So a short trip to try to sort out a few things… and try to get a handle on what needs to be done….and the list is LONG……most things we knew about…some (rather large ones) we did not know about….when we closed and took possession the house was a crazy mess.  J-1 got a crew in there and really cleaned out a lot of stuff and got the major stuff taken care of –for example, cleaning out the fridge…..where a rat had eaten thru the back panel of the freezer and peed in the freezer (ummmm buh bye Fridge…….), hauling a couple of truckloads to the dump, starting to power wash the exterior,  removing the evidence of rodent infestation and their dogs (which i think weren’t out very often….?) so a large list still remains,  a deep cleaning of all the rooms (which are filthy) re-grouting or simply grouting tile that was never grouted , cleaning up stone and tile (and trying to fix areas that are in serious disrepair, painting………LOTS OF PAINTING…….to try to stave off the need to replace the rails immediately……repair of the roof. New windows and doors….or replace some, repair others….. The pool is a mess– but might be able to be brought back to life– but is on a circuit that is a bit sketchy….. (yep, the electrician, who i will call J-2 was there and he just shook his head a lot…….)–Pretty much all the appliances have to go….(signs of rat infestation in the oven and probably the dishwasher and obviously the fridge) and wondering if the cabinets can be cleaned up– they are decent quality cabinets (kraftmaid) and fairly new — though they are pretty beat in certain areas  –but a total kitchen overhaul was NOT in the budget ….. <<sigh>>–   I brought down two big bags of stuff, but couldn’t really leave them at the house since there was no secure area to leave them and the place just will have too much going on — so unfortunately imposing on a friend to hang onto them until i can get someone in to change out a lock… So some pictures so you get an idea of the place …  Bonus of the trip was that J-1 said he would act as the point person/fore person for us and so that is great– someone in charge who we really like.   met also with solar people, tile person, cleaning person, and talked to the exterminator…..as much as i don’t like to exterminate, i think this calls for it……visit to STJ hardware and pardise lumber to set up an account and then the Paint Depot in St Thomas where we dropped just over 800 on painting and roofing materials….. reality is beginning to sink in…..

very small bathrooms all are like this — will change out the sinks and try to upgrade it a bit with new tile (again,,,probably not immediately?)