“The RoseBouquet”

Some friends and relatives have been asking about my little house in recent days. Slowly the wheels of progress on my reno projects grind forward. As I’ve mentioned the inspector came about mid-January, and I’ve been accepted for the government RRAP plan. (The provincial and federal gov’ts go together to pay for basic repairs needed for a low income home-owner).

The inspector warned me that the hardest stage was ahead for me, as now I have to find at least two contractors for each of the jobs he okayed, to give me quotes on the work and supplies they would need. I have to send these in within 6 months, and then when he has notified me which contractors to call, they have a year in which to get the work done.

He’s right. Getting contractors to come out has been hard. There is a building boom of NEW houses in this area, and most of them are booked up a year in advance, and some others admit that they would rather not do renovations on an old house. Too much bother. New houses are more fun.

However, on Friday afternoon one friend, Dave G., came around and spent a couple of hours measuring things and asking questions. He’s going to bring me a quote when he’s done all the pricing and math. This has been very encouraging to me.

Dave gave me the names of some others to call, and I want to do that tonight, and I am praying daily that the right people will have the time and be willing to come look things over and give me their quotes too.

Since the roof leaks into the living room and bathroom when it rains, I would really love to see the roofing job done before the spring rains come. The water heater has a seam that looks fit to burst and so replacing it is a priority too. My natural gas bill (for the furnace) has almost doubled every month through this winter, so for sure - I want a new furnace in by next fall! There are 16 specific jobs the inspector wrote up, and I’ll tell you more about them as this all comes to pass this year.

Some of them require a plumber and some an electrician so one man alone won’t be doing all of them. There will be a parade of trades people coming through here yet!