Property Project Part 5: Winter

Our story left off after the gutting of the rear cabin in July 2025.  On August 2nd, I received a photo from Andrew while I was visiting my mom out of state.  He had begun addressing the wood rot areas and, as he removed a little siding here and there, more and more wood rot was exposed.  Eventually an entire wall was torn down.

He tarped it up and it sits untouched at time of writing (the Feb '26).

The rear cabin is on a journey.  We subsequently learned that the foundation needed to be redone, decided to double the size of the structure, applied to the Portsmouth zoning board for something called a dimensional variance, petitioned the abutting neighbors within 200 ft as instructed, presented our case at the board who said, "You don't need to be here.  Why don't you just move it out of your neighbor's setback since you are rebuilding?", got permission to expand, fired our builder for providing zero guidance throughout, and started researching demolition.  Today Mr. Asbestos came by for the required demolition inspection and we realized he'd been over before.  He's the same guy who tested for mold spores on the 3rd floor last summer.  ... It's a tiny state.

The cabin, which was the center of my property woes for so long, is now an accessory thought befitting its size.  

The main house vs. winter is a battle.

We're having a real winter here in New England.  We've had two dips in to arctic temperatures in the past three weeks.  We had a foot of snow in January and it'll be with us for a while more.  Thankfully these have happened on weekends but regrettably that means Andrew hasn't had a day off from fixing stuff in almost a month. 

A timeline:

- Jan 25th, Winter Storm Fern:  Temps drop in to single digits (F); kitchen cold water line freezes.
-- Pull out dishwasher, aim heaters at water lines, melt ice.

- 2nd night of single digits:  Fail to drip our faucets.  Both lines (hot/cold) now frozen.
-- Repeat maintenance the next day.  (New rule: we drip faucets when temps get below 15 deg F.)
-- The dishwasher doesn't like being unplugged and refuses to come back online.  Troubleshooting reveals that a relay needs to be readjusted every time the dishwasher is reinstalled.

--- What this looks like:  Dishes in the bathroom sink, insulation piled up on the kitchen floor, the dishwasher in the middle of the kitchen, space heaters aimed and plugged in strategically so we don't trip any breakers.

- Following weekend:  In the cellar, discover a pinhole leak in the hot water line leading to the kitchen (unmistakable result of the frozen water line).
-- Andrew does some plumbing work and replaces the line using a good portion of his Saturday.

- Feb 7:  Wake up to the smell of melting crayons.  Run all over the house to make sure our handful of electric heaters aren't on fire.  Discover that the smell is coming from the vents.
-- We have an oil-fed, forced-air heater in the basement.  It's about 20 years old.  The furnace has two main parts:  an oil burner and a fan [for circulating air out to the vents].

-- We pay for a service plan that's supposed to come to the rescue during emergencies.  After chatting with the weekend on-call mechanic, we agree to turn off the system for a while and let it cool off.  Andrew decides to pull apart the fan and finds FOD stuck in the motor.  He removes it and, after a few hours, the melting smell disappears.

We're due to drop down to 1 degree F this night so the risk of losing heat is a real threat.

- Feb 8:  Wake up to kitchen water line frozen again, and now this time the drain is frozen and clogged as well (from dripping the faucet?).

-- Maintenance routine of removing the dishwasher and pointing heat the lines thaws the water source.
-- The drain is a different story.  It's PVC running outside the house and down in to the ground to connect to the septic.  We end up using some moving blankets and wooden boards to build an igloo around the drain pipes, and point a heater at them for hours.  We're able to partially thaw the candy-cane vent, but now the sink is draining through that.  Andrew decides to replace the frozen line and, after sawing it open, we realize just how solidly frozen the situation was.  

Kitchen is now back in business except for the dishwasher, which doesn't like being unplugged.

(Did I mention I'm working nights this weekend and supposed to be chilling out during the day?)

- Feb 9:  Andrew puts in his two weeks notice to his employer and is sent home same-day (big career move in the works for him!!).  We spend a lot of time recovering, connecting, walking the dog and lying around that afternoon-- and I'm grateful we did.

- Feb 10:  Around 2:30 a.m. I wake up to the sounds of metal contacting metal, coming from the heater blower.  I bump down the thermostat to make it kick off.  A few hours later, the house has reached the new temp (55 F) and the heater kicks on again.  I bear witness to the sounds of the blower motor churning to a slow death.  I bump the thermostat down to 50.  When Andrew wakes up I let him blink the morning in, break the news, and ask him to turn off the breaker.  We're turning this one over to the professionals.

Our blower motor should be here in 2-3 days and that's about all there is to it.  The heater is out of service.

Current situation: We're forecast snow tonight but thankfully the temps are only dipping to 31.  My living room is a balmy 48 F.  We have condensed life down to two rooms, the office and the kitchen, with an electric heater in each.  We're ok but the house feels like an eerie ice berg that's betrayed us.

Takeaways:  

- The age of our home (built 1865) isn't the problem:  It's the shortcuts taken during the renovation.  Failure to insulate behind the new kitchen cabinets, running a drain line on the outside of the house instead of underneath.  Removing heat ducting to the master bedroom in order to knock out a wall on the first floor.  We do feel betrayed by the previous owners, who beautifully renovated and clearly never lived here through a winter.  This is a textbook flip.

We will hopefully have enough subject matter experts parade through the rear cabin this year whom we can ask about this stuff; maybe one of them will have a sustainable winter solution for the main house.

- We need to get off of oil heat and figure out an electric solution -- and not during the middle of winter.  The blower is one thing, and not a catastrophic expense.  The oil burner is another, and would be a terrible investment in future energy.

I am grateful for:
-- Andrew being home this week during the day.  I am praying that this all settles in time for him to fully focus on his new job starting Feb 23rd.
-- Potential good news (fingers crossed) about the rear cabin asbestos inspection today.
-- None of this has cost us a significant amount of money thus far.
-- Andrew's ability to fix our house.
-- A community I know we can lean on if it's just too cold to live here this week.
-- Being led to this property.  I know we are here for a reason.  It's easy to think of how simple it would be to be nestled in our previous home down the road.  ... But that's not a productive nor heat-producing train of thought.

The Bendy Ones

Years ago we were snuggled in an Indiana living room with a collection of Andrew's childhood friends and their spouses, nursing what red wine we had left and weaving together parenthood, careers, their shared memories and the integration of us who had joined the story in adulthood.
Andrew was explaining his latest two weeks' notice when Shelly profoundly summarized, "Someone has to be the bendy one."

This stuck with me and gave me a renewed appreciation of my spouse over the years.  (Andrew has ended more jobs - to follow my Navy career, and/or be home with our infants - than many people start in a lifetime.)

I'm surprised I haven't written about The Bendy Ones sooner, but perhaps I wasn't yet ready to see the concept this way:  We are designed to complement each other.  Not only in marriages, but in communities.  Everyone is uniquely wired and gifted so that not one person or group has to carry it all.  And sometimes we carry what we can so others can make the world better in whatever unique ways they were blessed.

The concept of The Bendy One has no regard for traditional household gender roles, and brings clarity to the word 'partnership'.  One of my dearest lifelong friends contributes brilliance to the ob/gyn field that I can't begin to wrap my head around.  I also don't pretend to know the intricacies of her marriage, but I'll never forget her husband's choice to be a force of stability for the kids rather than pursuing his own engineering career.

The most tangible and consistent examples to me are military spouses: who follow, set up shop, make friends, provide stability and support, pack it up, put their own careers on the backburner, and do it again.  Over and over until they're handed a flag and a bouquet after twenty years... often to find themselves at that point in their most critical supporting role yet: helping an ambitious high performer figure out 'what's next?'  

And the artists!  I think of my sweet violin teacher who has been teaching out of her home for 50 years and playing for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, making the world that much more beautiful and leaving a legacy in so many students.
There isn't much money in that.  Her husband spent a career practicing law, giving her the freedom to contribute her gifts to the world without having to worry about the bills. 

Not to be overlooked are the Steady Ones.

Call me old school (or something worse), but I think the quality of young adults we produce might hinge on having a Bendy One or a Steady One on the team.  For households who manage two intense careers, I've seen grandparents in this role.  In community.  I think that telework has enabled this bendiness or steadiness for many.

For years I've beat myself up for not being content.  My drive, unchecked, can almost be a handicap.
Not long ago I was chatting with one of my sisters about our hopes and dreams.  Mine included travel and a yearning for impact that I can never quite satiate.  Her dream was to own a compound where grandparents and kids and dogs roamed and coexisted in the sunshine. 
It hit me:  The world needs people who have dreams like each of ours.  Hers bring a level of stability and nurturing that is vital to family and community health.  People much smarter than me - but with the need to learn, go, solve and do -- these are the folks that cure cancer.  

The world needs all of it.

The thing about the Bendy Ones and the Steady Ones is, they're not going to shout their worth and often won't even put themselves first.  But make no mistake:  they are leaders and they have a muted strength that goes unnoticed if everything is running smoothly.

Check in on your Bendy One.  Thank your Steady One.  Everyone is pulling their weight.

Life Lessons from the [Kia] Soul

We just came home with a 2019 Subaru Legacy, which is exciting, but also frustrating since I think we've averaged a car purchase every 2 years since we've been together. 
(We're so over this that, for the first time, we have everything warrantied past 100,000 miles in hopes that we can pause on vehicle trading for some time!)

As I drove it home I reflected that there were a lot of lessons packed in to this whole experience.  

1) You get what you pay for.

We sold our beloved Audi (our 'Treat yo'self' in 2021 upon returning home to the U.S., and sort of a career milestone celebration for me) because it wasn't only inappropriate for our 16-year-old to be driving, but it wasn't purring like it used to and was getting up there in miles.  Audis are expensive to repair - an oil change typically cost around $300.
We "replaced" it with a 2010 Kia Soul that I bought with cash off an outbound foreign exchange Naval War College student headed back to his home country, Latvia.  Scratched, dented, tiny and working, it seemed like the perfect vehicle in which our new driver could putt around Aquidneck Island and to/from school.

Until one piece after another started failing due to the undercarriage being completely rusted out, the tire pressure light never extinguishing despite trouble shooting and repair, and the recent realization that the suspension was shot.

Which leads me to lesson #2-

2) Sunk Cost Fallacy.
This is actually something I've taught in a 'Bias in Decision Making' class.  And what a classic example in which we were wallowing!  We'd sold our Audi, spent money on the Kia, sunk about another $1,000 so far to repair it, and knew it needed more attention.  The Rhode Island roads are icy this time of year and we want our kid to be safe.  
It's time to put serious work into it or replace it.
How easy it would be to just keeping pouring money in to this hunk of junk because we'd already started!

We decided to replace it - after hardly six months of ownership - since we had taken on the additional need of me needing a better commuter than our family 3-row vehicle, and a small car would give me and Levi the chance to swap back and forth based on the needs of the day.

The fun thing about December decisions is that they all get put off to January action, which makes that first full work week after the New Year pretty intense.

3) Getting around to it.
We knew we needed to go car shopping and all that entails.  It was glaring at us on the family white board.  It was a classic "Important but not urgent (Quadrant 2)" item in Covey's time-management matrix (I taught this too).  We didn't really want to do it at all.
The fun twist on 'Important but not urgent' is that, if you put these items off long enough, they become 'Important AND Urgent' at the most inconvenient times.

So I pulled out the family Google calendar and found a few 3-hour blocks, between the standard weekly work/school days and my nonstandard January weekend work schedule, and all of the evening activities, and invited Andrew and Levi to go car-shopping 3 separate times over the next 3 weeks - and off we went after school on a Monday.

4) Give a man shoes a size too big.
This one isn't original, and was neatly repackaged by a friend of mine we visited over the holidays.  Give a kid a crappy, scratched up vehicle, and you're telling him that you expect him to ding up the car.  Give a kid something nice to keep nice, and you're telling him the expectation is to take care of his things.  You're also extending trust. 

I mean, duh.  The latter is how we're trying to raise our kids.  Why would we do something different when the stakes are higher?

5) Financing
It doesn't feel appropriate to go in depth on this here, but we decided not to take out a loan for this vehicle because we'd taken some big leaps with our credit in 2025 and we just wanted to chill on forking over interest to the bank.  I've never before swiped a debit card for a vehicle before; I think the dealership and I were equally - pleasantly - relieved when the transaction said, 'Approved.'

6) Rash decisions.
My first car-buying experience was with my dad, when I came home with a career starter loan from USAA and asked him to help me shop for a Jeep.  The only ground rules we established were, "We're not buying a car today."
We found the right car and bought the car that day.

I have always set out on a vehicle purchase with this mentality but seldom do Andrew and I make it 24 hours before the deed is done.  We're just... sure.  (And we value efficiency of time.)

By scheduling three different times to shop, and taking our teen son along, I thought surely we were going to break ourselves of this habit of making big decisions quickly and with a lot of confidence.  Maybe the two of us talk ourselves in to our own kind of group think bias. 
In our defense, we had talked about it quite a bit before we started shopping, we'd written down what we were looking for in detail, and we spent at least 30 minutes in the CarMax lot cruising Civics, Corollas, Sentras, and the like until we couldn't feel our fingers.  

I just have to laugh, because this is us.  Maybe we'll be shopping again in another two years.

Tail of the Whip

My 14-year-old struck again with his profound insight. 
Listening to me talk about the company I just began working for he asked, "Do you have a hard time being a follower?"

He was in luck because, unlike most of these stump-the-chump inquiries, I was prepared to answer this one since I'd been thinking on it for a while.  (Years, actually.) 
I replied, "I have no problem supporting a good leader.  Following an idiot is torture for me."

I'd like to refine my response after an epiphany at Walmart yesterday.

Self-admittedly I have a hard time being a follower in a grocery store, or Home Depot, or basically any place with aisles, strangers and a cart.  It's a poignant metaphor for one of my weaknesses, which is my difficulty going someone else's pace.  This is probably why I'm not great with small children or the elderly.

I almost always have a moment behind the person pushing the cart during which I collect myself, take a breath, and practice literally going someone else's pace.

But have I let the leader off the hook?

In Walmart I was following the love of my life, who is an intelligent, capable, mobile person.  He was politely dodging and weaving through the pinball customers at 'meth head Walmart*', slowing and stopping when necessary, and I marched single-file behind him in order to minimize the width of our combined path.  After almost tripping on his heels once or twice I paused and took a breath and re-caged per my usual. 

I recalled being in the back of every marching or running formation at USNA because that's where the short people go -- particularly challenging when the group speeds and slows like an accordion, forcing the sand blowers in the rear to make the largest adjustments to keep up (with our corresponding short legs).
In organizations, especially like the Navy Reserve Center I led in Knoxville, I call this "the tail of the whip."  When decisions are made at the top, and changed, and changed again, the trickle-down effect can be dizzying and frustrating at the bottom.

So what is the role of the leader pushing the cart, or the leader driving the decisions at the top?

What is the role of middle management?

How do we minimize the potentially demoralizing effect of quick decision-making on those at the end of the chain?

I'm still learning the ins and outs of my new job and reading the room of personalities and leaders.  We've got one in a particular role of influence who likes to 'plan' at the last minute, and then change the plan 15 times as he uncovers various angles, before making a decision.  I figured out after my first rodeo with this person just to leave the room when this starts happening.  My opinion isn't a factor so, if it concerns me, he knows where to find me - if needed - once the dust has settled.  
Sadly, I'm learning that everyone feels dizzy when this person starts exploring courses of action.

Our forward, outside-the-box thinkers are invaluable (and I consider myself in this category). 
But nimble, strategic thinking comes with responsibility.
I believe that the sharing - or not sharing - of a leader's thought process needs to be as deliberate as the decision-making itself.  (I wrote some thoughts on this loaded statement but it's enough to fill another blog.  Maybe it will.)

Disclaimer:  Sometimes decisions need to be made quickly, and followers just need to follow.  But it's the responsibility of the leader to build trust and buy-in before this moment arrives. 
Some ways we can build trust are with a steady hand, clear and appropriate communication, and a self-awareness of the effects of our decisions on both outcomes and people.

A real challenge faced by CEOs and cart-pushers is balancing the outward-facing needs of the organization with the needs of the people who do the work on the inside.  This is actually where VPs and middle management are supposed to step up. 

Unfortunately, middle management gets a bad rap because, in this role, it's easy to settle in to mediocrity and inaction.  

Middle managers are in a uniquely susceptible position: 
A) They do not hold ultimate responsibility.  If the thing fails, someone higher is going to take the blame.
B) It's easy for them to take the credit of their direct reports.  If the product is shiny, they have the ability to take credit that isn't theirs.

I argue that middle management is perhaps the toughest place to lead and self-manage.
For the purpose of this entry, I propose that middle managers are responsible for damping the effects of change.

Damper:  a device that reduces vibration ... like a car's shock absorber.
Not every member of your team needs to feel every unexpected turn and speed bump.  

I also understand that not every member of a team is wired the same way.  Some people value stability, others enjoy the thrill of unexpected change.  The needs of people vary and - guess what - it's up to the leader to figure that out too. 
This is the perfect thing to delegate to inward-facing middle management!
...I never suggested leadership was easy.

We all find ourselves in leadership positions, whether it's parenting, driving the single-file march through Walmart, or leading teams of any size.  Leadership in any context shares a common thread:  It comes with responsibility to its followers.

My revised response  to the question, "Is it hard for you to be a follower?":  

"Followership and obedience are two different things.
I will follow a leader who knows where they are going, has already earned my trust for those times they are unsure, and has the self-awareness and compassion to care about how their decisions affect those of us down the line. 
I will tolerate and obey - to the extent of my obligation - anyone less."

... For the record, Andrew Kissell, I trust your intent when you are dodging and weaving through Walmart, and I'm happy follow behind.

------------
*'Meth head Walmart', affectionately nicknamed by me and my kids based on the clientele.  We know you have a choice when you choose a Walmart.  This one is really big and has groceries, so a visit is worth keeping a tight grip on my purse.

Trust

 "Mom:  Trust."
The kid-size paw was placed on top of my resting, palm-down hand with a firm but gentle pat, loaded with an unexpected surge of wisdom, placed there by my 14-year-old who was teaching me the latest Gen-A slang.  
I've been particularly in tune to his little fingers lately as the rest of him sprouts into a man with uncanny emotional intelligence, whom we suspect will be taller than his father in the next 18 months.

Picturing that gesture and the accompanying word has become a theme for me lately.  I don't think Drew knew in that casual moment how many times I would recall it.

"Trust."

I'm reading The Speed of Trust by Covey Jr.  
Covey presents that Trust in teams directly affects cost and time.  High-trust organizations are effective faster and at a lower cost; low-trust organizations make progress more slowly and at a higher cost.  

It occurred to me while reading this that in my experience with Naval aviation squadrons I was blessed to be immersed in a high-trust environment.  As a group, military aviators tend to work together quickly, efficiently and at a low cost -- in this case, 'cost' being time wasted and even emotional tax on employees.  We trust each other.  We get along.  We agree on what the big, important things are.  Lack of competence kills people so the bar is high and consistent.  Assumptions are made favorably regarding competence and character, until proven wrong.

No wonder I've felt adrift since then as I navigated other parts of the Navy for the last 7 years: an overseas admirals' staff, the big world of the Navy Reserves, and my final duty station on staff at the Leadership & Ethics Center. 
Among peers of mixed designators (Navy job types) I found – among a few gems - a buffet of officers concerned about promotion, pleasing superiors, pointing fingers, trivial minutiae, and doing as little work as possible.  I found shocking few who can deliver and accept feedback with courage.  I found only a smattering who remember how to accomplish old-fashioned, cause-and-effect work. 
These were low-trust environments, and their results are marginally effective and at a high cost -- cost being our warfighting readiness and, more importantly, the buy-in of our people.

The Kissells have taken some leaps in 2025.  We bought the Estate and I've committed to retiring from the Navy.  I jumped back into the helicopter cockpit with both feet, flying a part-time dream job.  All of this has required a lot of faith, but only recently did it occur to me that it requires a renewed trust in other people.

“Trust.”

I'm taken aback by the brazen trust my new employers put in me.  I was pulled in by a friend, flashed them my resume, and interviewed... and they've sunk a substantial investment into my training for a return of only 6-8 days per month and no written contract. 
I'm embarrassed to say that it took me a little while to get on board with the same level of trust for them.   During hiring I wondered if they would come through on our conversations.  Working up to my check ride I wrung my hands in private, worrying that the gap in my flight experience would make a fool out of me. 
One windy afternoon, on short final to a 150-foot helipad atop a gnarly-looking ship nestled up next to a 500-foot tall wind turbine over the water, the right seat pilot said, "this looks like a left-seat landing" and matter-of-factly handed over the controls.  
They believe in me.  The very least I can do is hand over my trust in return.  It's the only way this is going to work. 

“Trust.”

At home, we've handed over the cabin renovation project to New England Tiny Homes.  When we realized what we were really looking at (at the root, foundation issues and substantial framing work), we added up our a la carte expenses and compared the total to the quote Tiny Homes had given us. We realized we weren't saving much by trying to string this project together ourselves, so we put down a deposit and are now passengers on someone else's project timeline.
This is hard.  The advertised "1-2 month design phase" feels like an eternity when I'm accustomed to picking away at research and progress weekly.  There's been a tarp in place of the cabin’s rear wall for three months.  It feels like nothing is happening.
But I must remember: This was a calculated move.  We gave them our money.  I have to trust this hired team or I'm going to drive all of us crazy.

“Trust.”

I don’t remember the topic of the sermon, but our paster recently posed the question, “What is it that you think God wants you to start doing right now?”
“Trust people again.”  That’s what jumped to the front of my mind.

When did I lose that?  When did my trust become so hard-won?

…Was it when my competence was questioned at my last squadron, where I was the only female?  (This wasn’t a consistent occurrence, but once or twice is enough to leave a mark.)

…Was it when my boss on admirals’ staff sold me down the river on accusations and assumptions, fundamentally spitting on my character?

…Was it when I watched my role model get relieved of command based on unfounded questions that our top leaders didn’t want to dirty their hands with?

…Is it when subcontractors try to rip me off or fail to show up?

… Is it simply being a little older and a little wiser?

The truth is, it doesn’t matter.  I can write a story where I’m a victim who’s been burned, but withholding trust is no way to live a life and love on other people.

As I write this I’m on the way home from the funeral celebration of a childhood friend.  I was blessed to connect with Anne again when we lived in Knoxville, and what a gift.  She loved bigger than anyone I know, and like most of my core friendships, I feel undeserving of the relationship. 
Anne has been burned-- yet she loved fiercely, again and again.  She gave her trust willingly.  It’s not foolish, it’s not weak – it’s a true sign of strength.

I have to believe that there’s a line to be walked that allows me to be older and wiser yet leave the door open to trusting humanity.  (The alternative spells out a lonely, paranoid existence.) 

Trust people again.  I’m taking the leap.

 

 

 

 

Property Project Part 4: Guts

 On July 4th, 87C left the keys in our mailbox with a handwritten statement on notebook paper including the date and a witness.  He was really worried about us filing an eviction with the court.  

87C had a lot of help moving out (not by us, we just scheduled the dumpster arrival).  Despite appearing to live a solitary, confined existence, he does have people who care about him and I hope those people are now more accountable for his well-being.  He's 78 with prostate cancer and COPD.  He doesn't want to be a bother.  He pays his bills on time.

Andrew and I knew this place needed to be renovated.  Initially our intent was to raise it to market rent.  But we also knew the cabin was no longer safe nor sanitary, and as new landlords this pegged my 'liability' paranoia.  As soon as we stepped foot in the emptied cabin, we knew we'd done the right thing.  No one should be living like this and someone had to make the call.  

Shame on previous owners for sprucing up the outside with roofing, siding and pretty flowers over the years, while allowing this to fester inside - the rent was paid and the tenant never asked for anything.

I rest my head at night knowing that 87C was treated with respect, grace, and straightforward business dealing by us and our realtor, who helped us rip off the "you've got to go" band-aid.  

We invited our remaining tenants (3rd floor apartment, 20-something couple) to come take a look while we were tearing it apart, so they could better understand why we ended his verbal lease.  They were aghast.  They told us that 87C's family were all wearing masks during the move-out. 
I hope that this realization, paired with the maintenance we've been doing in their unit (mold abatement, leak stoppage, lighting fixtures, faucet), are all they need to understand what kind of landlords we are.  We're about to raise their rent and put them on a written lease, so these efforts to build trust and reputation will hopefully ease the news.

The state of the cabin and our progress over the last 8 days are best described with media.  Below are three sequential video links and a link to a folder of photos.

The disaster clean-up guy told us he couldn't guarantee he could remove the nicotine smell and that it was one of the worst he'd seen.

Andrew removed all of the sheetrock yesterday in about 10 hours.  (What an animal!)  It finally doesn't smell like smoke.

https://youtu.be/9r2VB5deaMU

https://youtu.be/IQB2-abiVl8

https://youtu.be/2KJ5HXKg9Ik

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YmKotckj2RQaxZ7Zo2HIXdGWWDKSSavu?usp=drive_link

Each of our 5 doors need our attention all at once right now: 
- Last weekend we moved our furniture out of Wampanoag (left behind for the AirBnB period) and I'm doing one last clean for the inbound long-term tenants.
- 87C
- We got a bite for a furnished rental on the empty front cabin, so we've been furnishing that with Wampanoag spares and giving it a deep clean + minor maintenance.
- The house we live in now needs to be unpacked some more since getting our things from Wampanoag.  But Glory!: Andrew is off an inflatable mattress for the first time since March.  And we have real bathroom trash cans again.
- Working with our lawyer on the 3rd floor written lease.
... we wanted this, we're happy to be here, and we're exhausted.

We've sunk about $1200 on dumpster fees for the cabin renovation (we had to have it emptied and re-delivered!) and now we pause, think, enjoy some July travel, and rekindle our conversations with the experts.  

Property Project Part 3: Heating Up

Summer is taking its time to arrive in Rhode Island this year, and no one is complaining because we know it will find us.

We hosted an open house in the middle of June, which felt a little awkward since we still aren't totally moved in (furniture at our Wampanoag AirBnB)... but people who love us showed up and explored the property in the rain, filling the house with laughter and our slightly-overwhelmed hearts with encouragement. 

I'm glad we took the time to share what we're doing before our spare minutes are absorbed by projects we've been waiting to start.

We officially broke ground on June 6th with the addition of a gravel drive connecting the main road behind us to the rear cabin!

This should be a multiplier when it's time to rent it out - short or long term - as it gives the tenant(s) a way to access the unit without parking in our family drive and hiking across our backyard.  We didn't know this was the first step to renovations but when it occurred to us, it was obvious.

Bonus: We got to work with Wolfe Construction a third time.  This is the outfit who filled in the pool at Wampanoag and came back later to trench some much-needed drainage on that property.  Richard and his crew are truly a class act and an impressive self-made small business.  We recently put together that we know the same local billionaire, so that doesn't hurt!

Since Richard had graciously freshened up our barn gravel, Andrew couldn't let the facelift go unfished and tackled the 3rd-floor apartment entrance with the power washer!  Satisfying before/after power washing photos for your pleasure:

June 7 - Unexpected vacancy of the front cabin.  This was a good tenant - a quiet, enlisted Navy guy (and oboist for Navy Band Northeast).  He acknowledged that he owed us rent through July ... so we have some time before we start feeling the vacancy.  It turns out to be a real advantage to have unfettered access to the place so we can get in there, get to know it and what it needs, show it on short notice, and clean/repair to our standards.

Early June - 87C (rear cabin tenant) disappears for 2 days.  Is this it??  Or is his car just missing?  This length of absence is unprecedented.
Recap:  87C is the tenant whose 'verbal rental agreement has been terminated' as of July 3rd.  He's been there for 18 years and his cabin is not safe nor hygienic for human habitation.  He's got to go so we can bring it up to standards, and rent closer to market rate to a non-smoker.

Early June - After searching for and pondering a product robust enough for teenage boys, yet classic-looking enough for a house built in 1865, I settled on a dozen doorknobs on Wayfair and ordered them.  Andrew starts 'picking through' the project (replacing most interior knobs) with a gusto and the kids are unexpectedly stoked about the upgrade (shouts of "Hurray!!").  Turns out privacy is a real commodity in this house.

Entirety of June - Now I know how to create and list an apartment on Zillow (front cabin), conduct tours and write a lease.  We are still waiting for the right tenant and are considering taking steps to make it an AirBnB (furnish + wire smoke alarms for fire marshal inspection - we know this routine from the Wampanoag permit process).  
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/81-Freeborn-St-Portsmouth-RI-02871/2112430098_zpid/ 

June - It's time to call in the [licensed] big guns.
I'm intimidated by this part of the cabin renovation.  We've decided not to hire to a contractor and, instead, string together the renovation ourselves with the required help of some professionals.  If it requires a permit, we're hiring a guy (or gal).

But I don't know any guys or gals who can wire, plumb or drywall.  I've got to get on the socials and start cold-calling people.

Luckily, I know a bad-A at our church who oversaw the complete renovation of an athletic club into a sanctuary, so we started there with a brain-picking session and left with some great advice and a little more confidence.  "You guys can do it!"  Thanks Kristine P. :)

Her advice:
You can have two of these three:  Time, Budget, Scope.  Figure out where you're willing to budge.

I started with a plumber.  He was recommend by a friend at the local pilot breakfast I attend about once a month (aka "gentlemen who can afford to own airplanes"). 
Dear Mr. Plumber: I have two cabins, both of which I'm hoping to eventually equip with a washer and dryer.  What are we looking at here?
Answer:  A complete bathroom remodel on the front cabin; a complete plumbing refit on the rear cabin (due to its antiquated system).  By the way, he said on this way out, please let me send someone out to fix that leaky sink.  Ok.

Called a couple of electricians and got a call back from a guy who parks his work van down the street from me.  Score:  We are indeed neighbors and this guy is great with us.  He said he was reminded of our projects whenever he drove home down his street, to which I replied, "Good!  I've got you right where I want you. ;)"
The ask:  I have two cabins; I want to be able to run a washer/dryer, mini-split and electrical stove in each (divorce from propane).  How do we do this?
We got some good advice on bringing the front cabin up to code, which is installing GFCIs everywhere -- something Andrew can do.  However, this unit is a long way from installing 240V outlets.  It doesn't even have a panel -- it's on a fuse box!

The rear cabin is more interesting.  It's only getting 50 amps, and most homes are rated for 100A.  The tenant couldn't run an A/C unit if he wanted to.  Upgrading the service requires digging a trench through our backyard from the main house to the cabin (all electrical comes in through the main house), and then a complete rewire.  Ok.

Trenching:

Electrician Dan:  You guys need to call DigSafe to have your utilities marked before my landscaper trenches through your backyard.

DigSafe:  Cox doesn't care about their cable lines ("Cleared to dig!" even though I can clearly see cable coming out of the cabin).  Water doesn't care about anything past the tap in to the city water main at the street, and electric never responded, which is fine, because we're not going to keep using the original lines anyway.
But I'm really concerned about water coming in and sewage going out of that cabin.

I pursue the water question and wind up scheduling an appointment with the Portsmouth Water & Fire Operations manager to come over and "trace the lines" in my backyard.  Nathan the Water Guy knows his stuff and could not be more kind!  He is familiar with this house and its water supply and history.  He keeps apologizing for news he's delivering.  I keep telling him to stop apologizing and keep educating me.  He patiently answers my questions for the better part of an hour and here is what I learned:
The rear cabin is supplied water from the main house through something called "well tubing", since the property used to run on a well.  Because of this, the lines can't be traced since they're not metal.  *When* the old well tubing springs a leak, it has to be replaced by copper pipes.  And also, every separate residence in Portsmouth is required to have its own water supply and meter from the town (supply runs under most streets).  Both of my cabins are routed through the main house.

The front cabin used to be on well tubing and did spring a leak in 2016.  The owners 'petitioned the board' to have the new copper piping routed from the main house, so if we wanted to do that again, precedence exists (and Nathan happens to be on the board).  

This would become an issue *when* the well tubing leaks.  So, we're clear to proceed with our renovations but we should probably be saving up for our new tap in to the city water main at some point in the next few years.  And don't worry about trenching -- that well tubing is way deeper than an electrical trench needs to dig.

Ok.

Drywall:  While I'm getting schooled by Nathan the Water Guy, my quote finally comes in for drywall and ceilings.  I'm just gonna leave this right here:  It's almost $20,000.

Mystery solved:  87C didn't disappear.  His car was being used by a family member.  When drywall came by for the quote, he spent an oddly in-depth amount of time in the 450 sq ft square, and I spent that time with 87C, standing in the breezy sunshine, listening.  Listening about car trouble, listening about his dissatisfaction with how his termination [of tenancy] was delivered, listening to him talk about how much he loves Portsmouth. 
Me too, buddy.  But this is not a healthy place for you to live.  He did hand me his propane bill and asked how he could recoup the money spent on gas remaining in the tanks, so I took this as a good sign that he was taking steps toward moving out.

It occurred to me that when I pray almost daily for God to use me for his good, perhaps that good is the service of listening to people who need to talk.  When this feels like a one-way delivery, patient listening is not something that comes naturally or even joyfully to me.  But I wonder if it's exactly what God is using me for in those moments.

Since I'm human and I couldn't wait another 3-4 weeks, and 87C hadn't disappeared, I went ahead and told him that "tenant parking has been located to the rear lot" so we could start reclaiming our driveway.  

Money:

I could blink and spend $120,000 on a cabin that won't recoup that for 10 years. 

This is good information to have, and forced me to go to the spreadsheets.  Myers-Briggs would applaud me taking their decision-making advice:  1) Gather all the details, 2) take a step back, 3) weigh the facts, then 4) evaluate how this affects people.

Taking a step back for me means stopping.  Doing something else.  Letting the mind wander.  Sleeping on it.  I do have the need to process verbally so 'taking a step back' doesn't really happen until I purge everything on Andrew and leave him dizzied.  

Weighing the facts:  We don't have them all yet!  We really don't know what we're getting in to here.  Is this a 'go big or go home' scenario where we include a cabin addition and splurge for some tree work?  Or is this a 'bare bones' renovation to make the place AirBnB-able until we can phase in larger expenses?  Or is there something in between that's a wise use of money and can be built upon later?

The lesson remains the same as it has since January:  We're going to have to take this one step at a time.

A huge step is the vacancy and we need to make sure we pause and are grateful when it happens.

The next step is clearing out the unit and seeing what we're working with.  We've planned our dumpster rental and our time off... I went ahead and scheduled a restoration cleaning service to come in and see if they can save the walls and ceiling from decades of mold and nicotine.  

How does this affect people:  We didn't skip this step.  It's not ok for someone to be living in the condition of the rear cabin.  Someone had to make this call.

More money:

Would you believe it, right in the middle of all of this Andrew received a disability rating from the VA, backdated to before closing.  This means we'll be fully refunded our VA funding fee - equal to a significant chunk of renovation costs.

Late June:

During a busy Saturday on the property, 87C had three vehicles worth of people show up and start removing trash bags from the rear cabin.  Signs point to vacancy on July 3rd.  It's reassuring to see that he has people who are showing up for him.

Rest:  We are so grateful for Becki's (Andrew's sister) visit this month and forcing us to have some fun and enjoy a little stay-cation!  Last night Andrew had some friends over for ping-pong, and Drew had a rotating door of 14-year-old buddies playing badminton and munching ice cream cones.  It's not lost on me that work is slow and I have time for property projects and to play a support role for my all-star team at home.  

One step at a time.  Plan. Think. Collaborate. Breathe. Pray. Do.