Frustrations

I don't dislike winter, I really don't. I just kind of start to get tired of being cold and the constant static electricity shocks and being inside. I like snow, and ice skating, sledding, and skiing... unfortunately, I can't do that everyday.

Anyways... some what of a frustrating time of year for me.... And then we went and looked at a house yesterday and cleaned where R and S will be renting and I'm so glad I had something to scrub because I was so frustrated. *getting up on soapbox* Why are there so many old houses in such bad shape!?!? Seriously. It makes me angry. I'm not talking about old houses with green bathtubs and pink kitchen counters and peeling wallpaper. Structural stuff. And awful "remuddling" jobs.

The house we looked at was an old farmhouse, good location, exterior's in decent shape, good size rooms and decent layout, big garage. And the kitchen cabinets were falling apart, the soffit was poorly stained-to-match plywood boards, the peel and stick laminate wasn't sticking anymore all the way up the stairs, the bathroom has obvious plumbing issues, and the drywall. O man, the drywall. They screwed it on right over the lathe and plaster without bothering to take off any trim. Instead of doing it right and taking it down to the studs and saving money on heating/cooling and insulating before drywalling correctly... deep breath. The trim work they did do was bad (it's called a miter saw...the corners are supposed to match). Yeah. I'm not super knowledgeable about carpentry and stuff so when I can tell it's bad... it would be a great house if (and only if) you had enough cash on hand to gut the place and do it right. (I know, you could work on it slowly while you lived there, but seriously, all those gaps would drive me crazy. I'm a scientist. I can't help it. And it would take a lot of money that we don't have.) So that was disappointing.

We spent the evening helping clean at the old farm house that Rustin and Sharon are going to rent for awhile. It's in much better shape than the house we looked at, but still. It could be beautiful. But it's been rented/ empty/ bachelor pad for years. So instead, it's starting to crumble. (hooray for entropy!) *sigh* Like I said, it felt good to attack the rust in the tub. Work out all of my latent aggression and righteous anger towards those that let houses moulder and die. (dramatic, I know)

It just makes me mad... I would love an old house, preferably in the country. They have character. And style. Most newer houses are ranches which have no aesthetic value, or are "look-at-my-garage" houses. I wouldn't mind a bathroom with harvest gold tub/toilet/sink. Or a kitchen with blond wood cabinets. Or shag carpet. That's pretty easy to live with. But having to gut a place to make it comfortable to live in? Ridiculous. Why wouldn't you protect your investment by updating as you go? Both of the houses we were at last night would be worth well over 200k if they were well maintained. Instead, neither is worth much over 100k, and you'd spend a fortune fixing them up. Why!? Such a total waste.

I grew up in an old house. My great-grandparents built it during the depression. Great-grandma put in the insulation and sanded all the hardwood floors herself (and grandma subsequently covered them all with shag carpet- ah, the 60's and 70's). But it's in great shape. They've patched plaster when it needed it, and replaced windows and siding, and every room has been redone at least twice (sometimes more as evidenced by the layers of paint that come off with old wall paper. It's still not new, and definitely not up to code, but it's been cared for. Same with the house my mom grew up in. *sigh*

Anyway. I'll get off my soapbox now. Bob tells me I can't rescue every old house. haha. Poor guy. His eyes get really big when I start talking about fixing up houses. *grin* We're not really seriously looking for houses right now, we have plenty of space still... we've just gone to look a few times in the last year when interesting ones come on the market. However, if anybody wants to sell me a mouldering house with lots of potential for dirt cheap, I wouldn't say no! Or a few acres of your back pasture. That'd work too.

Blessings.