A Stain Upon Hick's Reputation

Nothing much happening around here. So I'll show you the stain Hick put on the back wall of Pony House. It's not a good picture. You know Hick. He takes a panoramic photo with the subject a mere dot in the middle. And this was taken too early for sunlight to reflect the true color of the stain.

 

That's just the inner part. Hick has since done the whole back wall.

 

When I get a better photo, I'll be sure to share it! The stain actually looks good. It's the color of the roof. Darker than I had imagined, from the sample The Pony sent me. The Pony likes how it turned out. The stain cost more than the paint for the rest of Pony House! In fact, Hick had to go back for more, after the amount he used in the first picture. Apparently, that wood siding is very thirsty!

Speaking of the siding Hick chose for the back of the house... it's what he calls "cedar siding." Not what I call cedar siding. His main factor in choosing it was the price. I say you get what you pay for! It was cheap, because it came in 4 x 8 sheets like plywood.

There's a new house in a subdivision on the way to Sis-Town, just past the cemetery. They've been working on it for a while. Now that it's done, I noticed that they used the same type of "cedar siding" as Hick used on Pony House. They painted theirs white. IT LOOKS TERRIBLE! That house does not seem to belong in the subdivision.

I mentioned that this house had used his style of siding. Hick said he saw it:

"It looks like crap!"

Indeed... at least the dark stain is an improvement. Once you get an accurate view of it.

The Blue-ing of Pony House and Rue-ing of Hick

Pony House is gradually taking on a new blue hue. Hick has been working by himself for a couple afternoons, because his Old Buddy helper was feeling not up to stuff. Then again, neither is Hick. More on that after the picture.

 

Such a nice fall day. Hick has managed to paint the front and half a side of Pony House. Old Buddy is the ladder man. So if he's not available the next time Hick is ready to paint, Hick will move to the other side of Pony House and do the lower half. The more I see of his handiwork, the more I love that color.

And now for Hick's near-death experience.

Hick has been complaining that the backs of his legs hurt. Bad. My opinion is that it's sore muscles from doing work he's not used to. Like painting. And working on the electricity at his SUS2 (Storage Unit Store 2). He HAS climbed a ladder while working on both tasks. Just not high, or for a long time. Also, I suggested he talk to his doctor about his cholesterol med, which I remember had a warning about muscle pain as a side effect. He finally went to the doctor today, and is going to have some tests. Anyhoo... you'd think that would affect more than just the muscles on the back of his thighs.

Anyhoo... in talking off-handedly about his doctor visit, Hick said, "And I told her how sometimes I can hardly walk, and how I thought I was going to fall down when I tried to run the other day..."

"WAIT! You were RUNNING? What in the Not-Heaven?"

"To catch my truck." The Hick got that look like OOPS on his face.

"WHAT?"

"We was out at the lake, with the trailer, loading up the vehicle I was helping my buddy move. We had it over by the pond where we used to fish, on that hill, so we could just drive his truck right up on my trailer. And we about had it on there, when MY truck started rolling away."

"WHAT? Are you too dumb to put on the brake? And have it in park?"

"It WAS, Val. But when he drove his truck up on the trailer, the back of the trailer went down. Where it was hitched, it pulled the back of MY truck up. Like a V upside down. It lifted my back wheels up. So they was the ones that had the brake on. And my truck started to roll forward. When it was all over and we wasn't hurt, it was pretty funny."

"NO! That's NOT funny! How did it stop?"

"Well, it wasn't going fast yet. I was able to yank open the door and hop in and get it stopped. My buddy was in bad shape, too, because he was sitting in HIS truck that was half on the trailer, and he couldn't get out. He said he thought I was going to fall and get run over by my own truck."

"You are such an idiot! It's like the time your tractor went in gear and you chased it through the field to stop it."

"Well. They both worked out okay."

No explanation from Hick on HOW he stopped his truck. Maybe he just steered it to where the hill made it stop rolling. I suggested that he put blocks in front of the tires next time. And he didn't even smart-mouth me.

And Now For the Outside...

Hick had been busy all summer working on Back-Creek Neighbor Bev's new old house in the middle-er of nowhere. He's about to wrap up his current projects there, since the house is now livable, and they are out of their camper in the back yard. Just when he thinks he's done, Bev comes up with another project. Hick had to tell her that he has other things to do right now, and is phasing out her renovations.

The SUS2 (Storage Unit Store 2) has the electric hooked up. Hick has been moving merchandise every evening. There is a current lull in place for a future time-sucker that will demand Hick's attention. So The Pony saw his opportunity to request paint for Pony House.

"I know Dad has been busy. But I'd really like to get some paint on the outside before the weather gets too cold. Otherwise it will have to wait until winter is over."

Hick is no slouch when it comes to starting new projects. Finishing, yes. But starting, no. He and The Pony went to lunch on Monday, and made a trip to Lowe's for paint. They were supposed to do it on Sunday afternoon, but Hick "forgot." Poor Pony. He waited all day for his dad to call. Put off a trip to Walmart and didn't eat lunch. Waiting. Waiting. It makes me want to weep for The Pony. It was probably 3:30 or 4:00 when The Pony realized he had been stood up.

Anyhoo... they bought the paint, a blue the color of The Pony's bathroom, he said. I was not sure it would look good. I'm not really a fan of blue. Gray is more to my liking for a house exterior. But I gotta admit, once I saw it actually ON the house, I think I'm becoming a fan.

 

The day was overcast, with rain in the morning. Which didn't matter much, since Hick took the power-washer over to prep the exterior. The plan was to paint the porch first, to see how it would look, and then decide if The Pony wanted the rest of the house in that color. He does. It's actually brighter than it looks here. There's Hick's Old Buddy in the act of painting. The trim will be black, like the front door. 

More to come as the project progresses. The Pony had picked out a stain for the back wall that's wood, but Hick rushed through Lowe's without looking or buying. Hopefully they'll still have some when the painting is done. Hick already has some black paint for the trim.

The Pony Is Galloping Down the Road to Homeownership

I went to pick up The Pony's house payment yesterday. He forgot to bring it after getting up at 3:00 a.m. Friday to come pick up Hick and drive him to his medical procedure (where I'm pretty sure they knocked him out).

 

How time flies. Seems like only a year ago (plus a month and one day) that we put a contract on Pony House. The Pony moved in around the middle of April 2022. We didn't charge him for half a month, because Hick was still in and out working on last-minute things, even though the house was safe and livable. 

 

This was his 5th house payment on his rent-to-own deal. If you only count the purchase price of the house, The Pony now outright OWNS over 1/10 of Pony House! The renovations are another matter... Still, he's at about 5% ownership. Not bad for a first-time homeowner. At least he's not throwing away his money on rent like I did until buying my own $17,000 house at age 30.

Congrats, my little Pony. You are building equity in your abode. 

 

If he continues paying at the same rate, by this time next year, The Pony will have paid 4/10 of the purchase price, and own 17.6 % of the whole kit 'n' caboodle! AND, his monthly payment is still cheaper than what he would have paid for an apartment. In fact, it was while looking for an apartment that The Pony got the wild idea to just let Hick renovate a house for him like he did for HOS (Hick's Oldest Son).

I suppose sitting in the recliner with his broken ankle elevated, while not earning money or receiving his rightful Worker's Comp, made The Pony actually care about money... Or else he realized that apartments around here don't come with big triangle bathtubs having jets.

The Pony Will NOT Be Getting a Silk Purse, Nor Chicken Salad

Hick finished up his work on the back of Pony House this week, putting in gutters. He says the discoloration on the bottom of the walls can be cured with power-washing and a little bleach. I think the whole house-back needs to be painted white. Hick wants a stain.

"It ain't gettin' painted white."

"The back of the house should match the rest of the house."

"The Pony don't want the house white. He wants it blue-gray."

"Well. Then the back should be painted blue-gray."

"That will be up to The Pony."

Yeah. I'm pretty sure The Pony has not been a fan of the wood look. Anyhoo... Hick had some gravel poured behind the house. Partly to help with drainage, and partly because he was contemplating a concrete driveway coming in from the side street. So The Pony could have off-street parking, and not deal with the running water that forms along the front street during storms.

 

 

Hick met with a guy Friday night to show him the area, and tell him the plan. The guy said he would get back to Hick with an estimate.

"How much do you think that would cost?"

"Oh, probably around $3000, or $3500."

"I don't know if we can swing that right now. We've used up all the money allotted to Pony House."

"Pony has money. He can pay if he wants it. Or it will just raise the cost of his house that he's paying for."

Hick received the estimate on Saturday afternoon.

"It looks like we ain't gettin' a concrete driveway for The Pony! That guy wants $6500! That's crazy!"

"Yeah. I think The Pony can do with a gravel driveway. What will that cost?"

"I'll need another load of gravel. This one doesn't go all the way to the road. Maybe two more loads. The whole thing will come to around $450."

"That's a lot more reasonable. And gets The Pony off the street."

There's a saying around these parts. 'You can't make chicken salad out of chicken sh!t.' And also, more common: 'You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.'

One thing's for sure. We made The Pony a safe, livable house. Not the Taj Mahal.

Pony House Laundry

That Hick! He's such a giver! Along with being such a BUYER. A few weeks ago, he saw something at the auction he couldn't resist. I think he paid $3 for it. No more than $5, that's for sure.

 

 

It was a RUG for The Pony to put in front of his laundry room. Hick tossed it down and took a picture. A week later, he bought the doors and installed them on the laundry room.

 

Hick is a real peach. He didn't bill The Pony for his laundry rug. But the cost of the doors will be included in the final purchase price of Pony House.

Yes. The Pony made his first payment. For the month of May. He's on his way to home ownership, interest-free.

Pony House Done: Bathroom 2

Bathroom 2 of Pony House was a small room off the back porch.

 

 

Hick built Bathroom 2 from the ground up. Literally. It was down to the bare ground after he tore out the existing floor to put in new floor joists.

 

 

Hick stole the floor from wall boards he took off Bedroom 2. He used it first, then insulation, then OSB board (plywood), then laminate flooring. So there are four layers to the floor of Bathroom 2. Hick started with the shower corner.

 

Not an easy feat, perching himself on the floor boards stolen from the walls of Bedroom 2!

Bathroom 2 is essentially done, thought it needs a bit of fine-tuning.

 

The view from the door of Bedroom 2. Floor is done, toilet has been working since early in the project, so Hick could have an option closer than Casey's if he was feeling a bit indisposed. The jugs are filled with water he brought from home, to put in the toilet tank for flushing, before city water was hooked up. I'm not a fan of Hick's addition of the shelf under the mirror, but The Pony okayed the project.

 

The vanity and medicine cabinet are also done. All that's needed is a bit of caulking, and the trim along the floor. 

______________________________________________________________________

 

Pony House has been an adventure. It was Hick's second "flip" project. HOS (Hick's Oldest Son) helped with renovations of the $5000 house, and purchased it with such labor, and the trade of a 32-foot 2011 Forest River RV. Hick is at his best when he has a project to work on. He has mentioned the possibility of buying another flip house to sell. I'm not so sure...

The Pony has moved into Pony House, and is living the high life in his safe, livable house. 

His rent-to-purchase payments start May 1st!

This concludes our Pony House odyssey, until there are any updates on the exterior improvements. Don't hold your breath! We have depleted the Pony House budget for now.

Pony House Done: Bedroom 2

Bedroom 2 of Pony House used to be entered through the Kitchen. This seemed like an odd arrangement, even to Hick. So he closed off the kitchen/bedroom portal, and put in a new entrance to Bedroom 2 by creating a short hallway past the Laundry Room.

 

Here is Bedroom 2, looking from the Kitchen. The Pony's new refrigerator would be located in the area on the right of this opening, which is now closed. You can see Bathroom 2 in the back right corner, and the area that is now a covered back porch through those 2x4s.

 

Still standing in the kitchen, here's the wall where the previous flipper had framed to cover over with drywall. Hick made it the new door to get to Bedroom 2.

 

This area became the hallway to Bedroom 2. The left side was closed in to make the Laundry Room. The new water heater sits where the furnace was. The new furnace has its own room, off the Kitchen, where a corner of the large Living Room was used.

 

Sadly, neither Hick nor Pony show much love for Bedroom 2. I had to scramble to find a picture. Or two. One of them shows a brief glimpse of Bedroom 2, in the background of this hallway.

 

 

Yeah. Hick loves his paint more than he loves Bedroom 2. You can at least see that the walls and ceiling and window are done. And there's the tiny thin door used for a tiny thin cabinet to cover the main electric box for Pony House.

 

 

Here's a picture showing off the floor of Bedroom 2, and the finished closet and door. The closet is on the right, the bedroom door to the hall is on the left. The drywall is hung, but still needed taping and paint. This angle was from the door of Bathroom 2.

 

Not sure what The Pony was showing me in this picture of Bedroom 2. Maybe that the floors were done. Maybe that Hick had taken over the room as his workshop. There's one of the rugs rolled up under the window.

Such a dearth of show-offy pictures. It seems that Bedroom 2 is the red-headed stepchild of Pony House!

TOMORROW: We conclude our tour of Pony House with Bathroom 2.

Pony House Done: Master Bathroom

I might have to retract my previous statement about Pony House Kitchen having the most dramatic make-over. I forgot that the Master Bathroom had its back wall ripped off down to the studs, and the floor joists replaced, and two windows covered up. It was not a bathroom at all. It is NOW!

Hick was not sure what that room was originally used for. Maybe a bedroom? 

 

Here's a peep standing at the back of the Living Room, through the wall that is now the Half Bath. It was a big room, which is why Hick took six feet of it to add to the Master Bedroom.

 

This is the window that's now over the toilet. On the back wall of Pony House, where Hick tore off everything but the 2x4s, and put in a new window. This picture was taken from standing in the Master Bedroom area.

 

This picture is from standing by where the toilet is now, and looking through what became the closet, out towards the former back door, on the wall that has now been ripped off, leaving an open back porch.

 

This view was taken standing by where the Half Bath is now, looking through the now-closet, to where the now-toilet sits under the window.

Drumrollllllll! Ta da-da-DAAAA! Here is the miracle that is Hick's vision.

 

There is The Pony's precious big oval tub in his Master Bathroom. With jets! And of course a toilet, which had to be close to the tub to allow for the walk-in closet door to open. Hick already had these black-painted panels when he built the enclosure around the tub. The thought was to paint them blue or white, but The Pony preferred them to stay black. So Hick also painted the trim around the edge black.

 

There's the closet door. The sink and shower, as you step in the door from the Master Bedroom.

 

There's another view of the shower. The construction dirt had not yet been wiped out.

 

Here's a view from the toilet/closet area, looking towards the door to the Master Bedroom.

I think the Master Bathroom turned out better than expected. The Pony is happy.

TOMORROW... will be the regular Saturday CENTSus report of Val's Future Pennyillionaire Fortune. But Sunday will resume the Pony House Tour, with the Half Bath and Laundry Room.

Pony House Done: Master Bedroom

The Pony House bedroom that Hick chose to be the master was not very big. It had two windows, one facing the front street, one facing the side street. Hick decided to tear out a wall of this bedroom and move it back about six feet. That would make the master bathroom smaller, but enlarge the bedroom, making it "master-worthy."

 

 

This is the Master Bedroom, looking in from the door that leads to the living room. That wall on the right is the one that Hick tore out and moved back. The window looks across the side street.

 

This view was also taken from the door, and shows both windows, with Hick's SilverRedO parked in the front yard.

Hick had already moved in some furniture before I could goad him into taking a picture of the finished Master Bedroom.

 

This picture was taken while standing in the doorway of the Master Bathroom. That's one of the chairs Hick bought a pair of, for $60 from a fellow Storage Unit crony. There's the bed frame that belonged to my mom and dad. Genius used it, and the other furniture here, in his college house. No need to buy new and pay on time when you can get a used one for not even a dime! (To paraphrase one of my favorite Ozark Mountain Daredevils tunes: "Horse Trader.")  I think the bed should go against the living room wall, but Hick and The Pony disagree. Same as with the direction that the bedroom door opens...

 

The Pony decided to move the bed between the two windows. I think his reasoning concerned the location of the electrical outlets. The laminate flooring turned out well. As did the new windows Hick put in. You can see that this is when The Pony started moving in. He forgot to buy pillows! He got curtains for the living room, but I think he plans on just the shades for his bedroom. For now. The Pony is kind of a minimalist.

 

There's some more of Mom's old furniture. And the door to the Master Bathroom. This is the added part of the Master Bedroom where Hick enlarged it. He lowered the ceiling from 9 feet to 8 feet in the Master Bathroom, and did the same with this added section of bedroom. The rest of it is still 9 feet.

It's not a perfect room, but it's a safe and livable space for The Pony to snooze and play computer games on the new TV he bought and mounted on the wall. Maybe a picture of that later, after Hick finishes his wizardry to semi-disguise the dangling power cord...

Pony House Done: Kitchen

The Pony House kitchen was a kitchen in name only when Hick did his first walk-through. I guess it was the little window, and the water pipes that gave away its identity.

 

 

You can still see through the "door" into Bedroom 2, before Hick closed it off.

 

Here you can see the front window that looks out on the porch and the street.

 

There were some photos along the way, once the cabinets were mostly in:

 

 

This was before the stainless steel sink was in, and the laminate floor.

The kitchen is probably the most dramatic improvement in the whole house. I'm a little disappointed that Hick and The Pony could not give me a simple picture of the finished kitchen, without all their stuff a-clutter.

 

Everything is new, because nothing was salvageable. Lots of Hick's junk here, and my old kitchen table that needs to be sanded on one end, and the chairs that need paint. You can see The Pony's new refrigerator, the stove that was free from Back-Creek Neighbor Bev, and the cabinets that Hick found on Facebook. The only item here that's not staying is Hick's Coke mini fridge.

TOMORROW: Master Bedroom

Pony House Done: Back Wall

Pony House is done! Not DONE, done. But mostly done. The Pony moved in on Sunday. So it's done enough. Of course there are still a few lingering projects for Hick. One of them is the back wall of Pony House. Hick feels like he is basically done with it, now that he tore off the back wall and made a porch.

 

Let's have a refresher. Here's the street view of Pony House from the front.

 

 

And here's a street view of Pony House's rear:

 

Hick worked on renovating the back right corner, which is the Master Bathroom now.

 

Here is what was under the siding. Which Hick then ripped off down to the bones:

 

Purty, ain't it? You're looking right into The Pony's Master Bathroom-to-be. Hick covered this area with what he told me was CEDAR SIDING. Which looked nothing like the cedar siding we put on my $17,000 house. This was sheets of alleged-cedar plywood-like boards:

 

I KNOW! Few people were fans of this look. Me being the #1 non-fan. The portion to the left is what Hick planned to tear out, and make a back porch with a roof, at the back door of Pony House.

And FINALLY, what the back of Pony House looks like now:

 

Okay. It's not COMPLETELY done, but it doesn't interfere with the living quarters inside. Hick says he still needs a header, and he's planning to pour 4 inches of concrete for the porch. He will need to power-wash the boards where the rain splashed mud, and put in the gravel drainage area there which was always going to be one of the last things done. 

The back will be painted white at the very least, or perhaps a light blue/gunmetal gray if that's what The Pony chooses for the whole house. Siding will be an option later...

TOMORROW: Living Room

Pony House Progress: Living Room

The Pony had a day off Thursday, and headed over to Pony House to help Hick. They got the living room floor almost finished. I say ALMOST, because what I thought was a hole in the corner turned out to be a couple of flooring pieces that are not yet in place. The Pony says Farmer H needs to buy one more box of flooring to get TWO PIECES.

 

The living room still needs to be painted, and the trim put down along the floor. Also, the joint between the living room and kitchen, from where this picture was taken.

 

After almost-finishing the living room floor, Hick and The Pony headed out to look at furniture. The Pony bought a couch, a refrigerator and ice-maker, a mattress and box springs, and a washer and dryer. They decided on the stackable version. Hick said the only regular washer they had was a small version, only suitable for washing a load of underwear. Heh, heh. Hick knows all about washing underwear, since his little tantrum right after we were married. His refusal to put his dirty clothes in the hamper resulted in him doing his own laundry.

Here's The Pony's new couch:

 

The pillows come with it. I think he should have asked for stuffing to be added to them!

And now, for your consideration, I present Hick's newest idea: using the barnwood flooring to cover the lower portion of the Bathroom 2 wooden wall. To use it like wallpaper, or paneling, up a little higher than the windowsill, with a chair rail topping it off.

 

Hick loves the idea, because he thought it up! The Pony says he thinks it will look good. I HATE IT! I think this will be too many different shades of wood, too many different textures. This barnwood flooring is not needed. It will detract from the rugged wood look of the original planks. 

 

What say YOU? Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings. It's never been an issue before, heh, heh!

It's Not the Marble Floor of the Taj Mahal

Hick bought some flooring for Pony House. First he bought something to cover the flooring. He got two rugs at the auction. He paid $10 each, and says they are about 5 feet by 8 feet. No, they don't match. "But they're similar!" says Hick. The Pony wanted a couple of rugs, because he likes to kick off his shoes and socks when he come home. And he likes to sit on the floor in front of the couch, eating or computing on the coffee table. Which he will also need to buy or accept for free from Hick's Freight Container Garage Emporium.

 

That's the most colorful of the two.

 

Here's the other rug. Similar.

Hick also bought some flooring to fix the bad part of the original hardwood floors. Not necessarily "fix," but patch the worst parts with a little accent corner. He said this flooring was only $23 per box. So he might do the whole living room with it.

At first The Pony was not sold on the flooring, after looking only at this picture:

 

"I'm not sure I like it. Is that DIRT? Is it just dirty? Because it might be okay if it was cleaned off."

"No. Dad said its pattern is BARN WOOD. It's supposed to look like that."

"Oh. Well. Maybe."

The Pony went over to Pony House to help Hick on Tuesday. They put down the flooring from the Master Bedroom door across the living room to the furnace room. After discussing scrubbing the original hardwood, and maybe leaving it for the rest of the living room... a decision has now been made to invest another $150 on more of the BARN WOOD flooring, to cover the entire living room

For that price, I think it's the best decision. Not sure how those rugs will look on it! But they might be going in the two bedrooms instead.

 

This is standing in the Master Bedroom, looking out towards the furnace room. Hallway to back door and Half Bath on the left.

 

This is standing by the furnace room, looking towards the Master Bedroom, hallway to the back door on the right. I think doing the whole living room with the barn wood flooring is going to turn out great.