http://www.flickr.com/photos/elspodepics/

I'm too tired to do the captions again, but I probably should have been using Flickr all along.

Els - it's insane up here. Here is a link to the house directly across the street from us that just sold for the full asking price.

http://www.sitkarealty.com/ForSaleDetail.asp?Profile=72

If you go to the very last page and look at the last picture, you are looking at our house! :) it's a tad embarrasing since we haven't painted the exterior yet.. eep

Good lord (the price, I mean, not the condition of your paint).

So yours is the two story white number? It must be comforting to know that your house is worth $600k... :right:

wow, els! Excellent digs! Nice job!

I can't get a run down shack in a neighborhood of crack dealers in Los Angeles/Orange County for less than $400,000

There's pretty good money in crack, eh?

Time to buy a riding lawnmower!


I love it when you don't get what you want, and it turns out you get something even better.

I am really happy that things worked out even better than hoped, congratulations!! Sweet yard!! I hope the weather is nice for moving day. Good luck selling your current place.

Closing day approacheth. Friday is the scheduled day. There has been much last minute foderol from the prospective mortage underwriters (lots of documentation of income sources, primarily...no, I didn't tell them about the prostitution ring or the meth lab :yelgreedy ). We had things rather thoroughly planned around being able to have the PODS container delivered on Friday or Saturday, but alas...can't get it dropped until Monday.

We have a contract for deed on our existing place, and at the price we needed to get, but the term of the contract is six months (secured by promissory note, of course), so it might be Spring before we can contract on the room addition we'll need. Before we move in, now have to forage up enough money to purchase and install a dishwasher in the new house...it is the one thing my wife won't move in without, and the one thing the place doesn't have. Sigh. Should be trivial compared to everything else we've been doing, though. Anyone ever installed one on their own...in a house that never had one before, I mean? All advice earnestly accepted.

We're about done with the major inside painting, and will be starting on the new tile soon here in the old place. That, and moving out, will discharge our final obligations under the terms of the contract for deed. I'll be glad to get started emptying this place out and filling up the new one. My son is eagerly looking forward to his new digs as well. Should be *much* nicer for him, being in a structure of his own and out of the suburban ghetto fourplex.

I can't tell if things are happening too quickly or not quickly enough.

I have extensive kitchen remodeling and dishwasher installation experience. I also used to plan and sell kitchen cabinets. The biggest problem with dishwashers is dealing with a "built-up" floor, where a second floor is installed that doesn't go under the cabinet but meets the bottom of the cabinet.

The newest dishwashers can now accomodate built-up floors with adjustable feet. But a few years ago, I had to lift the countertop to get the dishwasher in. It is especially bad when you have a secondary floor of thick ceramic tile. Last month I installed a new dishwasher and could only do it because the design accomodated the thick built-up floor. In this case, I would not be able to lift up the ceramic countertop without breaking it.

There are three connections: intake water, waste water, and electricity.

Spend the extra $10 and buy a flexible intake hose for dishwashers. It's almost impossible to correctly cut and bend copper tubing while on your belly reaching under the dishwasher.

RS, if they made stuff that was dehydrated or inflatable, and cost ten times as much, that is what I would use. No brainer on the flex for intake water for me. That's good info on the adjustable feet thing, too. Something I never would have thought of, but which is highly possible in this heavily modified home I am buying.

My biggest concern is getting the output water and power to the dishwasher, really. We're going to have to sacrifice some cabinet space to install one at all, and the cabinet I'm going to install in is on an "L" peninsula from the water/drain/power location. Tricky for a non-builder like myself.

It sounds like you are asking for trouble. The waste pumps can push water about 6 feet into a drain pipe. Do you have a basement to get underneath do to that work? I would seriously consider finding a location next to the sink.

Listen to him Els.

Also, maybe a pro install deal from the local big box hardware store, Lowe's Sears etc...sometimes the install is free with a large enough purchase.

I've done two in our house here and I won't do the next one. I'll hire it out. Big ass pain in the neck head knuckles etc. and get a good mop and some towels too.

didn't you once reveal your lack of plumbing skills/experience? If this is your first project, you'll definitely get some experience, but you may wind up only increasing your cursing skills. Plumbing + electricity + finish carpentry +++ all thehassles of a new home anyway...is this a battle to pick or pass?

me agan withanother edit...What about a rollup/external unit?

I'm definitely listening. My construction skills are well below par, I'd guess. Hell, I can't even paint real well, if my current project is any indication. Then again, it is a lot harder with people and furniture still in the house...especially when trying to paint the entire upstairs.

Portable DW won't cut it. Takes up too much floor space, and the kitchen, while okay, isn't exactly spacious, either. No, we truly bought a great yard with a nice house on it, not the other way around.

That's a terrific plan. Good for you.

Just, be careful of remodeling projects. Over 22 years, I've owned 5 houses in two metro areas and I was a commissioned salesman at a home remodeling retail store for 4 years. I've done projects and gotten my hands dirty.

Go with Best Practices. Don't go against the grain.

Specifically, if you can not connect a 6' rubber drain hose to standard plumbing already in your home, do it differently. You don't want to invite serious problems. Listen to BigV, he's on target.