The House That Faith Built: Moving Forward

(This is the fourth post in a series titled “The House That Faith Built”. Click here to read the first post, here for the second post, and here for the third.)

Moving Forward

Deciding to move forward with this project did not make the actual process of doing it any easier. While we now had a clear direction, the real work had just begun. Before now this whole thing was hypothetical, a dream we were reaching for and contemplating. Reaching out to an attorney was the first step in taking this dream and turning it into a reality.

We set out to begin the closing process with a local attorney. We began working feverishly to try andfinalize the floor plans. Daily we were researching everything from kitchen faucets to paint colors. The options were endless, however, our budget was not. I began questioning every decision we made and dreaming at night of kitchen disasters, too small bathrooms, and every possible thing that could derail the whole project.

Yet finally, the day was here. We closed on the property in the attorney’s office in the late afternoon. It was a strange closing with simply the buyers, the sellers, and the attorney. No mountain of paperwork. No loan documents. And no key exchange since we already were in possession of a copy. Just a legal description of the property, a copy of the deed, and a check to cover the costs.

And just like that, we were done. We owned a house. An unlivable, run down, shell of a building.

Yet, it was ours and filled with possibilities.

One Door Closes And Another One Opens

WIth the closing done, and legal ownership ours, we set out to work with the contractor and the bank. We needed to finalize the details for both of them. It was time to take all the dreams and all the planning and make decisions. Time to finalize where walls were coming out, where walls were going in, and what each room was going to be.

One of the biggest decisions we had to make was with the size of the home.

Originally a single family home, over the years previous owners had expanded the footprint to 2,800 square feet. The last owner that occupied the building had turned it into a 3-unit apartment building. Some of the additions were more than questionable in structure and additional foundations showed evidence they could not safely support any part of a building.

There were many conversations, both between my husband and I, and us with the contractor, about what to do with these additional structures, the foundations they were on, and the spaces themselves.

Then finally, one day, it was done. The estimate from the contractor was final. The floorplan was meticulously drawn to scale – both as the building was and as the building would be. Documentation was gathered and organized and we set out to officially apply for the loan. Just one more step in the process of moving forward. One more step in turning this dream into a reality.

The loan officer set a closing date for the loan for a month later and there was nothing left to do except wait for the final decision.

Waiting Is The Hardest Part

In the six weeks or so from when we applied for the loan until when the contractor could begin we were not idle. We continued to work on anything that would allow the work to go faster – anything that would cut down on labor we had to pay for.

We also kept looking for all the things. The faucets and cabinets, carpeting and flooring options, and everything in between. I became very familiar with both the Lowe’s and Home Depot websites. I spent hours finding things that might work or just looking for inspiration.

Then one day we got the call from the bank. The loan was approved and a closing date had been set.

The actual closing was supposed to be about and hour… it took almost two. As with every aspect of this project so far there were hiccups.

Yet there it was in black and white – the terms of the loan and the date the funds would be available. The funds that were going to allow us to take all of this from a dream and a plan to a reality.

It was a surreal experience too. Here we were, a year and a half after we started the process, and a full year later than we thought signing documents to allow us to be able to repair this house. We were finally signing the documents that we had only dreamed about.

Ready, Set, Begin!

We were finally another step closer. The home was ours. The loan was closed. Two very big hurdles were in our past, yet we still had a long way to go. The real work, the hard work, had yet to start.

The contractor began a couple of weeks after closing. We knew all along that the roof was his first priority. Without getting a new roof on the building the risk of damaging everything was real. There was no point in repairing the electrical, the plumbing, or even working on insulation without first making sure the roof was not going to leak.

Honestly, I had no idea how he was going to do it. It was winter. In Maine. Snow was already on the ground and a reality for the next several months. Doubt started creeping as the day for the work to begin started approaching. Fear that it wouldn’t be completed on time. Concerns about the budget and the decisions yet to come. Uncertainty that starting a building project this time of year wasn’t the smartest move…

Yet the work started. With a major snowstorm in the forecast, the contractor and his crew worked feverishly to get the roof prepped and the new roof installed. They worked rapidly and the project changed in just mere hours. Progress was evident despite the freezing cold temperatures and lack of a heating source in the house.

In less than a week, the house had a brand new roof. A major project was crossed off the list and another obvious improvement was made. This was a big step and now we could finally begin working on the inside and see just what The House That Faith Built was going to become.

The journey is not over yet! Continue with part 5, A Season For Everything, here.