Differences between Lowe's and Home Depot

I would remiss to have a consumer blog and not do a review on the two big hardware competitors- Lowe's and Home Depot. My recent experience is in home furnishings - faux wood blinds for my newly remodeled basement. I got a coupon to get 10% off at Lowe's so I went to Lowe's in Lakewood first. The lady there was on the phone despite me standing in front of her for well over 5 minutes. When she got off the phone, I asked her for the discount blinds and swatches. I asked if I could check out the book to match the color- I am not sure how else someone is supposed to match the color to their home and actually make a purchase. But apparently the other book was checked out so I could not even get a sample. The lady at Lowe's was not even ready to take down my number and call me when it was available. Contrast that with Home Depot. Amy, at the Westminster Home Depot, is amazing!

She is very helpful, very knowledgeable, and took me several ideas on the computer. She also calls you at home when the swatch books are available or in this case, since it had not been returned, she just told me to take their last book leaving the store without one - that shows extreme trust! Of course, I took it right back but how else can someone finish a home improvement project if the store employee does not work with the customer? Home Depot even matched my Lowe's coupon and I got 10% off in addition to their sale prices. I also got another 10% off for a Home Depot card. All in all, this experience has taught me that Home Depot is more willing to work with their customers than Lowe's... granted, it was just one Lowe's and one Home Depot but I had a great experience and it is one that I will pass on to others.

Egress Escape Windows- Egress Inc

After we finished our basement in the fall of 2009 we used an egress/window well company here in Colorado called Egress Incorporated. It is family owned and operated and the owner is Jim and his wife. In any case, I have to rave about this company because the service is unbelievable. I have not had a better experience with any company from sales to post-work. Even after the work was completed, they still stand by their work. Our Egress escape windows look great and the work done was professional and like I said, this Colorado company stands behind their work.

Do not be fooled by cheap imitators and make sure you hire someone who will follow-up and in a timely manner. Hire Jim and Egress Incorporated. This is their website with all the information: Egressescapewindows.com

Review of Sears Carpet and Air Duct Cleaning

After we had our basement finished, we knew it was time to clean the ducts and the carpet --- all that dry wall and construction debris can wreak havoc on one's sinus and allergies. So, we took the plunge. I went with a company I knew and could trust and that I could complain to if things went wrong - after all, AAA is cheap but then again, who are they?

I have great things to say about the duct cleaning- it went a little quick though which made me wonder what he did but he explained everything very thoroughly and hopefully, I start to see a difference.

The carpet cleaning was even better- the job was very professionally done, although on a rainy humid day in Colorado, I wish they had a dryer they could have run through the house. The carpets are still wet and I only hope to keep the girls off of it til it dries which may be another 12 hours or so. If you do your carpets too, make sure to schedule that after the air duct. It is easy to set up at sears.com and all the employees were very professional. All in all, it was good to do but it is a lot of money so you want to do it when you can get the most out of it.

New Orleans Saints Win Superbowl XLIV

Well, it is done - after 43 long years, the fans of the city of New Orleans finally got their wish and then some... it is like a 1st down and then some more... Most are waking up the next day wondering if it was a dream because it was so unreal - surreal really.

The Saints finally won a trophy and what a way to do it! Sean Payton coached that team like a TRUE Superbowl team- going for it instead of playing it safe and rocking the 2nd half after the off-sides kick - what an amazing game! It was one of the highest watched show ever and why not? It was one of the most exciting Superbowls in history. Time to buy my T-shirts and souvenirs because who knows when we will do this again but I feel quite confident that America will take this team seriously and who knows? With Sean Payton's coaching and Brees' at the helm, the Saints may come back in another Superbowl in this decade, or at the least, will be strong contenders. I am willing to bet on that!

Roofing Companies in Colorado - J&K Roofing

Note: Since this Blog was written, I did receive a response to my written complaint and J&K is following through on what happened or did not happen- they will attempt to remedy the situation so I am feeling a lot better about the fact that I did write a letter to try to resolve issues. If you would like more information do feel free to email me.  J&K has gone above and beyond since my letter to their manager. In fact, I had a minor leak due to my siding and the manager and his best crew came out and took care of the issue right away! It really does help to write a nice letter and try to resolve the issues so you can regain the relationship you have with the roofing company. I have to say, that since this blog was written and I had this experience, J&K has done everything to re-establish their relationship with me and follow through on the roof and the warranty.

I write this after my roof has been completely replaced -- I write this because I hope others homeowners will read this before they hire a roofer to completely replace their roof - it is the single most important decision you will make in the lifetime that you own your home. Very few things are as important as the roof over your head - okay, the furnace in the winter time, but as far as expense and functionality, a roof is critical for your home so my advice to you is to do it right but to pick a good roofer. Everything else will fall into place.

The type of shingle you pick will depend on where you live and your climate but the single most important decision you make is the contractor who installs it because if it is the best roof in the world, the $20,000 roof, it makes no difference if your roofers are not skilled or are horrible.

J&K Roofing came highly recommend by our realtor who has not failed us much in the past with his recommendations on contractors. J&K Roofing Company has been in business in Colorado since the '80s and they repaired our roof when we first moved in too. However, we made the mistake of signing a contract and going under proposal before we saw other jobs in our neighborhood. We should have watched and waited - granted, the mortgage company had our check and was hounding us to get repairs done but a little waiting and watching would have served us well. In our neighborhood, well over 20 new roofs have been put in because of the recent hail storm and many more will get done in the spring and summer but I know we needed to get under contract to get the ball rolling with our mortgage company. In any case, we went under contract with J&K around August 20, 2009 with a request date to have the roof done by September 30, 2009. As you can guess September 30 and October 30 came and went and we had no roof replacement. That should have been another big sign and we should have terminated our contract with them but I called their main office because I had child care issues after November 14 and I was guaranteed that it would be done by November 14. The date we were scheduled for was November 10 and that day arrived - the day of reckoning. The sales guy who came out to sell me the roof and show me the colors was no where in sight. He said he would be. Nope - just a crew of Hispanics and what seemed like just 2 guys on Day 1 of the roof - not much was done indeed. In fact, I was told by J&K, both salesmen, Nick and Chris, that the roof would be done in 1-day. It was not! The foreman on sight told me the salepeople just say that and that this would be a 2-day job or even three! I was losing my head because as you know it is tough to get daycare for your children especially if they are stay-at-home. By Day 1, the skeleton crew had done NOTHING - I mean, nothing - maybe ripped some of the existing wood shake roof off and thus began Day 2 on Veteran's Day. It was loud but I thought for sure they'd be done on Day 2.... after all, they had told me ONE DAY. There was no differing site condition, no unusual construction circumstances or bad weather. There were five guys on the job this time and by the end of Day 2 they had some of the new roof up, and most (but not all) of the old roof off.

Day 3 began and unfortunately, my infant daughter remained at home with all the hammering and all that fun! I was told by the salesman who had never physically shown up to the site that it would be done by noon on Day 3. Noon came and went. The roof was not done. The crew worked the longest on this day and after dark, was still cleaning --- of course, the yard was covered with nails, roofing material, and debris. Our new egress window covers were scratched. Oh, did I mention they had damaged our gutter when backing up into our driveway? So they had to replace that too. Yeah, what fun this roofing job has been for us! Day 3 was nearing the 4pm hour and I was concerned they would not finish but it was "substantially complete". On Day 4, they showed up and eye-picked the nails in my yard instead of running a magnet as they should have so, now my backyard is covered with snow and they will have to return after the big melt. They left a piece of plywood dangling in my tree, did not clean my neighbor's yards where there was plenty of debris, and essentially left my yard full of nails. Even when I walked through with the salesman - the one who was supposed to be there when the job started and daily but failed to show, we picked up over 20 nails just in that walk and does not include the backyard where all the snow was!

I was appalled at how things were handled by J&K roofing, Colorado. They had come highly recommended and all I can say is - do not hire them! The worst part is that on Thanksgiving day, two guys returned with a magnet but the backyard was covered. The guy immediately when I opened the door was unprofessional and yelling at me about where the trash was. I told him (but I doubt he understood) that there was some roofing material hanging from the backyard gutter and the yard (both front and back) needed to have a magnet run through it. He basically yelled at me and made me feel bad for trying to get the job done and showing me what he pulled. I plan on writing a letter to J&K main office when I send them the first payment. I will withhold the second payment until they come and clean the backyard but I am going to request they not send the man that was on the job because he was an asshole - a complete dick wad. He comes to my house on Thanksgiving and treats me like I did something wrong- Are you fucking kidding me, J&K?

The best advice I can give you out there if you are looking for a roofer in Colorado or anywhere else is do your homework, talk with your neighbors, get their advice, but most importantly, watch their roofs go up and go with a company who appears professional in every way, that visit the job site after they complete the job and inspect and are thorough, that clean well, and keep the yard and personal property clean and scratch-free, but most importantly, go with a company that treats you with respect because remember, when things go wrong with your roof and you need to call in your warranty, you want a company who will respond and send people who are professional, courteous, and do the job right and efficiently. J&K Roofing is anything but all of the above in my most recent experience. If you have any questions, post a question here and I can tell you other companies in our area who are doing a good job or that I have heard GREAT things about.

Storm of the Century

So, last night in Colorado, I would say we had the storm of the century. Sure, compared to what others may get, it was nothing but our neighborhood got hit hard. Leaves were everywhere, hail was so loud, I could not think, our roof leaked, our basement got flooded (mainly because they left the window wells open), and the power was out for at least 2 hours. Thank God the food did not go bad or I would have been pissed. Some people in other parts of town did not get their power back until three in the morning! That would have been too close for comfort for me - I have frozen breast milk and if that would have gone bad, I would have been really upset.

In any case, we are having our basement finished and so water got into the basement- due to a combination of factors but mainly cause the window wells are exposed and open and the windows were also left open. If the windows were closed, we may have gotten some water but not alot. We will need to figure out the window well situation before completing the basement and this certainly made us rethink some things. It turns out our area and two other cities along the same main street in Colorado were hit hard with our city and another the hardest. It was a scary storm and I am just glad that more damage was not done. I feel blessed we have a roof over our head and the children are safe. I am not sure how people cope with losing everything - their home, their property, etc. I guess as long as those we love are safe and healthy, everything else is secondary.

Basement Finishing

We are having our basement finished. We are undertaking no small project, might I add, and when you add up the costs, you could probably get a pretty nice car for what you pay to finish a basement. You could always cut corners and do it rather cheap but then, you get what you pay for. We decided we would do it right or not at all and so we went straight forward. In looking at companies, we did everything - I did the service magic thing but in the end, we narrowed it down to two companies whom we had referrals for. Both came highly recommended. I was comfortable with one company and my husband another. Since my husband is the more picky one of the two of us, we went with who he wanted. Frankly, I did not want to hear about it later when things went wrong - and they usually do :-)

The "sales" side of the construction company assured us the basement would be done in 3 to 4 weeks. WRONG! As anyone who is familiar with construction knows, that is never the case. If they tell you 4 weeks, assume double that and you won't be disappointed. At this point, 3 weeks into it, I will be happy if they are out of my home in August. Needless to say, things are going okay. The basement looks great thus far - the dry wall has almost been finished and soon, it will be time for the bigger items like the paint, the walls, and the fixtures and cabinetry. It is coming together nicely and I am looking forward to the end product but it is interesting picking out things like countertop laminates, lighting fixtures, and cabinet colors. A remodel can be exciting but also tedious. You get what you want but at the same time it is a little work too. You get to design and build and it is kinda neat to see it all go down. Let's hope they finish soon so we can get in there and enjoy it before summer turns to fall.

The Staycation

This past weekend, I got the opportunity to do a “stay”cation at the local hotel- it is a premier 4-star hotel that offers quite a bit- golfing, spa treatments, kids’ activities, swimming pools (several tiers), and food aplenty. In any case, it was a deal my husband got by virtue of his employment and it was fun. As I was getting my massage treatment on Saturday morning and pedicure, I started to think about all the wonderful things of a VACATION and all the even better things about a STAYCATION so here goes:

A vacation is great because you truly “get away”. There is no choice of whether you go home or not- your hotel or place where you are staying is a temporary home, a resting place of sorts. So, a vacation makes you truly get away from it all – no house to clean up, no problems to worry about because you are physically gone away. However, the negative to this, it is all waiting for you when you get back and sometimes you may need to deal with emergencies remotely. You also have to physically travel which is hard with two kids – packing just the right amount and the right things can be daunting. With two kids, it is even more of a juggling act. You have to also buy tickets to go to that place which adds up in cost. A staycation tends to just cost you the gas to get back and forth. In the end, you go away on a vacation and support the tourism industry of another state.

A staycation supports the local community – the local masseuse, the local concierge, the local bell boy, the local hotel, the local restaurant, and of course, if it is right in your backyard, you have supported your community and your State. A staycation permits you some flexibility. You do not have the arduous task of planning – you do not have to pack everything because if you should forget something, it is not the end of the world, unless you go 2 hours away that is. But the drawbacks are that because you did not plan, you may end up going back and forth a lot between home and “stay”cation site. In any case, a staycation can be cheaper and more relaxing but may leave you longing for a true vacation as well. All in all, I had a great stay cation but recommend the following – if you do live within 30-45 minutes of the staycation site, you may want to forego the room/lodging because home is truly better to be at. The better suggestion may be to do a trip 1.5hours or 2 hours from your home so you truly get away and get the benefit of being close to home as well.

The basement project has begun

I cannot believe that our basement project has finally begun- I came home to an ugly dumpster parked in the street in front of our home, a port-o-let nestled in the bushes to the left of my home and the sweet smell of lumber. After 2 years in the home, we finally are biting the bullet and finishing the basement so we can enjoy it. We do not need the space and while it is practical to have a guest bedroom, it will just be nice to have a home office, and some extra room for my husband to "retreat to" when he needs it - of course, maybe I can retreat there too - after nursing is done that is. In any case, no matter what we use the basement for in the future, for the next 4 weeks, our house is hostage to construction from 730-430pm and so, we have to deal with the dumpster and the other uglies, and the noise, and the constant traffic of strange, smelly men but there are worse things and of course, it is only 4 weeks... as I keep telling myself in Seinfeld -like fashion, "it's like 2 days really" and before we know it, our basement will be ready for us to move into.

I just hope all goes well and more importantly, on time!

"Maid"en Voyage

I am at a stage in my life when I finally needed help with household chores and yesterday, was our maiden voyage hiring a maid. We met with her beforehand. She was referred by a mom’s group and came highly recommended. The great news is that she lives near my home, so for her, it is a quick jaunt over and of course, as usual, in matters such as these, I was nervous someone would be in my home unattended for a few hours. I am always concerned about things like that but I decided to let go, breathe, and have a little faith and trust. I hope that it continues to go well – putting your trust in someone is tough to do.

There was a lot of staging the night before – we had to ensure the counters were clean of debris and flyers and coupons – which, if you saw our house pre-cleaning, you would understand was an arduous task. We had to put our numerous laptops and cords away and clean up so to speak so that the items were strategically placed for her to clean the maximum amount especially carpet, floor, and countertop space. So, the big day finally arrived and went without incident. I came home to a very clean home and was pleasantly surprised to see the bathrooms in such clean condition – I have not seen a bathtub this clean --- ever! Not even my husband (bless him, the only one of us who actually cleans) can scrub a shower like this lady did. The beds were all made with fresh linen we left out and the old linens were laid nicely for us to wash and prepare for the next time. Since this was her first trip to our house, it probably took her longer than it otherwise would because she had to clean for the first time and trust me, our house was dirty! It needed some serious cleaning. The place had not been mopped or swept properly in a very long time so I think she had a tough road ahead of her. She and her associate were there for close to three hours but the house was so nice to come home to – it was clean and even Diya appeared to enjoy her new, dust-free environment. It was so refreshing! I do not know why we have not done this sooner. Even if we have family move back with us, it is a good idea to do something like this at least once every month.

Anyway, I never imagined needing help like this – a maid, someone who cooks for me, etc., but it is good to know this is there and I think it will be hard to go back to living without this help so for now, we will all just enjoy it and …. My daughter finally got to sleep in a clean bed, and bathe in a very clean bathtub. She could see her reflection in the spickit and I think that was very exciting … for all of us!

SubURBIA

We moved into our new neighborhood about a year ago when I was about to delivery our baby. A year later, I have assessed our situation and our neighborhood and I have to say, I am impressed with the people we live around. Granted, our neighbors are a little more friendlier than other neighborhoods I have lived in - okay, they are downright FRIENDLY! But, wouldn't you rather have that than people who ignore you and could care less if you screamed at the top of your lungs, they would not run to help you? I think so.

The neighborhood always tries to get together for things- breakfast at Panera's, social gatherings, events around the holidays for the kids, and visiting each other's homes with gift. The last one gets a bit extreme as people showed up at our door on Valentine's Day sporting Valentine's and candy- I had nothing in return and we were all sick from an International Trip so needless to say, I felt like the LOSER of the otherwise friendly neighborhood. Easter was the same and since we do not celebrate Easter, I got some tulips and wrote Happy Spring on my card.

People are very kind in the neighborhood and keep an eye out for eachother and all in all, there is a good balance of activities and privacy. The location is great and there are many parks to choose from - our daughter loves the swings and slides and watching all the kids in the area. She will, no doubt, be attending school with them where I hope the good manners, hospitality, and nice things continue for her. I would hate for her to get into a fight with the neighbor kids. That would turn things ugly on future Valentine's Day events :+)

All in all, one year later, I am very pleased with our purchase and our neighborhood. And if I have to buy a few Russell Stouffer's candy boxes, plastic eggs, and nice tulips now and dthen, that is nothing to complain about.

The Tug of War of Time

I took a personal day yesterday because frankly, I just felt like I needed to spend more time with my daughter and wanted to get things done around the house. Well, I could not get anything done around the house or work on things but I did spend a lot time with my girl- it was fun. But I got to thinking how in the world women experience this day in and day out and do not go insane. While I love my daughter, I also have a need to exercise my intellect and need social interaction with an adult. While my daughter can provide hours of scintillating fun it is not the same. I had a great new respect for women who stay at home but as I return to work today and the drudgery and mundane-ness of it all, I realize that I miss her a lot. It is quite a tug of war for working moms – stay at home? Go to work? What should we do?

I have a new fear that has set in for the last month- am I missing out on my daughter’s life? Will I look back at this time and have serious regrets on missing out on her life? When she no longer needs us and is off on her own, travelling across the country and world? Will I look back and have regrets? Conversely, if I quit my job and cannot find a job in another few years, will I have some other regrets? What if I quit a good job with good pay and then, realize I did not want to be at home? All these questions weigh on my mind daily. I am sure they weigh down other working moms too. They are legitimate concerns. I feel like the best of both worlds would be to ask to go part-time. I do not know if my employer will permit this. Also, currently, I am not a permanent employee so asking could put my status in jeopardy so, I am starting to slowly resent my employer as well. I feel like time is so precious and it is flying – my daughter just turned 10 months old.

I find this tug of war between home and family and work is quite normal among most working women but I also wonder if dads feel it too or are societal norms such that they do not feel those same pressures that women feel? I hope in this tug of war, whatever happens, my daughter wins!

American Dream?

We are recently going through a phenomena that most Americans go through at some point in their lives – and I am not talking about purchasing a car, a town home or condo. I am talking about the American dream: owning your own home – detached, single family, suburbia, grass, fenced yard HOME. Lately, because of the experiences I have had trying to buy the “perfect” home, I no longer think it is an American dream but rather, an American nightmare.

We got started last year, looking for a home. The whole process stressed us out. It starts with a realtor – the middle man or woman. And so… it begins! If you are a Type A American, organized, go-getter, it will amaze you to know how much power a realtor making 3-6% can hold over your future. What stands between you and the American dream? Why, of course, an annoying middle man or woman who really does not know you or what you want. You are an optimist so you press forward and convey repeatedly to your realtor what you are looking for: A home with, let’s say, a roof on it; less than 20 years old, central air is a prerequisite you tell them; anything less than a 2-car garage is a deal breaker; and yes, is it too much to ask that you stay within our price range? Apparently, it is. When they show you the house that is $20, $30, even $40 K above your means, you think… “does he/she not listen to me? Did she not hear me when I said, “$220K tops?!” Then, one weekend for 4-5 hours, she takes you aimlessly around a neighborhood which is over 100 years old and does not fit your criteria at all. No A/C? What? Not even a ceiling fan! Then you begin to wonder if you are speaking the same language. Eventually, you realize the motivation of this otherwise really nice, sweet, sugar-coated person: commission. Oh did I mention that my realtor once said the following words to me regarding my price range: “you get what you pay for honey!” Yikers… can we say, “NEXT!”

So …. You have the realtor who is allegedly on your team, representing you, wishing on most days that you could eliminate the middle man, get access to their databases and just go it alone. But alas, your middle man and you head off to see house after house. If you are as picky as I am and I am certain ¾ of you reading this are, your hopes and dreams slowly begin to dwindle and like we often we do with men in our life, we start balancing the things we want with the things we need- the deal breakers. After the age of 35, even a smoking man with no teeth starts to seem nice because he asked you to dance. Well, like a relationship, a house becomes a compromise, something to settle on. You hear yourself saying the following, “Well, House A does not have a yard, is $100,000 more than our maximum limit, but it does have A/C, indoor plumbing, and there is no meth labs within 20 miles so, it does rank better than House B which doesn’t even have a front door. Okay, so I exaggerate but I think you get my point. You are left wondering, “Hmmmm….” I am contemplating buying House A or House B since my realtor showed me C thru K which were 98% unacceptable. You are doing the obvious: settling – like the foundation does in most houses, especially in Colorado. When you are left wondering if House C is better because the foundation only sunk ½ inch in 21 years versus House D which sunk an entire inch, that is when you know you are in trouble. American dream? Ah, but the fun continues ….

You reach the point of return in house hunting, where you looked at say, 30-40+ homes and you are ready to put an offer in somewhere, anywhere. Please, if I have to drive along aimlessly for hours with this realtor one more time, I am going to die! So, you settle or worse, you get guilted by your realtor. You pick House A and put in an offer only to feel remorse the next day when your offer is accepted. Then, you start freaking out. What if there is something better out there? What if House C was the one? What if House D could give you more and has stopped settling? Were the owners in House B really meth addicts? Maybe they were just high on life. Your remorse turns into sheer fear as you approach setting the date of the inspection. You set the date unwillingly because of course, your earnest money is tied up in this whole pathetic situation. You feel trapped and confused and yet you start planning where your furniture will go just in case everything is right. You start dreaming about the home which quickly turn into nightmares. Your day’s fears and thoughts turn into the material of nightmares. You wake up in a cold sweat, wondering if you did the right thing only to convince yourself all over again that it is the right thing. My sofa can fit in the living room! The day of inspection is now here….

… And nothing is right – you realize you want to gut the whole inside of the house and perhaps the exterior (heck, start over will ya?). So, you start adding the numbers to do the job and you are well over $20K to get the place fixed up to just meet your needs. Then you realize you already invited most of your friends to house warming a few months from now so you have to get all of it ready by then – heaven forbid your friends see you living in a less than perfect home. Panic sets in which quickly turns into fear. You ask your parents to borrow money, worse yet, you ask your in-laws. You start to figure out ways to cut costs: no more eating out, is it a restaurant or a fast food joint? Either way, we cannot afford it. Can we afford groceries, internet, cable, and why is your husband engaging in so many hobbies anyway? Why can’t he sit at home and read? Better yet, why can’t you sell this diamond ring from the wedding – after all, that was last year’s news. And look where that got me – settled, confused, and no where to live. Then you think – no, if I can work at Starbucks as my third job, perhaps I can make $50 extra a month and over time, with benefits, perhaps I can pay for a curtain or two and my coffee would at least be free! Yes! That is what I will do. Maybe I can build a wood deck with the money I earn after 5 years. Maybe I should just burn the house down before I buy it and then we will have to start over with insurance money. Hmmm… a plot of land sure sounds nice right now. Ahhhh… these fantasies bring minimal temporary comfort to your otherwise crazy world when all of a sudden, you realize, hey, why don’t I just back out of this? What is wrong with this picture? Sure, I paid out $375 or more to just finalize this but I cannot spend more. Sure, this is the fourth home I put an offer in on and I have gone through hell and over $1000 of expenses and another $400 of lost time/wages but …. I will back out of this as well. So help me god, it is not perfect and my husband, bless him, he has great qualities but “handyman” is not one of them. Another thought creeps in: Buy the house, dump the husband and marry some guy from Home Depot just to get free labor and ideas. “An Affair to remember” for sure! Then, you are jolted back to life with the reality and budget of what it will take to get this home back to speed. The people who lived there before you had 9 cats, 9 kids, and a room that reeks of pot and sex. You begin to realize you need new carpet, lots of disinfectant, and the air ducts have not been cleaned for decades. The fireplace is shot, the roof leaks, the house has moved over 3 inches in the last 20 years and nothing has been done. You find solace is the beautiful yard – perhaps you could just sit outside and forget your worries but alas, there is a cottonwood in the backyard and you puff up, sneeze 8 times in a row, and your allergies and hay fever forces you back in.

But, the inspection is over, and now you can ask the buyers to pay the piper – make the repairs or give me a credit at closing. You find solace in the hope that perhaps they will accept some portion of your offer so you can move and not lose your entire life savings on the money pit of a home you put an offer on. You talk with your realtor, whose goal is to convince you that you are a loser. “What is wrong with you, I am confused? I thought this was the house! I am confused why you are asking for so much – sure, there are big ticket items but the house is priced perfectly in a great neighborhood. You’re rolling in it and I need my $6750, so come on waffler make a decision.” My response – “then you buy the house, bitch! And while you are at it – why don’t you use that 3.5% commission you are making off of me to be the middleman towards helping me for the repairs.”

Worst yet, the inspection response from the seller comes in – we will not do anything and you are buying the house “as is.” Oh and by the way, "our feelings are hurt, we are taking this personally!" Your greatest fear realized. The song, “Should I stay or should I go” flashes in your head. You start to imagine a life living in a 1-BR condo below noisy people for the rest of your life and you start to just settle on this home. The cottonwood and pet dander does not look so bad anymore but provides some comfort. The settling, the waffling, the remorse, the regret, the guilt laid on thick by your realtor, the nightmare…. Is just beginning.

Ahhh… the joys of buying a home, living the American dream, of a tax deduction, of calling it your own. Even after the home is yours, you have nothing but years of work ahead of you – the hot water heater, the furnace, the roof, the plumbing, the electrical work, the air ducts, the fireplace, the A/C, the backyard, the windows, the leaking skylights, the front yard, the backyard, the expansive soil, and of course, your sinking home ….. until sweet death when your heirs can take it all over what you once called your, “American Dream!”

What Noise?

I write this blog as I experience the modern-day nightmare of apartment living: The condo converted from an apartment complex. During the 2000 - 2003 housing boom, many apartment complexes got the wise and ass-backwards idea to turn apartments into condos, sell them, make a quick profit to unsuspecting buyers who wanted to get into the housing "market", and then do nothing regarding the shoddy construction.

Well, I am here to say that those people should be locked up (preferrably in these condos they built and sold), and the key thrown away! At the least, angry owners everwhere should band together and file a class action lawsuit on them for fraudulent misconduct. When a person converts an apartment into a condo, there are certain ramifications: structure, facilities, and of course, thin walls and noise. When condos and townhomes were built in the 1970s and 1980s, other than wood frame windows which were horrible, most construction was sound and firewalls existed. Since the 1990s, builders and developers seem to have forgotten that people - humans-would live in these shacks they attempt to pass off as condos and townhouses. The walls are super thin to the point where post-coital banter aside, you can hear people in their most intimate moments, not to mention, all other bodily functions.

When the little girl upstairs from us runs from one end to the other, my planter shakes and the utencils in the drawers too! When the guy upstairs gets excited about a play the Broncos just made, not only can he and his friends hear it, but me too - a disinterested neighbor. The walls are so thin in these so-called "condos" that you can actually smell the salmon your neighbor is having for dinner and hey, left overs for lunch the next day- gee, thanks. I needed a whiff of that.

Noise does not bother some people but I think there is a certain level of peace that goes into a place that you call home. I do not have children, why should I hear yours running across the floor and their toys giggling every minute? I did not choose to cook salmon for dinner, why do I need to smell it? Some people claim it does not bother them - what noise? what smell? To these people I say... "it does not take a village ... I hate the village. The village sucks. The village is highly overrated..." Leave me in peace in a home where I share no walls or yard space. Leave me in peace, away from the village, the noise, and the smells. I prefer to create my own ... for me and no one else.

Building developers, land developers, contruction companies and you companies out there to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting people who just want to play the "housing market," SHAME ON YOU! Come live where I do - live a day in my walls and then try selling another horribly constructed condo again!