Reno Diary #12: Mold Inspection Before Renovation

One Day to Close

The inspector's "little dead critters" had created their own entrance into the attic.

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Tomorrow I close on the house, and a new chapter in my life would begin.

All the emotional upheaval, reams of paperwork, and the nerve-racking financial arrangements were done. Tomorrow would be simply a matter of signing lots and lots of forms—then getting down to the business of saving my little house.

Getting a Head Start on Service Estimates

My real estate agent and mortgage broker had assured me last week that the close would happen as scheduled, so I had booked two tradespeople to come to the house today to provide service estimates—Peter the Mold Guy and Tom the Landscape Guy. Both were scheduled to show up at 9 am.

I wanted to get a jump on estimates to give me a head start on the reno.

The home inspector had found mold and the “bodies of little dead critters” in the attic. I wanted to get the mold mitigated before the reno began to protect the tradespeople working on the house.

Also, someone needed to remove the corpses of the animals who had chewed holes in the soffit and fascia to take shelter—and eventually expire—in my attic.

Peter to the rescue.

I had booked an estimate with Tom so he could get an eyeful of my hot mess yard.

The ivy around the large elm tree in the front of the yard was almost as tall as I was, and I could practically see it growing. The hawthorn tree at the end of the driveway was so entangled around the utility lines to the house that I could no longer see the lines for the branches, leaves, and thorns. The mini-forest of Chinese elm saplings in my back yard was threatening a hostile takeover.

I needed Tom and his crew to take my DEFCON 1-level yard down to a 2 or 3.

While I waited, I walked through the house, thinking about next steps.

In addition to today’s appointments, I had booked estimates for later in the week with the electrician, flooring installer, plumber, chimney specialist, and jack-of-all-trades. Once I got their quotes, I could plug the numbers into my budget.

I figured I would have quotes for every service provider I needed by the end of next week. Then I could determine whether or not I could shift any of my post-move projects into the pre-move stage.

Ready to jump into the deep end.

Mold Inspection Before Renovation

Peter the Mold Guy showed up promptly at 9 am. He climbed up into the attic with his industrial-sized flashlight and was back on the ground in minutes.

He said, “Your mold problem isn’t that bad. I’ve seen a lot worse.”

My day was starting out with good news. I hoped I would hear more feedback like that as the estimates started rolling in.

Peter also promised to remove the dead bodies. I scheduled his return for the following Tuesday.

After Peter left I waited for Tom for an additional hour, handling work email on my phone.

While I waited, I reflected on how much my life was going to change this week.

Wrapping Up My Old Life

In addition to the home-buying process and planning the reno, I was preparing for my annual HOA meeting with the other condo owners.

For ten years, I had managed the condo single-handedly as a volunteer. Despite the terms in the HOA bylaws that required all owners to serve on the HOA Board, the other owners had flatly refused.

It was me or no one.

Happily, a month after I started looking for a house, a couple who had been renting the unit across from me decided to buy it. She worked for the family business—residential construction—and was smart and sensible. I approached her soon after they closed on the unit, and she agreed to take over responsibility for managing the property.

I had spent the last two weeks assembling the year-end HOA report in my spare time (ha). Despite the constant complaining from owners, the HOA was in good shape financially and physically. I had adhered rigorously to the maintenance schedule and had even managed to squeeze out the funds for some additional work.

Unlike the previous nine annual meetings, I was looking forward to this one. After I delivered my report, I would announce that I was moving. After that news sunk in, I would introduce the new HOA owner-manager.

I planned to put my condo on the market in October and move into my house in November. Soon I would be responsible for only one property.

Heaven.

At 10:30 am, after several unanswered texts sent to Tom, I threw up my hands and went back to the condo. The yard would have to stay at DEFCON 1 for another week or two.

Tom eventually showed up with his crew, ready to work—two weeks later, while the electricians were at the house.

At that point, the yard was well beyond DEFCON 1, so I raced from my condo to the house and watched as Tom and his crew hacked the yard into something resembling sanity.

But today, since I did not possess a crystal ball, I headed home and re-started my work day, resolving to find another landscaper to tackle the yard.

That afternoon I opened an email from Costco promoting a screaming deal on garage door replacement. Since the house’s original garage door had a hole in it, I called and made an appointment for an estimate the following week.

That evening I finished the HOA annual report and the accompanying slide deck.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

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Up Next

I close on the house and start the reno.