Four Square Nightmare?

We have a new propane furnace and heat pump!  It was a bit of a struggle and honestly, we had no heat one night but it has been a week and it has been great. When we bought the house on October 3, 2023 we knew that we would need a new oil tank or a new furnace. The home inspector said that because the tank was so old it would need to replaced. We had people come in and give us estimates for a new oil tank, new propane furnace with heat pump or an electric furnace with heat pump. Explored geothermal, (VERY expensive), I wanted to go for an outdoor wood furnace but my husband would not support (I expect it reminding him of growing up and having to chop wood for his parent's place when he was growing up and once was enough.)  My first thought was an electric furnace with heat pump and we would install solar on the property to help offset the cost of hydro. So I looked it up. Two month before we could get Hydro One into the area to disconnect us from the grid so we could install a...

I actually thought (this was before the plumbers did out soil stack on Thursday) that I might be winning the war against the mice and squirrels. But then the soil stack was removed and this is what the plumbers found.  Yes, We have another surprise! Someone, in their wisdom, cut a hole in the foundation to run water and heat out to the extension. CUT A HOLE IN THE FOUNDATION!!!!! And not a little one.  No idea how much this is going to cost, but yeah, just one more thing to fix. Good thing we have so many stones on our property. You can see the piers that the extension is resting on- and yeah that will have to be fixed too. A project for summer.  This is why our inspector did not find the hole. Styrafoam. That's it. This ranks with sticking cloth into the holes in the masonry and basement windows so that the mice would have a nice place to sleep. Critters 3-Karen 1 (I give myself one point as the mice in the attic seem to be routed by the poison.)

This has been a jam packed renovation week! But I need to tell you the story of my stinky house. My house stinks. Literally. Oh, I have scrubbed, washed, rinsed, vacuumed, put out Damp Rid and other stuff but every time the toilet flushed there it was...eau de toilette. It was one reason the need for a new septic tank was so urgent- until it wasn't.  Gradually, as we've lived here and tackled the plumbing, the scent of sewage became less of an issue. My septic tank doesn't flood. The ground in the leach field is not soggy. The drains don't gasp for breathe as we flush, wash or rinse. But the stink did not leave our house entirely and was of course present every time we flushed. When we first started living here the smell permeated everything, but over time became just a faint whiff, always there. It has driven me crazy.  And now we know why there was always the faint whiff of sewage in our house. The plumbers have put us out of our misery. Thank goodness.  The upstairs ...

 Well, the house has had it's last jacking this past week and so far no ceilings have caved in! Woot!!!! (Just imagine the look on my face when Chris told me some of the workmen from Levelit had mentioned it was a possibility!) This has been a good weekend. Went to a lovely concert in Kingston (Melos!) and got to see the grandkids and watch the Santa Claus Parade and strip wallpaper from what will be Chris's future office (not all at the same time of course!)  Ceiling damage from the window air conditioner and the jacking. My biggest fear is that when I take the paper off the ceiling will come down! To steam this or not to steam this will be a big question.... The blah paper to be removed- everywhere else (except the kitchen) the paper is charming (but will be removed!) But this is boring, damaged and just ugh.  We've worked to clear out all the boxes and bookcases so the room is empty now.  I did this section first with a spray bottle of water and a scrapper. Took m...