TOPIC: How To Eat An Elephant

Sometimes when I am outside the house with a client we see indicators of what may be a problem once we get inside.  Such was the case on this particular house.

Outside along the rear of the house, a driveway had been added years after the house was constructed.  The bricks at that location were disturbed, sagging, the mortar had been patched, apparently more than once, and water was pooling next to the foundation.

Once we got inside, and after moving some artfully arranged (hiding a problem?) boxes, this is what I found!

Yes, that is poly-foam!  And only a portion of it really.  At least they used maximum expansion, apparently for needed strength!  And I have to also say, it appeared waterproof!

I might share one other teensy item on that house.  A gas dryer had been installed in the closet under the basement stairs.  Nothing unusual about that.

Well, except that the plug servicing the electrial needs for the dryer was plugged into the sump pump outlet.

And the sump pump was not.

And the outlet wasn't grounded.

And the elaborate venting which was made to look like it vented outside sort of stopped at the wall.  It never did really make it outside.  Oh, there was a covered dryer vent outside, but no hole in the wall.

And the elaborate venting was only to make someone think it actually vented outside.  It really vented under the stairs.

And the drum would turn when the knob was put in the proper position, but of course there was no hot air generated.  See reason later...

And when you did turn it on the light in the closet flickered dramatically.

And it would only run for two minutes and then stop until turned on again.

And then it would only run for two minutes.

And then stop until turned on again.

And you had to crawl over the dryer to get to the sump pump.

And the water heater.

And there was a very nice three-hole electric outlet provided for the dryer (unused since it was gas), which cable didn't actually make it to the panel box.

And the reason the dryer did not get hot was, oh yeah, because THERE WAS NO GAS SERVICE TO THE HOUSE...!

Now, that was just the dryer. You wouldn't believe there was more, would you?  There was more... like, I mean, you know, um, like, dude, yeah, a lot more...

Writing this report would be like writing a report describing a mansion in hell.

I don't charge enough...

I have heard that in order to eat an elephant you must break it into smaller pieces and go at it a piece at a time.  Well, this report would need to be broken up into smaller pieces.

Looking at my flow chart, I am scheduled to be done eating this elephant about March 10.  See you then...!

TTFN

I sure wished I lived in your area.  I would like to come work for you for a month and see all this fun stuff.  lol

Oh my goodness.  Jay, thanks for the reply on the e-mail the other day.  I have been entertaining a new baby girl for the last several nights/early mornings, so my e-mail replies have been spotty at best.  thanks again.

John - work with maybe, not for...

Ron - better time spent with baby girl!  My baby boy just got back from his second vacation in Iraq. 

With... Yeah that's what I said!  lol

Jay:

I'm suprised that all that stuff was in a VA double wide :

Cheers