HOS (Hick's Oldest Son) got all the fixtures out of that room. He had to use a SAWZALL to get the shower out in pieces. Hick and HOS bought some plywood to patch the floor, and have since moved all their tools and sawhorses in there, in preparations for starting work on the master bedroom.
Standing in the basement door, looking in, you can see the water heater has been moved in. That's a concrete pillar supporting the house. The other things are part of the heating duct work hanging down. The light is coming from an actual light, not from a window.
It's a partial basement, that runs along the back of the house, under the pantry off the kitchen, the old bathroom, the kitchen itself, the new bathroom, and perhaps a sliver of the living room and master bedroom. Big enough to store things in, hold the water heater and furnace, and seek shelter from tornadoes. According to Hick, the big cast iron sewer pipe is in a separate little room, that you get to through this room, through a 2' x 3' hole. When I asked what the purpose of that was, Hick said, "That's just how they did things back then."
The main electric box is also in the basement. If you step in through the basement door, the electric box is to your left, on the wall behind you.
There's the new electric box that Hick just installed, next to the off-kilter old electric box, which Hick tied into so he could have power while waiting for the new source to be hooked up to the poles on the street by the electric company. Now that it has been connected, Hick is ready to take out the old box, and put a door on the new one, with the breakers labeled.
The big projects remaining are the master bedroom, and the plumbing. According to Hick, the plumbing can be done in one day, if HOS is on time, and they really get after it. HOS has not yet moved in the furnace, which he has, much like Hick had a collection of assorted building materials. A friend of HOS is going to hook up the electric furnace for him. Hick could do the electrical part, but not the duct work. There IS a limit to Hick's talents.
That is a larger basement than I would have guessed. Storage, a yard, a shed, and a creek view! That's about $400,000 in New Jersey.
ReplyDeleteIt's not quite worth that here! Hick thinks it would be in the $85,000 range, even though he has skimped on the renovations. It's safe and livable. That's the goal.
DeleteAll those wires and breakers would drive me crazy. I know nothing about how it all goes together. I'm the sort of person who flicks a switch and expects light and/or power.
ReplyDeleteI agree with joeh, that house would be worth a lot more anywhere else and if HOS decides to not move in, Hick could make a nice (100%) profit selling it.
I know! I expect my electricity and internet to magically flow out of the wall or thin air.
DeleteWe have a deal with HOS, so he will reap the benefits of Hick House. Hick is confident of getting our money back through the sale of a camper HOS is trading us. He's parking it in the front yard as I type this, to make sure everything works, before pulling it up to the Storage Units next week to display it for sale. He sold both his old Ford F250 and the TrailBlazer up there, so he's optimistic.
The new electrical box is tiny compared to the ones in my laundry room. What they do have in common is that most of the time the front cover is off. HeWho likes quick access, even if it is a hazard when the water pipes burst. Lucky me.
ReplyDeleteIn my $17,000 house, a hose busted on my washer in the basement. Hick had installed it for me, but it was an old washer. I heard the gushing when I got up, to get ready for my hour drive to work, around 5:00 a.m. When I looked down the basement stairs, it looked like I had an indoor swimming pool!
DeleteI called Hick across town, who left for work around 5:30 a.m. He rushed over, and WALKED THROUGH about four inches of water in the basement, to turn off the breaker and deal with the washer. I guess flipping it off was safer than unplugging individual electrical appliances while it was on?
Yikes! I have had to wade through ankle deep to hit that breaker to stop the gushing of water and I did not like it. I called the kids and made a quick last will and testament before I ventured in!! I suppose if the water is lower that the outlets carrying electrical current, you would be okay. Still ...
DeleteGood call on the last will! That's a good point on the height of the outlets. I know mine were higher, because Hick ran them in conduit, due to it being a basement with concrete walls. So I imagine he could see the water line and the outlets, thus his fearlessness.
Delete