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| To the family who wants free landscaping, house repair help (rohnert pk / cotati) |
| Home & Garden : Landscaping |
| 03/15/06 |
If you have mold problems, you could try buying a $25 dehumidifier and running it in your living room, bedroom, etc. The dehumidifier will clear much of the airborne mold out of your air. You might have to buy a few, one for each room. The dehumidifier will also lessen the mold problem itself, by removing moisture from the house. You'll have to empty the catch basins daily, but at least you'll have better air.
You're not the only one in Sonoma county with a lake in your backyard. See, there's thing called adobe soil.....
It's kind of outrageous to ask for free French drains, which most people here can't afford in the first place (we have seasonal ponds in our front and back yards, as do most of our neighbors), though maybe someone will take pity on you and help you out. Still, if you have the money to buy a house, you should have the money to do repairs. Try a home equity loan if you need to raise some money for repairs.
You could also try doing the work yourself. Go to the library and get a book on putting in drainage systems and buy the pipes, etc. and put them in yourself.
We bought an old run-down 2 bedroom fixer in Sonoma county 2 years ago, and have since ripped out the carpet and repainted the interior ourselves, refinished the floors and did a so-so job, paid someone $2500 to refinish the floors and do a good job as well as some replacement of damaged boards, installed wool carpeting in the bedrooms (I can recommend Craftsman Floor Coverings Inc. in Petaluma--they did a great job and the owner was very fair and prompt), rebuilt the bathroom ourselves, and got a bunch of free plants (we traded for several) off craigslist, and now our house is looking and feeling a lot better. We still need to paint the exterior, tear out the fireplace, and fix up the kitchen, but we'll do that when we can afford it.
I put all the carpet and reflooring costs on a credit card, found a 0% interest card, and have been paying it off monthly. That's what grown up people do, not buy a big expensive house in an expensive area and then ask for handouts.
Look in the yellow pages for duct cleaners, it costs only a couple hundred to have your heating ducts brush-cleaned by a good HVAC/duct repair company. Wait until it stops raining and then let the kids play in your backyard--that's what most everyone else here does. Stop trying to live beyond your means by asking for charity, and you might gain some skills and be proud of your own work on your house. What if some loser with no real electrical skills installs your wiring incorrectly and your house burns down? Or what if people show up to case your house while they're doing "work" and you get robbed, or worse? Think it through, and maybe start talking to your realtor about their ethics in selling you this house, as the realtor had some role in this, not just the owner/Pomona college.
Good luck.
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