For those of you following the saga, our bathroom is still technically nonexistent.  Sharing a bathroom with T-man has gone relatively smoothly and, frankly, it’s far neater in there than the other option available so I’ll take it and count my blessings.  Still – and it’s not an insignificant “still” – juggling shower time with a 13-year-old (and BrightSide, too, ‘cuz fun times) is a delicate dance.

To say I’m looking forward to the day when I have both my own commode and shower is an understatement akin to “Gee, this water coming out of my kitchen faucet sure is handy.”

Heidi

Don’t get me wrong, I did a big old happy dance when we turned the corner.  All mold, mildew, and subpar materials (which is an entirely different story) have been ripped out and removed from our house.  There was an uncomfortable stretch in there with exposed insulation but now we have actual walls up and tile down.  I can walk through to my closet without feeling like I’m inhaling heaven-knows-what, and now there are real shower parts being installed and oh my God I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel here.

Which is not to say that the bathroom hasn’t swallowed our checkbook, and it was a surprise banquet to boot.  Though I guess no one ever really plans to find out their bathroom floor is killing them slowly.  At any rate, it made me think about all the terrifying overwhelming exhilarating adventures in home ownership, so for any of you thinking about dropping a down payment on property with an inhabitable structure…

**  Sometimes shit breaks.  Big shit.  Like the air conditioning when it’s 98 degrees outside.  Or pipes on the second floor, flooding a light fixture in the downstairs hallway.  Roof shingles blow off, the refrigerator dies, or your kid drives the riding mower into your fence.  My main point being it’s always out of left field, and unless you’re rolling in the benjamins then you’d better have some money socked away.

**  People will talk like you know big time stuff.  Stuff like fixed versus variable mortgage rates, HVAC systems, load bearing walls, homeowner’s insurance, and property taxes.  Google is your friend.

**  You’ll discover a very special organization called the HOA.  Otherwise known as the Home Owner’s Association.  Many neighborhoods have them; many of those have that one nosy neighbor who makes the rounds, reporting “violations” to the board.  You bought the land, you bought the house, so you figure you have the right to put a gardening shed in the backyard?  Turns out that might not actually be the case.  Surprise.

Just a few things to think about while your real estate agent is scouting locations.  Meanwhile, I’ll just be sitting around over here, dreaming of installed sinks and new shower heads.