Those last things.

Sorry it has been so long since the last post! I've been so busy with the new job and family goings-on, I have not had time to do much at 615 or post about it.

But good news: The framer/carpenter got the last work done – including the (not cheap) new insulation for the ceiling over the back bedroom/office and new bathroom – and so the final inspection came in approved this week. That felt like a huge accomplishment!

The framer/carpenter has also built lovely custom-oak vestibules transitions for the doorways of the kitchen and finished up All That Molding. He also fixed the top step of the basement stairs so it is no longer uneven. All those little things that make the place feel right.

The place looks terrific, and now I just need to do a bunch of touch-up painting, polyurethane those oak transitions, finish the trim painting upstairs, get Habitat to take away all the stuff they can re-use, get a dumpster for the rest, and clean, clean, clean, and we'll be ready.

Milkweed has popped up all over the front yard, and I'll take it out soon. I just couldn't bring myself to do it while the butterflies and honeybees were feasting on it, but now there's plenty for them to eat elsewhere.

Meanwhile, we got close to 7 inches of rain this week as the remnants of Beryl came through and 615 did very well with that monumental test! There was one small wet spot in the basement, the only water I've ever seen in that house after a storm. Meanwhile, our basement and old garage got pretty wet, although nothing we haven't seen before.

It was a very good reminder of why we went through all this to save two big trees. To quote from the deed restriction we have now placed on 615:

"Bob [the white oak] and Ann [the black walnut] absorb substantial amounts of water following rains, keeping that water from around our foundations and keeping it from draining into the sewer system, where it will unnecessarily be treated with chemicals before discharge into the Red Cedar River.  A mature oak tree can soak up as much as 40,000 gallons of water per year, and a mature black walnut up to around 10,000 gallons per year.  Cutting down mature trees adds to flooding risks, particularly because the soil is left with a tangle of dead roots that get in the way of absorption."

Bob and Ann, like all the trees in the neighborhood, look particularly lush right now as they suck up all the water around us. They are heroes in the era of climate change, and we should treat them as such.

Back inside, the framer/carpenter got all the handles and mirrors and whatnot put up for me. Even pre-cleaning, the new bathroom looks terrific:

Throughout the house, the new central air is working wonderfully. The house is cool and dry and comfortable.

I'll get the HVAC vents cleaned in the next couple of weeks to make sure whoever buys the house doesn't have construction dust circulating, and I'll have the plumber come back to make sure the sewer line is also cleared of any debris that might have dropped in during construction.

So yes, we'll be putting it on the market...soon. It's all about my own schedule now.

There is probably just one more deed restriction we'll put in before sale, namely prohibiting the house from having a rental license while we own our home. Right now, East Lansing is facing a possible change in definitions around housing with a charter amendment. The pro-side says it won't lead to more student rentals. The con-side says it will be a disaster.

Reading the amendment, and knowing the actors on each side, I think the pro-side is probably right – it'll all be for the good – but I'm not interested in finding out the hard way. This way there'll be no doubt that whomever buys it won't turn this charming house into a trashed rental. We look forward to having neighbors who live in the house they own, and love it as we do.

I'm feeling very good about what we've done for this house and for our neighborhood. We've fixed decades of issues and made it cozy, comfortable, and charming. We've employed great people, generating equity and using that to pay local craftspeople. No regrets.