Day Three was interesting, to say the least. Our plan was for me to power wash the outside while Brian tackled other projects. The previous owners had warned us about water issues, so they had turned off the water at the street. Brian turned the water back on, and we went hunting for leaks in the house.
For full disclosure, we budgeted for a full repipe of the home when we purchased it. As soon as we opened the front door, we were greeted by the sound of rain coming from the guest bathroom! The leak was inside the bathroom wall, so we immediately shut the water off again. No power washing for me.
Our original plan was to focus on the exterior first to signal to any connections of the old owner that this house was under new ownership. Plus, we wanted to get the pool area functional so the kids could swim while we worked. With no power washing in our future, Brian called our standby plumber earlier than anticipated. The plumber will come to install two hose spigots for water supply in the front and back yards and cap the line into the house. Once demo is complete and walls are exposed, we'll turn the main line back on. He's coming tomorrow morning to assess the project further.
With no water for power washing, we decided to see what we could do with the pool. You might be wondering why we don't just empty the pool? That was our first thought too. Every person we spoke to said that would be your absolute last resort. First, you need to get it clear to determine if you need a new liner. If we had just emptied it, it would "break the seal" on the liner and possibly rip it, especially with the weight of the debris on there. In the end, we might have to drain it, but first, they said to see if you need to spend about $500 versus thousands for the cost of a new liner. A friend recommended their pool person, and by the time Brian met with them and I returned from lunch with the kids, they were already getting to work, giving Brian a crash course in pool maintenance. We shocked the pool with 4 lbs of chlorine, swept, and used the skimmer to remove leaves and pine needles. In about 12 hours, we’ll add “yellow out” and more chlorine. Cleaning out the basket filter took up most of the day; it’s more work than you’d think!
To end the day, I tackled the neglected exterior. I started figuring out where the patio concrete around the pool began and ended. After dealing with 4-6 inches of overgrowth and earning some blisters from using a shovel and various tools, we finally uncovered it. I’m still on the hunt to see if there was a walkway of some sort—TBD on that one.
Tomorrow will be busy. We have a fresh dumpster and plan to empty the rest of the house so we can start serious demo work. The plumber should be coming out, and I’m guessing we’ll fill up another dumpster. Who knows what other surprises await us!
Stay tuned for more updates!