Closing

Yesterday we had the closing on the house. It is ours! My husband is very excited. I am a bit too stressed out to be as excited as he is. We are now the owner of TWO, yes I said TWO, homes. That is a bit overwhelming! We got to meet the owners at the closing which was very nice. They were extremely kind and very sad to give up the house they have lived in for 30 years. We talked a lot and they told us many things about caring for the house including some great advice on getting cheap furnace filters. They asked if they and their children could visit when they are in town. We said yes.

First thing we did after the closing (and getting some McDonalds) was head over to the house to rip some carpet up. We discovered the key we have does not work on the carport door. That was a bummer. I am looking forward to being able to go in that door when it rains. So, looks like we have a lock to change. It fits but it won't turn. We pulled up all of the living room carpet, all of one stairway, some of the hallway and a little bit of one bedroom, another stairwell and the family room. I really wanted to see the family room the most so I could see what is left of the dog kennel fencing in the floors. But, I couldn't get it up around the turns of the built in shelf.

The living room floor looked fabulous we thought! It was in great shape and will look even better when they polish it. We learned from the seller at the closing that there are pipes that run under the living floor to keep it warm in the winter. That was great to hear! I was already planning on wearing really warm socks in the winter but apparently that won't be necessary (at least any more than usual).

 

This is a close up of the terrazzo floor.

Pile of carpet in the living room floor. (The owners are donating the piano to my school.)

Piano has been moved. Nothing but gorgeous floors!

More Floors

The cork floors upstairs also look pretty fabulous from what we can see. Right now they are pretty dull from so many years of wear. And, it's kind of weird the way you can see all of the individual tiles. They will sand them down just like hardwood and they will be sealed. I'm sure when they are finished they will look very much like hard wood. So, this was another pleasant surprise. 

Cork tile floor in upstairs hallway

Last night my husband's family came by to see the house for the first time. We made a few new interesting discoveries while they were here. The sewing machine table in the prep kitchen slides in and out!!! So neat! The table doesn't slide back all the way to meet the wall. I couldn't figure out why. It finally dawned on me that it leaves a space for the cords to go behind it. We haven't figured out where the outlet is yet. There is a wooden trim around the table that looks very unfinished and not painted. I couldn't figure out why it hadn't been painted. Then it dawned on me that the kitchen cabinets (and probably trim too) were originally wood. So, the trim on the table would have matched the natural wood just fine. It would have been a challenge to paint because the trim is so tiny and it could have easily prevented the little table from sliding in and out. We are now also thinking the cabinets above the built in kitchen table and maybe the kitchen table are not original. Today the flooring people came to start their work. So, more on that soon!