this little ray of sunshine in our lives...
1) Gentle Giant - Micah hit the 90% percentile for all measurements taken at his 15 month check up. He is in the 90% percentile for weight at 28#. No wonder my arms are so tired! And he's in the 99% for height (35 inches) and head circumference (20 inches). According to this daycare, he's bigger than a lot of the kids in the toddler room. Currently he wears size 18-24 clothes, and he has a few 2T sized shirts. Micah also wears size 5 diapers.
2) Toddler Room - Micah will be making the transition to the toddler room at daycare over the next few weeks. He is definitely ready for the transition, and I too am excited for him to be surrounded by other kids near his developmental level.
3) Micah has 16 teeth. Four just recently popped through.
4) Micah love to eat. He is not too picky of an eater which makes me happy. He still loves Mac and Cheese, goldfish, bananas, toast, and our Friday night pizza night. He fortunately did not inherit my sweet-tooth.
5) Goal met - Micah is drinking from a sippy cup without our assistance. Next month's goal - eating from a spoon.
6) Little Jabber Mouth - Micah has become more vocal over the past week. We still can't make out half of what he's saying, but it's great hearing his little voice! Consistent words are - "t - ruck" - the "ck" emphasized, "bupf" for bus, duck, quack/quack, mama, dada, dog, ball, and occasionally we hear a "car".
7) Loves to be outside and he loves the park. This past week, we also found that Brutus also likes playground equipment as well. More about that in another post.
8) He becomes a little prune at bath time, because he loves to splash in the water for ample amounts of time (or until he gets cold).
9) Until this past week, I could not remember the last time Micah DID NOT sleep through the night : ) This past week, he woke up 1 time, likely from a bad dream and was easily comforted back to sleep.
10) Walking, running, beginning to go up and down stairs. He is full of bumps and bruises from his high level of activity and trips and falls that come along with it.
11) Still loves books.
12) Starting to take an interest in a few TV shows - Dogs 101 on Animal Planet. He also likes Sesame Street which I'm finding is also quite entertaining for adults too.
13) No interest in potty training, nor have we initiated it. That'll be my goal in the next few months.
14) Enjoys helping me unload the dishwasher. Also will clear out a drawer, cupboard, etc if given the opportunity.
15) He loves his family - us, his fur-brother Brutus, his grandparents, uncles and aunt, and cousins. And, we are so thankful for him every day. He truly makes our lives brighter!
7) Loves to be outside and he loves the park. This past week, we also found that Brutus also likes playground equipment as well. More about that in another post.
8) He becomes a little prune at bath time, because he loves to splash in the water for ample amounts of time (or until he gets cold).
9) Until this past week, I could not remember the last time Micah DID NOT sleep through the night : ) This past week, he woke up 1 time, likely from a bad dream and was easily comforted back to sleep.
10) Walking, running, beginning to go up and down stairs. He is full of bumps and bruises from his high level of activity and trips and falls that come along with it.
11) Still loves books.
12) Starting to take an interest in a few TV shows - Dogs 101 on Animal Planet. He also likes Sesame Street which I'm finding is also quite entertaining for adults too.
13) No interest in potty training, nor have we initiated it. That'll be my goal in the next few months.
14) Enjoys helping me unload the dishwasher. Also will clear out a drawer, cupboard, etc if given the opportunity.
15) He loves his family - us, his fur-brother Brutus, his grandparents, uncles and aunt, and cousins. And, we are so thankful for him every day. He truly makes our lives brighter!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Chef Micah
Our little Micah Man has loved cooking since he was at least 6-7 months old. From the time that he could independently sit up, I would give him pots and pans to pound on while I was cooking. Once he could stand, he loved (and still loves) emptying out the bottom shelves of my pantry. Now, he loves sorting Cheerios, goldfish, raisins, etc into my mixing bowls and stirring them. He also insists on being held if he notices that you have something cooking on the stovetop, only to monitor the situation. Kyle and I truly believe that he will end up working as a chef someday.
A few weeks ago, Micah and I were at the new Once Upon a Child in Onalaska, when Micah began playing with their display kitchen set. Although, it thoroughly entertained him while I did some quick browsing, he could not be peeled away from it when it was time to go. So, I made a quick, impulsive decision to buy him a kitchen set. When it comes to his toys, most of them are handed down from friends or bought second-hand, so it felt good to buy him something new that was truly his. He loves his new kitchen set, and is always willing to fry you up something, boil water, or make you hot coffee - his favorite thing to do.
A few weeks ago, Micah and I were at the new Once Upon a Child in Onalaska, when Micah began playing with their display kitchen set. Although, it thoroughly entertained him while I did some quick browsing, he could not be peeled away from it when it was time to go. So, I made a quick, impulsive decision to buy him a kitchen set. When it comes to his toys, most of them are handed down from friends or bought second-hand, so it felt good to buy him something new that was truly his. He loves his new kitchen set, and is always willing to fry you up something, boil water, or make you hot coffee - his favorite thing to do.
Micah with the box - Kyle and I found it more productive to put it together for Micah while he was sleeping.
Next morning's reactions
Brewing his caffeine addicted mommy some hot coffee complete with a few goldfish, while a hungry dog looks on.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
A little bit of everything
It seems like it has been a busy 2 weeks, and I realized that it's been awhile since I've posted on here. Kyle has had a busy work schedule, which comes with being a retail pharmacist. He currently is finishing a 7 day stretch of work, most of those shifts being evenings, so I have been single parenting the past week. The night flies by from getting home from work, making dinner, taking Brutus for a walk, cleaning up the kitchen, giving Micah a bath and putting him to bed. By the time 9:00 rolls around, I am physically and mentally exhausted. And, I only have to do that every third week! I have the utmost respect for single parents that have a schedule similar to this every night! It's been a busy 2 weeks, so get comfy because I'm sure that this post will get lengthy : )
30th birthday:
On April 3rd, I celebrated my 30th birthday. It really feels great to be in my 30's! I can't say that I'll say the same thing about my 40's and beyond. Kyle and I worked on my actual birthday, but he and Micah made me a special breakfast before work. They also got me a yummy cake too. I had celebrated with my friends a few weeks ago, so when Kyle asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I responded with time - uninterrupted time out in our yard. On the day before my birthday, I spent 6 hours out in our yard, and got a lot accomplished. Photos of our yard to come sometime soon...
Washing machine:
A few weeks ago, I posted that our washing machine had broken. After 12 years of service, we decided to buy a new one versus repair it. Lowe's was having a great sale, and with delivery of our new machine and removal of our current one, who could pass up such a deal?! I ended up buying a cheaper, high efficiency washer. If you know our house, you know that our laundry location if a complete inconvenience for me, but worse for a delivery person. You have to go through kitchen and our main floor bathroom, and then make a tight 90 degree turn down a steep flight of stairs.
The delivery guys were great, and even I wrote a letter to corporate letting them know how much I appreciated their work. But, they jokingly told me not to call them when our dryer went out...
Easter:
We had a great Easter enjoying the beautiful weather, spending time with family, and ultimately remembering the true meaning of Easter that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we could have eternal life. After attending a packed early church service at Pleasant Valley, Kyle, Micah and I headed up to Northfield where we had Easter lunch at his Grandma Millie's house. Several family members were there, and Micah was spoiled with attention and an Easter basket full of yummy candy, which his momma managed to polish off for him. Attempts were made to get pictures of Micah, especially, a 4 generation picture, but Micah was less than cooperative during picture-taking time.
Other happenings:
Below are a few pictures of Micah from the past few weeks. We were trying to get outside as much as possible, but the weather has definitely kept us in the past few days.
30th birthday:
On April 3rd, I celebrated my 30th birthday. It really feels great to be in my 30's! I can't say that I'll say the same thing about my 40's and beyond. Kyle and I worked on my actual birthday, but he and Micah made me a special breakfast before work. They also got me a yummy cake too. I had celebrated with my friends a few weeks ago, so when Kyle asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I responded with time - uninterrupted time out in our yard. On the day before my birthday, I spent 6 hours out in our yard, and got a lot accomplished. Photos of our yard to come sometime soon...
Washing machine:
A few weeks ago, I posted that our washing machine had broken. After 12 years of service, we decided to buy a new one versus repair it. Lowe's was having a great sale, and with delivery of our new machine and removal of our current one, who could pass up such a deal?! I ended up buying a cheaper, high efficiency washer. If you know our house, you know that our laundry location if a complete inconvenience for me, but worse for a delivery person. You have to go through kitchen and our main floor bathroom, and then make a tight 90 degree turn down a steep flight of stairs.
Easter:
We had a great Easter enjoying the beautiful weather, spending time with family, and ultimately remembering the true meaning of Easter that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we could have eternal life. After attending a packed early church service at Pleasant Valley, Kyle, Micah and I headed up to Northfield where we had Easter lunch at his Grandma Millie's house. Several family members were there, and Micah was spoiled with attention and an Easter basket full of yummy candy, which his momma managed to polish off for him. Attempts were made to get pictures of Micah, especially, a 4 generation picture, but Micah was less than cooperative during picture-taking time.
This was the best we got that day...
We went back to Stewartville late afternoon where we had dinner with my parents and brother. My mom put together a mini-easter egg hunt for Micah, and he had fun finding the eggs. We also took a nice walk, given the beautiful weather that day.
We are so thankful that we live close enough to our families to celebrate Holidays with them.
Other happenings:
Below are a few pictures of Micah from the past few weeks. We were trying to get outside as much as possible, but the weather has definitely kept us in the past few days.
New set of wheels
Our house projects are slowly getting accomplished. Orkin came last week and put new insulation in our attic. They kept the one-way bat doors in place, as the nights have still been cool enough that bats may still try to access our attic. They saw no evidence of bats nor have we have heard any activity in our walls since they came to install the doors several weeks ago : ) Our roof is being inspected on Monday, after several calls to our roofing company. Finally, after threatening legal action on Tuesday, they returned our call within 30 minutes....
We may have found a house that we like. It has a lot of great features, but it does need some updates allowing us to put our personal touch on the house. It's in a comfortable price range for us, and on the same side of town as our jobs, church, gym, Target, Walmart, etc. We are still weighing the positives and negatives, so not offers are being written up as I type this : )
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Anniversary and other happenings...
It's currently 8:30 on a Sunday morning, and Kyle and I are sitting in silence. It is so strange!! Our two kiddos, Micah and Brutus are still slumbering. We had full intentions of going to 9:00 church this morning, but instead we will shoot for the 10:45 service. Micah must be catching up from his exciting night of playing with Grandpa Jim and "Gram C".
This past Thursday was our 4-year anniversary. The weather on Thursday during the day was beautiful, reminiscent of the weather on March 29, 2008. These past 4 years (or 14 years since we began dating) have gone by so quickly. It's been a wonderful adventure growing as a person, couple, and family. I'm so thankful to have such a good husband by my side. We have a solid relationship, and I look forward to celebrating many, many, many more years together.
We both worked on Thursday, but we still enjoyed the evening with a yummy crockpot supper and some backyard playing with Micah and Brutus. Kyle bought me some pretty tulips, making me even more anxious to get out in our yard and do some work. Last evening my parents came down to watch Micah while Kyle and I had a night out in LaCrosse. We had reservations at one of our favorite restaurants, Kate's on State at 7:30, but we ended up going down to LaCrosse a little early. We debated about going shopping before dinner, but in the end we decided to stop in at the Starlight Lounge, a fun martini bar, before dinner. It was so nice to just sit down and talk - not about work, nor Micah, but about us, future plans, and yes - houses. More on that below. Dinner at Kate's was amazing! Kate's on State is a small, upscale Italian restaurant. It's one of those places that we can only afford to go to on special occasions, because we can easily drop over $100 on dinner and drinks. We've only been there twice, but everything that we've had there has been fabulous, and last night was no exception. The Filet Mignon that I had was the best steak that I've ever had, and usually I'm not a huge red-meat eater.
This past Thursday was our 4-year anniversary. The weather on Thursday during the day was beautiful, reminiscent of the weather on March 29, 2008. These past 4 years (or 14 years since we began dating) have gone by so quickly. It's been a wonderful adventure growing as a person, couple, and family. I'm so thankful to have such a good husband by my side. We have a solid relationship, and I look forward to celebrating many, many, many more years together.
We both worked on Thursday, but we still enjoyed the evening with a yummy crockpot supper and some backyard playing with Micah and Brutus. Kyle bought me some pretty tulips, making me even more anxious to get out in our yard and do some work. Last evening my parents came down to watch Micah while Kyle and I had a night out in LaCrosse. We had reservations at one of our favorite restaurants, Kate's on State at 7:30, but we ended up going down to LaCrosse a little early. We debated about going shopping before dinner, but in the end we decided to stop in at the Starlight Lounge, a fun martini bar, before dinner. It was so nice to just sit down and talk - not about work, nor Micah, but about us, future plans, and yes - houses. More on that below. Dinner at Kate's was amazing! Kate's on State is a small, upscale Italian restaurant. It's one of those places that we can only afford to go to on special occasions, because we can easily drop over $100 on dinner and drinks. We've only been there twice, but everything that we've had there has been fabulous, and last night was no exception. The Filet Mignon that I had was the best steak that I've ever had, and usually I'm not a huge red-meat eater.
4-year anniversary pictures
This weekend has also been the 1-year anniversary of our house-hunting. We've been casually looking for a new house in the Winona area over the past year. The reason that we are wanting to move is solely based on size. We love so much about our current house. We love our porches, our fenced-in backyard, and our garage. We love our landscaping. We love the charm that our house has with its wide woodwork and hardwood floors, tall ceilings, and built-in cabinets. We love our updated kitchen, our big windows, and our low maintenance siding. But, we don't love is the lack of cupboard space, our non-functional basement space and our child-sized bathtub. We've considered adding on to our house, because we love our neighborhood, but we would lose our yard space and out price our neighborhood. We have a lot of specific wants in our next house, as we fully intend to stay in the house for several years, similar to the houses that our parents live in. We've probably looked at 20-25 houses within the Winona area, but have not yet found anything in our price range that fulfills our wants. At this point, we are in no hurry, so we'll continue to patiently wait until the 'right' place comes on the market.
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