Additional Time
So we had the home inspection this week. Nothing major, but there were a couple of things for which we are getting estimates for repair so we have a better idea of what we're facing. To accommodate this, we've requested an extension for signing the P&S from tomorrow to October 10 (extension for inspections/estimates to October 5, then it's the holiday weekend, so October 10). I haven't heard any harsh responses, so hopefully that means they're okay with it. We're still keeping the November 1 closing date.
The one big item is that while the house has lovely new windows throughout the main floor, whoever installed them did "a hack job" (these were the inspector's exact words). They cut back the sills flush with the house and then installed the new windows in right over the tiny sills. Now the siding below the windows is actually further out than the window. Normally the sill would overhang the siding to prevent rain and other moisture from falling in and causing rot, which in turn just invites all the chewing bugs. Plus when they reattached the siding around the windows, in some places they put nails right through the exposed face of the siding – more invitations to moisture and pests.
We also are having a chimney sweep come in and take a look at the bricks at the top. There's no weather cap, and there was some slight deterioration at the top of the chimney, plus the damper mechanism in the family room fireplace needs to be reassembled.
There are other things we can live with for the moment and will knock off maybe one a month after we move in, like the garage door openers are powered through extension cords run along the ceiling, there's a slight leak around the base of the kitchen sink faucet, and we probably should have the central AC unit serviced and recharged.
I indeed took pictures as promised, but I left the camera in The Girl's car, and she's away for the weekend. Maybe I can pick it up at lunch…
Middle Sister came along for the inspection and assisted with the room measurements, so I'll perhaps have some floor plans put together this weekend. We did the measurements while the inspector was sitting in the kitchen getting his report ready. This was the coolest – he had a teeny tiny little HP computer. Smaller than a notebook, bigger than a handheld. Then he had a digital camera and a portable printer. The printer talked to the computer through an infrared port (he had tried Bluetooth, but it didn't work well for his reports). So after he finished the outside he sat for a few minutes, loaded the pictures and made his notes. Then after he finished the inside, he sat again for about 15 minutes and loaded the rest of the pics, then finished the report. By the time we left the house, we had in our hands a complete 12-page home inspection report including photos with red arrows pointing out the areas of concern in each photo. The report was broken down by area of the house, and then had a summary of marginal problems and more serious problems, so we have a nice checklist of things to do. Very cool.
But I don't need any more gadgets. We're getting a house.
|
