The (Big Square) Money Pit

MORE Homeowners Insurance Trouble

2011-10-02T11:51:00.000-04:00

After thinking I was all set with my new United Property Casualty policy issued in early July, I just this weekend received a cancellation letter from them - citing missing railing on a stair/deck and lack of a 4 pt inspection. Now, I had the 4 point inspection completed on June 4th, as it was required for underwriting the policy. At that point, they were to give me 30-60 days to fix any issues they found with the property. My agent told me I was all set. So I am really not a happy camper. Insurance has become such a huge issue for ANYONE in Florida, let alone those of us in older homes. Just the fact I'm being cancelled will likely make it harder and much more expensive to get another policy, even though I did everything I was asked to - why they do not have my inspection, I don't know - did the agent not submit it, and they just got around to underwriting the policy? Is that my fault? I have emails and calls into the agent - and I will hopefully speak to them in the morning between meetings - hopefully this is a fixable mistake. It's been a Summer I don't want to repeat any time soon....job loss, pay cuts, insurance....bleh.

Bamboo Floors

2011-10-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

We found a large lot of this Morningstar stranded bamboo on clearance at Lumber Liquidators for $1.49 psf, which beats most laminate prices. We really needed to do something with 3 of the bedrooms, and we looked at carpeting and different wood options. The carpet would have been the easiest, as it would have been installed. But this was such a good deal - it is SOLID - very heavy, and it does not have the bamboo "knuckles" throughout, so it looks a lot like wood. We have had a bit of trouble in the install, as the manual floor nailer we bought used from Home Depot was not working an needs a part. It is going quite slowly now as the boards are being installed manually, after pre-drilling the nail holes (this stuff is HARD).
I wish we could have saved the heart pine floors, but we have tried in other rooms, and once your throw carpet over them, as was done in 3 of our bedrooms, they seem to go downhill irrevocably. We do plan on grabbing some of the few decent boards from our bedroom to use in repairing some of the remaining floors in the hallway.

We hope to finish the small bedroom today, then do a larger bedroom next weekend, and our 2-part bedroom the following week....but I would throw another weekend or two in for good measure. :-)

Things are Looking Up

2011-06-04T18:43:00.000-04:00

Well, the hens must be happy - 4 eggs this week, 3 from the young hens and 1 big brown one from one of the older hens. I think we are back in business.

Also on a positive note - I have been working with an Allstate agent who has given me a quote for homeowner's insurance about 15 bucks cheaper than my current premium, with the same coverage, including replacement cost. Not bad...I was fearing the worst; a $10K premium or something along those lines. I can sleep now!

United Property Casualty insurance company is not all crazy about insuring older homes. Thank goodness!

Eggs!

2011-05-26T23:03:00.000-04:00

Two eggs this week so far.....there is hope

The Dreaded "Letter"

2011-05-20T19:09:00.000-04:00

I knew it was bad....not time for any kind of correspondence from our homeowner's insurance company. Not thick enough for policy documents. Just enough paper in there to "notify" us. We're being dropped. After using Liberty Mutual since we moved to Florida in 2002, they are dropping us. They need to make changes in their coverage areas. The hurricanes of '04 & '05 are still affecting them. I guess they're affecting us now too. boy that stinks. It's pretty darn hard to find coverage for a 1915 wood frame house. It will be even harder to find coverage we can afford. We pay $3100 annually now...and from what I understand, that is very low for old house coverage. We get a hipped roof discount (substantial) along with the monitored security and updated systems discounts.Wish us luck!

Thermostat Location Costing Us Money?

2011-05-20T06:54:00.000-04:00

I finally figured out why our upstairs bedroom feels so cool - cold actually, when the thermostat is set on 78 or 79...even 80. Our upstairs thermostat is located in the upstairs hallway; there are no A/C vents there, and most of the upstairs doors are normally kept closed, keeping the cool air mostly out of the hallway. The thermostat is reading the warmer temperature in the hallway, so the A/C stays on, and when I go into our bedroom, it is FREEZING (in my opinion, anyway). The downstairs is all open, so this issue does not exist there. What to do? Relocate the thermostat to our bedroom? I wonder if anyone else has this problem? It's hard laying in bed listening to the A/C unit churn on and on all night while I lay there freezing.....especially when I am anticipating electric bills in the $500 and $600 range.

Senator Mike Fasano wants Governor Rick Scott to veto a property insurance bill

2011-05-16T19:30:00.000-04:00

Senator Mike Fasano wants Governor Rick Scott to veto a property insurance bill

Chickens and No Eggs!

2011-05-16T07:35:00.000-04:00

We expanded our chicken coop/run a few weeks ago, in an effort to get the ladies back into egg-laying mode....only two eggs from the older hens since then. What gives? We switched back to Feed Depot's egg layer crumble (Shells did not have the grit and calcium FD's does), and gave them a nice sized area to peck around in....sounds like we need a chicken whisperer...

Hot Again!!

2011-05-14T09:03:00.000-04:00

I won't go into how long it has been since I have posted....I have been quite preoccupied with work, failing banks, regulators, dog rescues, chickens, smart-mouthed teenagers, job searching and driving to my new job - not necessarily in that order.
We haven't done much around to house due to time and money resources. We did have the air handler in the attic (bad idea) overflow it's pan from condensation, with no shut off switch, for MONTHS before the ceiling in our bedroom finally came down on us at 4am one fine morning...so THAT is fixed. Finally painted that ceiling!

We have our deck maybe 80-90% taken down; I never thought it fit well with our 1915 house; I would prefer some patio area off the two back doors, and some "floating decks" around the yard, where we will reuse the Trex boards from the deck. Our backyard is a huge mess....lots of die off from the two previous winter's hard freezes, lots of building materials scattered around, lots of attention needed there. The one thing which is new and complete back there is the CHICKEN COOP. We have 2 2nd season hens (a white leghorn and a NH Red) and 2 pullets(a barred rock and a buff orphington). When they are totally happy, we will get as many as one egg each, every day. They are not always happy. We are learning.

The siding and windows continue to deteriorate; we replace what is in most need. that will never be done, it is forever ongoing. We will need to do some windows VERY SOON. I honestly don't know what is keeping some of them attached to the house. The front porch will need to be rebuilt too. The floors need refinishing. Regardless, this house is our home, not a museum, or a showroom. I hope someday that the "finished project" fairy will visit us in our sleep, and we will wake up to gleaming floors, painted trim, rebuilt windows and new, smooth siding.

A Little Publicity - Thanks Kim at V.M. Ybor Neighborhood Association!

2010-08-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

From their newsletter....

Tampa Old House Exchange

Old Seminole Heights resident Cara Davis has started a great new blog for owners of historic properties, preservation enthusiasts, and dedicated DIYers: Tampa Old House Exchange. This is conceived of as a clearinghouse of sorts for everything old house related: A place to trade or barter or sell old house parts like doors, windows, trim, flooring….anything. It is also a clearinghouse for ideas and experiences. Advice and projects you just won’t find on HGTV -

especially for Tampa. Neighbors helping neighbors. Ms. Davis is just starting this as a blog to get a feel for the response and need, but would like to develop this into a website complete with sections for different types of items, advice, referrals and even a plant exchange. Visit the blog, post a topic or two, and share some goods or experiences!

Happy Holidays! Brrrrrrrrr!

2010-01-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I have high hopes for 2010...2009 kind of stunk. I will be healthier and happier this year if it kills me.
It is now 43 degrees outside here in sunny Tampa....and our house temperature is 55. I have given in and turned the heat on (just for a little bit, to take the bite off). My thoughts go once again to the argument for getting a new air/heat system...if $600 electric bills in the summer is the norm for us, there has to be room for improvement in the energy efficiency dept. I know the house is big, and not insulated, but that is still high. My fantasy of replacing all 41 windows and insulating the entire house is just not reality, but if the proposed "cash for calkers" bill gets passed, we can get a 50% rebate on the purchase of energy efficient equipment, so a new system might make sense, especially if we can get our summer electric bills under $500. I am currently in the coldest/hottest (depending on which season it is) room of the house, the home office, formerly part of a wraparound porch or a porte cachere. Not sure why it is so much worse than the rest of the house...perhaps poor construction. I can't feel my fingers much right now, and the forecast is for highs in the 50s next week. So much for a break in electric bills....snuggie, anyone?

Our Pretty Tree!!

2009-12-18T12:45:00.000-05:00

Just after we had done a hard pruning to allow traffic to pass without having to swing out around it (and manged to keep the gorgeous shape intact) a utility truck has clipped a major branch (more like half of the tree) and there it lies in the street.....I think we are going to have to cut it down now....:-( It had to stay closer than usual to the curb becasue there was a UPS truck parked on the other side of the street.

I remember thinking how pretty a shape the tree had when we were looking at the house and what a nice vista it provided out through the front door......

Tampa Old House Exchange

2009-11-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

This is a new experiment for me born from my frustration in not having an architectural salvage yard here in Tampa. There are some cool stores like Sherry's Yesterdaze, Tampa Street Market and that place down by the bridge on Hillsborough I can't quite remember...and some funtional outlets like the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and of course craigslist (and ebay), but nothing that quite fits the bill. What if there was an online clearinghouse for old house people here in Tampa where items could be offerred for sale or trade, items could be asked for, advice could be requested and given with regards to old house projects and experiences could be shared? Heck there could even be a plant exchange. Neighbors helping neighbors. I would love to have feedback....the new blog is located at http://tampaoldhouseexchange.blogspot.com/.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T00:00:00.003-05:00

Here comes another Thanksgiving here in Florida; I still expect to feel the harsh cold air, and maybe some snow for this day, even after 7 or 8 Florida Thanksgivings. While I can at this moment think of several things to complain about or feel sad about, I know I have so much to be thankful for. The budget is tight, but I'm thankful that I have a budget, many don't. My house is old and needs repairs, but I am thankful that I have a house, many don't. My job is all consuming and overwhelming, but I'm thankful to have one, again, many don't. I am thankful for my husband, my children and my entire family. I am thankful that I can put food on the table and clothes on our backs. Simple, everyday things, but in this crazy world, so many are lacking the simplest of comforts. I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Finally, the Chill

2009-11-13T10:12:00.002-05:00

Below 60 this morning, now up to 63; maybe fall is finally here! It is freezing here in our home office, the least insulated/protected room of the house....it's always super hot in here when it's hot outside and super cold when it gets chilly outside....not sure why it is worse than the rest of the insulation-challenged house, but boy...it's winter in here! I used to think that it got so hot because it has it's own roof as opposed to being under the rest of the house...but maybe it's just becasue it's so separate from the house....it was originally either a wrap around open porch or a porte cochere; there was something here according to the sanborn maps, but the porch is concrete and ends at the end of the exisitng porch; I'm not sure that they would have hacked away a concrete deck to enclose a room, they would have built over the concrete. Unless the concrete was a much later addition. It is now joists and light pine floors. The room has some structural issues, termite damage, wood rot, water damaged walls...the window sils are 90% dust and 10% wood....it's on our "list", we'll get to it! I guess it just doesn't have the protection from the elements of the house.
I'll just wrap a blanket around myself and don my LL Bean "Wicked Good Slippers" when I need computer time.

Tech Help, Please

2009-11-10T04:23:00.002-05:00

OK, so I'm being an insomniac, playing with the blog....I changed some fonts and colors; nothing major. What I need help with is my account...I started this blog using one email address, and I am now one another, but I cannot change my account information to reflect that. I was able to add my new email address as a contributor (thus the two contributors listed....Cara & carasu....in case you have not figured it out...BOTH ME), so I can post while signed on to my current email, but any changes I want to make have to be made while signed in to my old email...very cumbersome. Is there a way to transfer the blog account from one email to the other so I don't have to continue this double identity thing?
**UPDATE**
HAHA! Lack of sleep breeds inquisitiveness! I have fixed it! Hooray for me! No more double identity.....

Beautiful Outside!

2009-11-07T13:41:00.002-05:00

The weather has finally turned "autumny"....sunny, 75 and low humidity.....NOW we can turn off the ac for good until next spring...which is good, since I just received my electric bill - $412 LEVELIZED.....$318 non levelized....this house SUCKS UP ELECTRICITY. I wish we could get some solar panels to supplement the electricity. I don't know anyone else with bills this high. We peaked at $595 non levelized in August. Who pays that much?? Dumbasses who buy big old uninsulated houses with horrible windows and no subfloors, that's who. (Ones who lost their shirt in investment property and cannot afford to reside, insulate and rebuilt in order to make the house more efficient).
This is the time of year our yard starts looking poor, because the weeds die down and it is revealed that we have no actual grass in the front yard....and I will start trying to "fill" in more yard with more of those purple things (oyster plants?) or aspire to put in some kind of hedgey plant to take up more space and lessen the dead weed area. Maybe it's happen, maybe not; maybe I'll just lose my mind and order up a new lawn one of these days...but I hate Florida lawns..they are "crunchy" and you need to know more about science than gardening in order to sustain one. Oyster plants, I can do.

Winter To Do List

2009-10-26T07:27:00.000-04:00

Was outside yesterday clearing some more weeds and vines in the back yard; our winter to do list was born. Siding behind the A.C unit is in bad shape, that will be replaced up to the windows, same with a patch of siding on the deck; this work will most likely reveal rotted sill as well. Also an area above the front porch will be replaced. What I'm really looking forward to is rebuilding the deck....it is pulling away from the house and looked terribly skewed; will will tear it down and rebuild, probably lower to the ground, using as much of the existing "Trex" materials as possible. Depending on the level of rot found with the siding, we may not get to the deck until next year. There is a "Frankenstein" door (pieced together in a rather rough manner) on the side of the house off the office which needs to be worked over and painted; we can probably fit that in before it gets too hot again. We will also repair a few of the windows which are in the worst shape.

Phew! Has it REALLY been that long??

2009-10-24T06:34:00.000-04:00

I honestly don't know where the time goes....here we are in October! Not much as changed in this old house...still have many outstanding projects. It was a hot summer, and our electric bills went as high as $600...if only we could afford to reside, replace the 40+ windows and insulate, we would save some money on the bill, but probably not enough to pay for the work in my lifetime. We will eventually need to work on some of the windows as they are about to fall off the house...silly old rotted wood! We had a year or so of hardly any work being done following the husband getting sick last summer, and my having surgery this past spring, followed by a horrible post op infection...no more details here, but let's just say I am happy to be sitting here, insomnia or not!
My "hope list" for the cooler months coming up will include the replacement of some siding that I can't stand looking at anymore....I literally will not go on our deck any more because I can't look at the rotted state of some of the siding back there....just a few spots here and there...that's the way it will be unless we win Lotto and can reside the entire house. Also included on "the list" is some backyard work; this got really out of hand during the time where we could not physically do any work....the backyard is another spot where I would rather not spend much time....too bad too, it's a HUGE backyard and has...yes, I'll use that word...POTENTIAL. Right now it looks like the only thing it is lacking is a couple of old appliances and maybe a 72 Lincoln Town Car. We try to do outdoor projects while it is cool because we are not 20 and fit, so working too much outside in 95 degree weather creates a "drop dead in the yard" hazard. WE may pay some attention to the front porch as well, but we have some major work to do there, so that might wait until next year. We have tackled the deadly bougainvillea hedge along our driveway, we still are killing off the baby sprouts...as gorgeous as this plant can be, the 4 inch thorns which can easily poke you in the eye if you walk too close kind of puts me off. We will put some sort of kinder, gentler plant there...I didn't realize we had so much space between the driveway and the property line fence...the bougainvillea was over 5 feet deep! We also have a palm tree which has fallen over (one of the violent windstorms from a month or two back) and is laying across a power line...no ill effects thus far, but it looks HORRIBLE, and will probably eventually cause a problem; TECO won't take it down because it is in our yard. We will have to have the power shut off the day we plan on cutting it. Anyone here in the hood have a chainsaw we can borrow?? ;-)
Since I last posted we have lost another dog as well, George was out 14 year old cocker spaniel...I miss him and his brother Louie, who was put down a year ago. We are down to one dog for the first time in 14 years! I have thought about getting Sally, our loyal watchdog, a companion as she is very playful with other dogs and I think she would enjoy a young dog friend...and she is not an affectionate dog; I really miss having a lap dog who slobbers all over you; but it is so peaceful here now, I hesitate to break the silence with a new dog. We have been working long, crazy hours too, so a puppy might not be a good idea.
I am going to try to post more here...I lost my password again and it was like pulling teeth resetting; I need to get this onto my gmail account, I just haven't figured out how.

Oh, and thank you, Japanese person, for your continued comments! I will probably start requiring registration for comments going forward...but you did keep the blog alive in my absence!

Been Busy, and Totally Into Facebook......

2009-02-08T12:15:00.006-05:00

Where does the time go?? I have been working so much, I haven't thought much to post here, although I do pop onto Facebook daily to see what my neighbors and former classmates & coworkers are up to....I'm not addicted...I can stop anytime.....
I am posting pictures of this week's project (next week's too). We are finally tiling the den floor....the wood floors in there are not original heart pine like the rest of the floors, and have been eaten by termites to the point of needing total replacement. The room has dark stained wood walls, so I thought black and white checkerboard tiles would brighten the room up....so far, I think it looks great (the bottom pic is the contents of the den hanging out in our dining room). Makes me want to do checker board throughout the tiled areas....the kitchen, downstairs bath and laundry room. Maybe later. We have volunteered to host the Porch Party in April, so we are now working with a time line in which to finish some of the "hangers on"....the ceilings still need to be patched, the backyard is a MESS....paint touch ups are needed everywhere....This will be another Speakeasy party, so it should be fun. I don't strive for perfection, I will never have that until we win the lottery, but I'd like for it to look decent....

Just Not Enough Hours

2008-10-12T21:40:00.002-04:00

I figured I would be posting more often now that I found my password and all, but I guess there are other reasons for not regularly posting as well....time.....I work ALOT, and even from home sometimes.....subject matter......working so much and feeling as monetarily challenged as I do, not a lot of things are going on at the money pit these days....my better half has begun undoing the damage to the front yard from neglect....he is still getting his strength back....there are some things we will need to attend to over the winter, including the back yard which is an absolute jungle (seriously, not kidding!) and some pieces of wood and plaster which need to be repaired before they fall off the house. It will move slow, unless we win the lottery and can hire out all of these jobs.
I'm still missing my eldest daughter, but she seems to be thriving at college.....so I'm happy for her. I haven't even cleared out the huge mess she left in her room when she moved out...maybe I'll let her handle that when she is home on break......; )

I'm Adjusting, She's Adjusting

2008-09-07T16:30:00.004-04:00

It was a bit of a rough week, but I'm doing better.....I talk/text with Gaby every day, she seems fine. No dorm mates yet....we don't know if it is due to the storm(s) or they both are just not coming......so Gaby has the dorm to herself so far. The campus is beautiful....brick buildings, old oak trees, fountains......there was just that moment when I had to leave to catch my flight back that I totally lost it......and then Gaby started crying to in response to me crying......boy, that was a tough few minutes, when I had to say "OK, I have to go.....bye honey, love you" and turn around and leave my daughter there.....I honestly don't think I had experienced anything that hard even in the passing of my parents....this was someone who I had brought into the world, watched grow up and was now not going to be a daily part of my life at home......I don't know where I pulled the strength together at that moment to walk to my car.....but I did.....and I fought back the urge to run right back in there. I sat for a moment, talked to my husband on the phone and drove off. Phew! I would have felt better if there had been a dorm mate or two, just so I wasn't leaving her alone, but Gaby has always been very independant, and I think she was relishing having the dorm to herself...
I had some long delays on the way home, both due to weather and mechanical issues, and didn't get home until 1am. The campus was being used as a shelter for evacuees, and probably will again this week. It is inland enough (6 hours north of New Orleans) that it is not in immediate danger from the hurricanes. The area was already full of evacuees Friday night, when we discovered our hotel was a complete dud and could not transfer anywhere else as they were all booked.
I feel a lot better now, she sounds good, all grown up.....classes have started, so she is becoming busy. I will plan for her travel home for the holidays....

College Time

2008-08-29T06:51:00.002-04:00

Today is the day I take my oldest daughter to college in Louisiana.......I figured I would be pretty torn up when it was time to say goodbye, before I headed back to Tampa, but it has been really hard this morning, looking at her room all emptied out, and the suitcases piled up in the foyer......I've had this person in my everyday life for 18 1/2 years, not I will not be part of her daily life, and she will not be a part of mine....physically speaking anyway. I will not hear the pounding sounds of her music resonating from her room, or see the little drawings she does around the house, or hear her argue with her younger siblings......a major component of my daily life will be missing. I am so proud of her, and I am happy she is doing what she is doing, but it is so hard to see things change in this way. I guess I have gained a new respect for my parents in feeling a little bit of what they felt when my brother and I left the house. There is just no easy way to say goodbye to a child, knowing that when they come back to visit, it will be just that, a visit, and they will change in ways you won't realize until you see them again....growing up, maturing, gaining Independence...and you will not have been a part of thoses changes as you have been for so long......they will come from your child, and the other influences around her. I guess grown ups keep growing up too.

Seminole Heights Real Estate Recovering?

2008-08-26T07:27:00.002-04:00

I have been watching the listings and prices in our neighborhood, and while my observations are not scientific by any means, I think I am seeing an uptick in both buying activity and prices....I use Zillow (not religiously....there are plenty of bugs) as an unofficial gauge.....it shows recently sold properties and properties for sale....my estimated value has climbed almost $100K over the past couple of months....for awhile it had the lowest estimated value in the area, which didn't make sense to me since we have a double lot. Again, Zillow is NOT an accurate valuation tool, but you can sort of pick up on trends by looking at the sold properties. While some properties have been on the market forever, I do see some movement, and if something is priced right, it sells, unlike the way it had been for awhile where nothing was selling no matter what the price was. My next door neighbor has put his house on the market again at a lower price....I will be curious to see what happens and when. I wish him luck.....
I received our TRIM notice this week, and I was quite happy with it....almost $2K down from last year. That's a lot of wood!

Loooong Time

2008-08-21T07:35:00.003-04:00

I have neglected to post for a couple reasons; the 1st being that I have been so consumed by my work that I have not had the chance to breath.....the 2nd being that in being so consumed by my work, nothing much has happened to write about (except a couple things...I will mention) and the 3rd and most embarrassing, I kind of lost my log in information, and never got around to recovering it so that I could sign on and post......

In the past few months, bedsides working insane hours at my bank, I have dealt with my husband being extremely sick......some mysterious infection which caused a 30 lb weight loss in a short amount of time....compounded by his bad knee, he spent 5 days in the hospital, and is still, a month later getting daily IV antibiotics. During this time, I had to bring my good old buddy Louie, a 15 year old cocker spaniel in to be put down......which was extremely difficult, but I am glad I was in there with him........

My husband is better, I still miss Louie, and I am still slammed at work, trying to hire someone currently, which should help, but until then, I might as well bring a pillow in. I can't complain though, I am happy to be in the role I am....many people are not.

Today is my birthday...so my gift to myself is to take a few minutes to myself and type about myself....selfish, heh?

Due to my schedule and my husband's illness, my house is a disaster area, my back yard has been reclaimed by weeds and vines and the front yard needs attention in a big way...we will deal with these items....one by one......I had started mulching the back yard and planting some trees as "anchors" planning on putting pathways into the mulch....I can't even see mulch right now.....2 /3rds of the yard had been mulched, but the weeds have covered it....I'm told some round up and a weed wacker will restore my mulch to it's former glory...not so sure, but we'll see. The Japanese plum and rubber trees we planted are doing well back there...albeit a little diminished in the tangle of weeds. Maybe I will have another porch party and make it a "weed the backyard" party....bring your garden gloves and I will provide beer!
Time to climb back onto the hamster wheel.......I now have my password, so I will post again and not wait 6 months........