Trouble In $5000 Paradise?

You may recall that Hick had set a timeline for the renovation of Hick House. He took possession on February 25, and decreed that the project would be done by June 1, which he altered to June 3, seeing as how the 1st fell on a Saturday.

Hick House is not finished.

Oh, it had the opportunity to be finished, according to Hick. Mark the calendar, because I agree with him! Even though I've only set foot in Hick House twice, early on. Let the record show that all parties are congenial and working towards a common goal. No animosity. But things aren't going according to Hick's plans, which disgruntles him. I am mainly privy (heh, heh, I said privy) to Hick's version of events, which is not intended to throw shade on HOS (Hick's Oldest Son). I only get HOS's side intermittently.

According to Hick, a month or so ago, HOS ceased being ready to go work on Hick House when Hick arrived to pick him up at 8:00 a.m. So Hick went on his own, completing projects that could be done by him, leaving other projects that could be done by HOS. Sometimes their presence overlapped. HOS mainly did his work from mid-afternoon into the night. I understand. Not everybody gets up with the chickens like Hick. I've received update texts from HOS at 1:30 a.m. So it's not like he's a slacker. Hick has told him that he can't do any hammering or sawing after 10:00 p.m., so the neighbors don't complain.

Anyhoo... Hick was tied up for a couple weeks, helping and transporting This Guy and This Guy's Wife after their back and hip surgeries. He'd pop in and work as he could. HOS had some buddies help him with a couple of projects. Everything was still on track. I guess the slowdown happened the week before school let out. According to Hick, Mrs. HOS was accompanying HOS, to work on painting the upstairs and the stairwell, which she did. At times she would leave the baby with HOS, which slowed him down. Once school ended, the whole family trekked to Hick House during the day.

According to Hick, that's the same as living there, with the exception of leaving to sleep in their own beds at night. He says it's no wonder HOS can't get anything done, and that's why he's held out on finishing the plumbing: because he knew they'd virtually move in. They have a microwave for cooking, and buckets of water for toilet flushing. Hick is to the point where he feels uncomfortable going over there, like he's intruding, when they're all hanging out, or sitting down to eat.

I think much of Hick's attitude stems from liking to be in control, running the show. He micromanages, and flips out if something is not done in his order, to his specifications, on his timetable. I've told him as much, and he agrees. He also agrees that he's really hard-headed, as is HOS, and also Genius. They're also the two who have Hick's mechanical aptitude. Go figure.

Anyhoo... according to Hick, all that remains to be finished are one piece of drywall in the bedroom ceiling, painting the master bedroom, closing in the shower and tub (can't be done until plumbing is finished), finishing the plumbing (a four-hour project, says Hick), and sweeping and mopping upstairs. To me, this doesn't sound like much. But Hick says it should have been done two weeks ago. He can't do the drywall on the ceiling due to his PopArm. He's not about to sweep and mop, because he feels that Mrs. HOS or the teenage daughters can do that. He's putting off buying the rest of the plumbing supplies because, "As soon as they have plumbing, they'll be living there!"

Hick is grousing about not even wanting to call the inspector. To leave that up to HOS, to schedule the appointment and do the walk-through. I know this is an idle threat. Hick would never allow HOS to look like he's in charge of the project. I told him it's just his ego, not having everything done exactly the way he wanted.

I'm not sure Hick is ready to let go of Hick House. It's his baby. Still, HOS has been informed that the electricity will be turned off next Friday, and it's up to him to take that over, and establish water/trash service, which can't be done until after inspection. Hick thinks this second deadline might spur HOS into more action. I say no, if they're already virtually living there, they can drag it out indefinitely. We'll see how it goes. After the plumbing is in, Hick is planning to round up all his tools and bring them home. Which pretty much signifies the end of his contribution to Hick House.

Paperwork transferring ownership is supposed to be done by July 1, according to the lawyer.
I imagine Hick will go through a grieving process...