Chicken coop

Referenced the coop in my last post and then realized I never loaded any pictures from the building project so for your viewing pleasure....

Can you believe how serious they look?

Brooke always wants to help Dad.

What mother lets her child paint in her school uniform.

How did we do?  Do they match up?

Again - lots of concentration.

measure twice, cut once

Wow, another mom who lets her child paint in a school uniform

The house is even big enough for an eight year old.

RIP Ann

We have never fully enclosed the chicken yard and as the chickens have gotten bigger they are able to either fly out of the yard or climb the chicken wire.  They love roaming around the house looking for food.  I guess you could say they are "free range" chickens.  They stick together and never venture too far from their coop.  If one gets distracted and separated from the group it will chirp and chirp until it is reunited with the group.

The past couple of times that we have been out at the house a strange dog has come onto our property.  We have been worried that it might hurt the chickens so we were always quick to shoo it away.  Looking back we should have been more careful.....

We don't know for sure that it was this particular dog, but now I wonder at what point we talk to the neighbors about their wayward dog.  I realize that we live in the country, but it's not okay that my neighbors dog visits whenever it likes.

Yesterday the boys went out to clean up trash around the yard so that there would be a full dumpster when the trash men arrived today.  What they found was a sad thing for all of us.  Ann, my chicken, was found on the side of the house mangled by some predator.  All of us were very sad.  We have all grown to love the chickens and their funny personalities.  The only positive is that it was my chicken and not one of the kids.

Number one on the to-do list.....finish the predator-proof chicken yard.

PS  I asked the boys if they buried Ann - you know give her the respect and proper burial she deserved.  They both looked sheepishly at me and said, "yes, yes, that is what we did."  I could tell they were fibbing, so I pressed them.  They admitted that she was tossed in the dumpster.  Ouch, my heart is breaking.

Yardwork - Will it ever end?

We found out that once The Bunny House was purchased back in 2006, no one ever moved it, so in addition to all the work inside, the yard needed as much, if not more work. Michael and Jacob spent many hours weeding the flower beds and pruning bushes and trees. Rex rented a sod cutter (to cut the weeds where the grass once was) and then as a family we spent as many evenings as we could last week rolling the "sod" and hauling it to an inconspicuous space on our property.

We became overwhelmed and were rescued by our painter who suggested that we rent a Dingo to finish the job. Rex fell in love with the rota tilling attachment and stood behind the machine for eight hours prepping the soil for sod to be laid tomorrow.

I honestly can't remember time as a family "pre-house". I don't remember what we did with our time.  We spend most nights out there working after Rex gets off of work.  We've laughed a lot, the girls have created things to do without any toys and we've enjoyed the sounds of birds chirping in the rafters of our dilapidated deck.  I can't wait to move in and not refer to it as our "new" house - it will just be OUR house.

Moth Update

The contraption worked. We left it all night and look how many we caught.

The birds - I mean the moths

Friday night I felt like I was in a remake of The Birds.  It was dark outside when we finished up at the house - I was removing wallpaper in Michaels room and everyone else was outside helping Rex remove the "grass" from the yard with a sod cutter.  The stuff growing in the yard is definitely green, but not something you'd like to picnic on.

Michael and Brooke came upstairs to let me know that they weren't sure if I should come downstairs.  A million things crossed my mind that I wouldn't want to see - a dead mouse, an alive mouse and snake?  I wasn't prepared to for the sight I would see in our beautiful living room with vaulted ceilings.  Hundreds if not thousands of Miller moths swarmed the room.  With all the lights turned off in the room and only a flashlight for illumination there was a creepy feeling with all those creatures flying around.  Thank goodness we're not sleeping there.  When I got home I researched ways to get rid of moths.  It seems that the consensus is to prepare a bowl with soapy water and then put a lamp near the bowl.  The moths will be attracted to light, fly towards it, bump into the light, stun themselves and fall into the water.  Does that sound hokey?  I'll let you know how many we catch.

But for now see if you could sleep in a house that had the following going on just below you....

Introducing the newest members of our family

Once we were under contract on The Bunny House we went to Ace Hardware where you can buy chicks.  We let each of the kids pick out one chick.  They each chose a different breed which made it easy to tell them apart.  Rex got so excited about the chicks that the next weekend he went out and bought four more - each one a different breed as well.  Some of the chickens were named right away and others had their names changed after a few days.  For several weeks they lived in the garage of our "old" house, but when they started to roam around and we couldn't keep them contained they moved to their coop at The Bunny House.

So here they are - our chickens.  Hoping for some farm fresh eggs!

Lunatic - Michael's chicken who flies and is very hard to catch.

Mitt - Jacob's chicken who used to be named Honey Boo Boo Child

Rockie - Brooke's chicken who I think is the friendliest

Pochie - Erin's chicken, the biggest

Chicken Little - the only chicken with feathers on her feet

Ann - Bekki's chicken

Red - one of the second bunch we purchased

Rock - Rex's chicken

Wallpaper woes

 

Though I would love to hire someone to do everything that needs to be done, we will have to put in some sweat equity for our new home.  For me the past week I have spent several hours taking down wallpaper in the entry and formal dining room while everyone else was working on the chicken coop.  It's come down without too much problem with a product called DIF.  I still have several more hours of work to do before the painter starts.

Michael and Jacob have been working hard, too.  They are really hoping that we can have their graduation party at The Bunny House.  The inside of the home has LOTS of work and the outside has at least as many hours of work to do.  Today they had a day off of school so they went out to the house with Rex at 5:00 a.m. to start working.  They are amazing young men who work hard!

Part Four - Final Sign Off from the Appraiser

Five days was really not enough time to complete the list of repairs especially when two of the days were over the weekend, but we did our best - or I should say my contractor, Scott, did his best.  All of the holes were fixed but the texture wasn't applied to the walls.  We put in a kitchen faucet, a knob on the back door, replaced the covers to the heating registers, took out the broken glass on the window downstairs and put in fiberglass (as a quick fix, we'll replace the window later) and my loan officer said not to worry about the stain on the carpet.  I had some Spot Shot cleaner and I used what I had to take out some of the stain - it was pretty miraculous and didn't take any rubbing - it disappeared as soon as I sprayed it on the stain.

Below are the pictures once the texture was applied a of couple days later.  Now we're ready to paint!

 Kitchen

 Formal Dining Room

 Room off the Kitchen

 Erin's Room

 Master Bath

 The guys who did the drywall even cleaned up the plumbers mess.

 Some of the carpet stain gone.

Basement repair - AMAZING!!!

The appraiser came on Tuesday morning and signed off on everything.  What a relief.

Part Three - Closing

In our contract with the bank we were supposed to close on April 11th.  We didn't receive the report back from the appraiser until April 9th.  Unfortunately there wasn't any way to complete all of the needed work by closing.  I should add that the bank had made it VERY clear that they wouldn't pay for anything to be repaired.  Our loan officer mentioned that we could possibly create a repair escrow which would allow us to close on the 11th and we would have six days to complete the needed work.  This sounded doable.  The other option would be to delay closing and complete the work prior to closing.  Our realtor recommended against this because she didn't see any reason to put more money into something we didn't own.  Matt, our loan officer, asked for an estimate for the needed repairs and thank goodness our realtor, Deanne is married to a general contractor who quickly estimated the costs for the needed repairs.  Matt met with the underwriter and imagine my surprise when he called with great news.  (We met Matt twelve years ago when we bought our first home.  He worked tirelessly to help us with this mortgage and we are so thankful.)  They were going to allow us to close on April 11th without the repair escrow and they would trust that we would complete the repairs in five days.  The appraiser would need to go out a final time to sign off on the repairs.  Let the work begin!  On April 11th at 12:33 p.m. we became proud owners of The Bunny House.

 Damage to the kitchen - holes in the ceiling where they let all the water drain.

 Hole in the formal dining room.

 Erin's room where the pipes broke.

 Ridiculous stain that the appraiser wanted us to remove.  Never mind the fact that we are replacing all of the carpet.

This mess wasn't there when we first looked at the house.  The plumbers had to cut more holes in the ceiling to fix any additional leaks.  I felt terrible that we didn't own the home and they had damaged it.

 Hole in the master bath.

 Another hole the plumbers cut.

The pipe that broke was in the second floor of the home.  The water went into the kitchen on the main floor and all the way to the basement.  The hole in the basement was the biggest hole to be fixed.

After pictures coming soon....

Posted by:  Bekki

Part Two - Under Contract

After making our offer and quickly being told that at least two other offers came in the same day, we increased our offer several thousand dollars.  The bank countered - we countered - they countered - and we accepted.  Even after we were under contract I was still wary.  We'd done this many times before and in the end we would back out because it just wasn't right.  There was still so much to be determined.  What was the condition of the well and septic system?  How hard would it be to fix the pipes?  Would the inspection uncover a major flaw? 

After the pipes broke the the bank winterized the property and the water couldn't be turned on unless the pipes were repaired.  We knew that an inspection was absolutely necessary, so we paid the plumber $450 so the we could turn on the water.  This would be the first of many things we would pay for before we even owned the house. 

A few days later we received great news from our loan officer.  Once they plugged everything into the computer it was determined that all we needed was a 25/75 appraisal.  This meant that they only needed an appraiser to go out and take a picture of the outside of the home.  We were relieved because that meant our appraisal wouldn't be "subject to" the necessary repairs especially the drywall damage in many rooms of the house.

Everything was going along smoothly and then we received bad news.  Once all the paperwork went to the underwriter he/she decided that actually they did need the full appraisal - one week before we were to close!  That weekend was VERY long as we waited to hear the specifics on what needed to be fixed.  The appraiser went out on Friday and decided that he was unable to appraise the house in its current condition.  We waited all weekend to find out the news.

Here is what he wanted us to do before he could sign off on the appraisal:

Fix Drywall
Fix Window in the basement
Replace Light Fixture in the Kitchen
Put a doorknob on the back door
Replace cover to the heat registers
Install faucet in the kitchen
Clean the stain on the carpet

When my agent read these requests she couldn't believe it.  She has never seen such a picky appraiser.  As she put it, "people buy homes with stains on the carpet all the time.  If he doesn't like the stain put a rug over it so he doesn't have to look at it."

How would we get in all done in time for closing?  How could we put another dime into a home we didn't even own yet?

To be continued....

Posted by:  Bekki

Home Sweet Home

We're not living there yet, but it is ours.  Lots to do before we can move in.  The chickens will hopefully be moving there tomorrow, because they are really stinkin' up the garage.
 

The Bunny House

Twelve years ago last month we purchased our first home.  Michael and Jacob were finishing up Kindergarten, Rex was getting ready to purchase the practice from Dr. Martin and I was busy serving as the Relief Society President.

We were so excited for our new home.  After nine years of marriage we finally had something we could call our own.  I remember how spacious it seemed.  I loved the vaulted entry and the island in the kitchen - I had always wanted an island.  It was our 'starter' home and I told people that we would be here five to seven years.

I grew up in a neighborhood so I was used to neighbors being close, but Rex longed for space to live without neighbors watching our every move.  I longed for a house with a pantry and a study for Rex, preferably right off of the garage.

I can't remember when our search began.  It was probably at least seven years ago.  We started out with a realtor who showed us property after property - most or them quite a drive from Brighton.  Some of the homes would have even moved us out of the Stake.  About six years ago she took us to a home five miles outside of Brighton.  We now had two more kiddos and I was wanting a little more space.  We loved the house - it was older, but full of character - funky in some respects.  One thing that I always remembered were two "split" doors (perfect for playing store if you're a kid) - one at the laundry room door and one upstairs.  I'm convinced someone had daycare in the home at some point.  For Rex it was a dream - land, land and more land.  As we toured the basement we noticed that a bunny had fallen into the window well.  Michael was determined to rescue it.  I'll have him describe the rescue in a later post.  From that point forward we called this home "The Bunny House."  In hindsight it was way out of price range.  One day I checked the MLS and realized that it was off the market.  After dropping the boys off at school I quickly drove out to the house with the girls in the backseat still with their PJ's on hoping that the sign was still there - it wasn't.  I was desperate to know if it was under contract so I had my sister-in-law call the listing agent.  She confirmed my fear.  It was indeed off the market and it looked like the buyers were very solid.  I mourned The Bunny House.  It was always the house that got away.  The one that we really wanted.

Fast forward to 2012.  We went out to dinner on February 25th and as we waited for our server to take our order I scrolled through my emails on my phone.  Every now and again I get an email about a house that has come on the market.  I stopped paying much attention to these last October when we put new hickory wood floors in our living room.  It was an investment and I conceded that we would never move.  After looking at The Bunny House several years ago we have looked at so many more homes, made some offers and backed out on said offers.  It was a frustrating time and in many ways I was glad to be done with it.  Then the email popped up.  I looked at the teeny tiny picture on my phone and said out loud, Oh my gosh, Rex, is this The Bunny House."  He grabbed my phone and looked closely, "Yes, it is."  I expected him to say, "Oh well, we're not looking to move anymore."  Instead he said, "You better call Deanne on Monday and set up a time to go see it."  So on Monday we went to see our beloved Bunny House.  It had seen better days.  Pipes had broken in an upstairs bedroom and water had flowed from the upstairs through the kitchen and all the way to the basement.  Our realtor assured us that it looked worse than it actually was.  By the end of the week we had made an offer.

To be continued....

Posted by:  Bekki

Chicken Coop

Tonight my boys and I started our first project at the Bunny House. It's a very simple chicken coop. Emphasis on the simple part. Hopefully it will be portable and we can move it around the yard. We are raising 8 chicks in our garage and they have quickly outgrown their current home. So far the coop looks pretty good but I do have to admit that we were working under the light of a few garage bulbs and an overhead light pole outside.

As we worked, I was reminded of a few other times that I worked under the light of a light pole or a few bulbs in the barn. One of the great things about my dad is that he was always willing to work. The not so great thing is that he would always work until the job was done and so would his boys.  It wasn't like we had a choice. I remember a number of times when I would be standing around out in the snow, my toes numb with cold and my fingers frozen in my gloves because there was still work to get done. And Dad never quit until the job was done. I remember loading hay bales on the hay wagon by the light of the moon because there was still more hay to get in the barn. It was past midnight but Dad didn't quit until the job was done. I remember driving home from the Cow Camp in the middle of the night because we just had to get the salt blocks out for the cows. And Dad couldn't quit until the job was done. And I definitely remember putting together a doll house which was to be a gift for my sister, Kelly, until the wee hours of the morning because Dad wouldn't quit until the job was done.

Now this may not sound like much fun to some but I will never forget those times. More important, I will never forget the fun we had as we worked together and the closeness we felt as we finished the job. I certainly remember sharing ice cold lemonade between trips to the hay field. And the laughing and joking and kidding that went along with the work.

Now you probably assume that I am writing this at an incredibly late hour because my boys and I just had to finish the chicken coop. But to be honest my boys suggested that we stop at a reasonable hour and get home in time to read scriptures with the girls. So I learned something important tonight. You don't ALWAYS have to finish the job. But I also noticed the same closeness with my boys tonight that I used to feel while working with my Dad. As one boy cut boards and the other one screwed in screws, I sat back and smiled. And I'm glad they didn't notice the teary eyes. I began to wonder if maybe one of the reasons Dad always wanted to finish the job was just because it meant more time with his boys. I think that may be something else I learned tonight.

Dad, thank you for all the times that you finished the job. I will always be grateful to you and the wonderful childhood I had.

Michael and Jacob, thank you for being the best sons I can imagine. And thank you for being willing to try this new adventure with your mother and me. We are grateful for the men you are becoming. Oh, and thank you for being willing to teach me that I don't always have to stay up late just to finish the job.

Posted by:  Rex