Everything But the House
I got a bit of a late start today. I had to get my oil changed this morning, so I didn't get to the farm until after 10:00 A.M. But as always, the list of projects was never-ending, so we started with a pretty big one: finish pulling the rest of the posts out of the east side of the barn.
I counted, and (surprisingly!) there were eight left. Sheesh! But Dad and I went right at it. I elected to keep the fence connected on the posts, as I didn't have any need for it otherwise. And once we started lifting the first pole out of the ground, wouldn't ya know it, the second pole started coming, too! And once the first pole got even higher, the third pole started coming, too! We might be on to something here!!!
With the first pole mostly out, I started jacking up the fourth pole. But unfortunately, it was so rotten that it broke.
And the third pole was already broke. So I have two broken poles under the ground. Boo.
And then my sister and niece showed up, so we got to take an hour break! Nothing wrong with that! I LOVE LOVE LOVE when the girls come out. There is nothing more exciting than watching a child out in the open country. So eager to explore and learn.
"Dede, where the kittens"? ha! They were here on a mission! But first! I had to introduce my youngest niece to the two little chicks and Momma. And then to the seven older chicks. And THEN to the kittens. We were only able to reach one kitten, but it was eager for attention. It had no problem running up and being picked up. Now is the perfect time to love on them.
Of course, being at a farm, the girls had to explore, too. They checked out the pigs, the kittens, the chicks, and were eager to help out. "We have to pick the eggs!" I used my niece to water the pigs, too. "Papa, need water!"
Seriously, farms are so beautiful. It's one of the many reasons why I bought the place. I just love the family part of it. There is always something to do, from the 64-year-old man down to the 5-year-old girl.
While the girls were there, I had a family come out to pick up some sand I had (again) listed yesterday for free. I have soooooooo much to get rid of. I've had a few takers so far, but it's just not making a dent. But they took more away, and I'll take it!
Once the girls left, we finished bringing up the rest of the poles. With the jack, they lifted out so easily.
We were off to take a late lunch break when I called the guy I am going to use for hay. He said he could be by in ten minutes! Agh!!! So I turned around to meet him. And what an eclectic fella! He is super easy to talk to, but he is a bit on the odd side! ha! But he loved the pasture and said he would have no problem baling it all...roughly six acres. He didn't know what to expect out of the area, but he thought 200-300 bales. The plan is for me to keep them and sell them from my place. At $4 a bale, that may not be too shabby of a plan! Of course, I'll have to split the profits with him, but it's a nice way to keep the pasture mowed while getting paid for the land. A win-win.
We took a late lunch break after 2:00 P.M. We staked Mom's new tree and then headed back to the farm.
Once back at the farm, we tackled a fairly big project. It wasn't even remotely on my list of things to do, but it sure needed to be done. For whatever reason, the previous owner had had a burn pile directly in the MIDDLE of the pasture. It's now my hay field. But it just an absolute mess of junk. And lots and lots of screws and nails. Now that I have a guy likely baling hay here in the next week (it's ready), I couldn't bear the thought of him getting a flat tire over something in my pasture.
So I made this pretty big project our go-to project this afternoon. It was going to take some effort (more than I realized), but it certainly needed to be done. We grabbed the magnet roller, a wheelbarrow, and the tiller. The plan was to pick up all of the screws and nails, till it, and then pick up the other screws and nails that we found.
Clink. Clink. Clink clink. The magnet roller was picking up screws and nails left and right. And hinges. And railroad spikes. And so many other pieces of scrap. Clink. Clink clink. Wow, this area is messy. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to clean up this dirty area.
After we picked up the top layer of metal, I tilled it up to get the screws and nails that were somewhat buried (it was kind of a cake-y mess with the soot and ashes). And that's when we noticed the numerous tree stumps. This was a burn pile in order to get rid of tree stumps...something that was never quite successful.
So then I grabbed my stump grinder (it's sooooooooo nice to have the right tools). And I ground up stumps for a little over an hour. There must have been a large tree or a mess of trees here, because there were numerous stumps and roots. But little by little, the area looked better and better.
I ground stumps, then tilled, then took the magnet over the area. Grind more, till more, magnet more. And EVERY time, the magnet just clanged with noise. Clink, clink, clink. It was never-ending!!!
Nails, screws, hinges, spikes, and more. At one point I said, "This is so sad." Another time, I said, "You ever feel like your work is just cleaning up someone else's mess"? There is probably more to that statement in ALL of life than is warranted here, but it was just SO FRUSTRATING to be doing this. Had the farmer never had this burn pile IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD, this would never have had to been done. So aggravating.
But it needed done, so we did it. Grind, till, magnet. The clinks were getting less and less (albeit still regular), and the tiller was able to do most of the area without lunging forward over roots, so I knew we were getting close.
Finally, around 5:30, we called it a day. The area was SO MUCH better. I know there is still metal in there, but what a difference. Let a nice rain bring some more metal to the surface, then grass seed it, and let the grass grow over the metal forever.
I would imagine we removed a couple to a few hundred screws from the mess. Unbelievable.
This farm has had the theme of: "Cleaning Up Someone Else's Mess."
And then tonight I had an appointment with a local contractor. I had put a post out on the internet last week about needing a crew to demo the interior of the house. This guy responded eagerly, saying he could tackle it and more. He said he had the ability to do the demo, the remodel, the clean-up of the property, and whatever else I needed.
Well, let's just say that the evening did not go as planned. I basically just let the guy talk, and talk he did. The more he talked, the more I realized this was not the relationship I wanted with my contractor. And I REALLY believe that it's a relationship. If I am going to have a guy working on a house for 4-6 months, I really need to like him, respect him, appreciate him, and trust him. This guy just...talked himself out of a job.
First, he came in super high with his one quote. He refused to give me a quote on the entire project but simply said, "I'd like to do this at an hourly rate. You pay me every Friday, and if there is a time when the payments are higher than the money you are taking in, then you just ask me to quit."
Such an odd concept. I understand that he was trying to get me to pay as he went and if I didn't have the money to not get behind, but that's not at all the game-plan here. I am wanting and needing the entire job completed. Hence I need a number. The premise of his comments were actually not to help me but to help him. He was leaving HIS number open-ended, and the more he talked, the more that became apparent (more on that later).
So what did he quote? He quoted me at $50/hour to do the demo job. Per person. And he said he would put his wife on the project (red flag #1). Why was this a red flag? Well, he mentioned that she would just be there to monitor the one worker (to make sure he worked...red flag #2). But it was not lost on me that this forewoman was being paid the same $50/hour as the actual worker.
"But if you want it to go faster, I can send three guys." And then he got out a calculator and said he expected it to take 20 days with three people. Mind you, I did one room myself in one day. At this rate, this would mean my house had 60 rooms. He said I would be paying $1200/day, and so over the 20 days, he quoted me at $25,000 to demo the interior of my house.
Oh, oh, but it gets even better!!! He refused to take the items off the property. "I will also charge you $1000 to dig a big hole in your yard, and we will just bury the plaster and lath." I couldn't even believe my ears. This was NOT what I was told over the messages over the internet. "Well, we just want to save you money."
FALSE. It was so apparent that HE was wanting to save HIM money. So he was charging me $25,000 to just knock off walls, burn the lath, and bury the plaster on my own property. I couldn't get this guy off my property fast enough.
But it wasn't over. He wasn't even doing the whole house!!! He didn't like my idea of removing all of the plaster and lath, so he said he was going to keep up the ceilings that had plywood over them and just drywall over top. Of course, that's an issue with the old wiring, the crumbling plaster, and who knows what else, but he was again looking for the easy way out.
So $25,000 to do a partial demo of the house, not really even remove anything from the property, and done by a family member and a guy who may or may not work if not monitored?
I was wasting my time. My frustration level was increasing. And this guy was literally driving me nuts. I was surprised he couldn't see it in my face...although I think he started to see it.
I told him I would let him know tonight...which I did. No, no, and no. My response? "I am just going to do the work myself to keep $25,000 in my pocket. Thanks for coming out."
His response? "That was only a guess. I might be able to do it for $12,000 if you help."
I didn't even respond.
I am so frustrated. I am frustrated by people. I am frustrated by silly quotes. I am frustrated by comments such as "This work really isn't rocket science," followed by "We usually charge $65/hour but will give you a good rate of $50/hour."
I am frustrated by him telling me a story about a customer who paid him every Friday just like he likes with an open-ended never-ending project. "I ended up getting $40,000 from that guy out of a simple bathroom remodel. I sure didn't complain."
I mean, the more this guy talked, the more I was shoving him away.
I could go on with more stories, but it just pains me to even mention what he would say! Needless to say, I am not going with him. Ugh.
So I am in a pickle. I REALLY need to get this house done. It has had no movement in weeks. I am basically turning a corner where I realize that I have to do the dirty work. I have to gut it. I need to take it down to studs, then find an electrician, a plumber, a drywaller, and a contractor to finish bathrooms and kitchen. I really think that each person needs about 10 days. I need a solid 14 days to gut. But the rest should be able to do each of theirs in 10 days.
Two more things about the contractor. For the interior work only: "I might be able to have you done by Thanksgiving." "I would say $125,000 for the whole thing."
But from a guy that is charging $1200/day to swing a hammer with his wife, I'm not sure he would stop at $125,000. He was allllllll about those open-ended checks every Friday. He even mentioned that he had customers who just left him blank checks. He loved it.
I'm sure you did. Now get off my property.
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| Eight poles remain from the old cattle chute and fence. |
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| The first pole lifted up the second pole which lifted up the third pole! We might be on to something here! |
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| This pole broke under the ground due to rot. Boo. |
And then my sister and niece showed up, so we got to take an hour break! Nothing wrong with that! I LOVE LOVE LOVE when the girls come out. There is nothing more exciting than watching a child out in the open country. So eager to explore and learn.
 |
| Checking out the sleeping pigs. They are so big! |
Of course, being at a farm, the girls had to explore, too. They checked out the pigs, the kittens, the chicks, and were eager to help out. "We have to pick the eggs!" I used my niece to water the pigs, too. "Papa, need water!"
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| My niece watering the pigs. She thinks she is big stuff. |
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| Checking to see how full the tank is. |
While the girls were there, I had a family come out to pick up some sand I had (again) listed yesterday for free. I have soooooooo much to get rid of. I've had a few takers so far, but it's just not making a dent. But they took more away, and I'll take it!
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| More sand gone. More sand to give away! |
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| The poles came out easily today. I used a sawz-all to cut the fence in between so we could handle them. |
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| The old fence is all down! The chicken coop is now in an odd spot, but we will (somehow) move it. The barn is almost there by itself now! Woo hoo! |
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| The front hay field is definitely ready for a spring cutting! |
Once back at the farm, we tackled a fairly big project. It wasn't even remotely on my list of things to do, but it sure needed to be done. For whatever reason, the previous owner had had a burn pile directly in the MIDDLE of the pasture. It's now my hay field. But it just an absolute mess of junk. And lots and lots of screws and nails. Now that I have a guy likely baling hay here in the next week (it's ready), I couldn't bear the thought of him getting a flat tire over something in my pasture.
 |
| The old burn pile in the middle of the pasture. Notice the burned stumps. |
Clink. Clink. Clink clink. The magnet roller was picking up screws and nails left and right. And hinges. And railroad spikes. And so many other pieces of scrap. Clink. Clink clink. Wow, this area is messy. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to clean up this dirty area.
 |
| One of probably at least 30 magnet loads of metal from the burn pile. Unbelievable. This is where either animals or tractors hang out! |
So then I grabbed my stump grinder (it's sooooooooo nice to have the right tools). And I ground up stumps for a little over an hour. There must have been a large tree or a mess of trees here, because there were numerous stumps and roots. But little by little, the area looked better and better.
I ground stumps, then tilled, then took the magnet over the area. Grind more, till more, magnet more. And EVERY time, the magnet just clanged with noise. Clink, clink, clink. It was never-ending!!!
 |
| Some of the various metal pulled out today. Hinges, screws, nails, railroad spikes, hose clamps, oil filter, and so much more. It's maddening! |
But it needed done, so we did it. Grind, till, magnet. The clinks were getting less and less (albeit still regular), and the tiller was able to do most of the area without lunging forward over roots, so I knew we were getting close.
Finally, around 5:30, we called it a day. The area was SO MUCH better. I know there is still metal in there, but what a difference. Let a nice rain bring some more metal to the surface, then grass seed it, and let the grass grow over the metal forever.
 |
| Most of the metal is gone. The stumps are gone. It's ready for grass! |
This farm has had the theme of: "Cleaning Up Someone Else's Mess."
And then tonight I had an appointment with a local contractor. I had put a post out on the internet last week about needing a crew to demo the interior of the house. This guy responded eagerly, saying he could tackle it and more. He said he had the ability to do the demo, the remodel, the clean-up of the property, and whatever else I needed.
Well, let's just say that the evening did not go as planned. I basically just let the guy talk, and talk he did. The more he talked, the more I realized this was not the relationship I wanted with my contractor. And I REALLY believe that it's a relationship. If I am going to have a guy working on a house for 4-6 months, I really need to like him, respect him, appreciate him, and trust him. This guy just...talked himself out of a job.
First, he came in super high with his one quote. He refused to give me a quote on the entire project but simply said, "I'd like to do this at an hourly rate. You pay me every Friday, and if there is a time when the payments are higher than the money you are taking in, then you just ask me to quit."
Such an odd concept. I understand that he was trying to get me to pay as he went and if I didn't have the money to not get behind, but that's not at all the game-plan here. I am wanting and needing the entire job completed. Hence I need a number. The premise of his comments were actually not to help me but to help him. He was leaving HIS number open-ended, and the more he talked, the more that became apparent (more on that later).
So what did he quote? He quoted me at $50/hour to do the demo job. Per person. And he said he would put his wife on the project (red flag #1). Why was this a red flag? Well, he mentioned that she would just be there to monitor the one worker (to make sure he worked...red flag #2). But it was not lost on me that this forewoman was being paid the same $50/hour as the actual worker.
"But if you want it to go faster, I can send three guys." And then he got out a calculator and said he expected it to take 20 days with three people. Mind you, I did one room myself in one day. At this rate, this would mean my house had 60 rooms. He said I would be paying $1200/day, and so over the 20 days, he quoted me at $25,000 to demo the interior of my house.
Oh, oh, but it gets even better!!! He refused to take the items off the property. "I will also charge you $1000 to dig a big hole in your yard, and we will just bury the plaster and lath." I couldn't even believe my ears. This was NOT what I was told over the messages over the internet. "Well, we just want to save you money."
FALSE. It was so apparent that HE was wanting to save HIM money. So he was charging me $25,000 to just knock off walls, burn the lath, and bury the plaster on my own property. I couldn't get this guy off my property fast enough.
But it wasn't over. He wasn't even doing the whole house!!! He didn't like my idea of removing all of the plaster and lath, so he said he was going to keep up the ceilings that had plywood over them and just drywall over top. Of course, that's an issue with the old wiring, the crumbling plaster, and who knows what else, but he was again looking for the easy way out.
So $25,000 to do a partial demo of the house, not really even remove anything from the property, and done by a family member and a guy who may or may not work if not monitored?
I was wasting my time. My frustration level was increasing. And this guy was literally driving me nuts. I was surprised he couldn't see it in my face...although I think he started to see it.
I told him I would let him know tonight...which I did. No, no, and no. My response? "I am just going to do the work myself to keep $25,000 in my pocket. Thanks for coming out."
His response? "That was only a guess. I might be able to do it for $12,000 if you help."
I didn't even respond.
I am so frustrated. I am frustrated by people. I am frustrated by silly quotes. I am frustrated by comments such as "This work really isn't rocket science," followed by "We usually charge $65/hour but will give you a good rate of $50/hour."
I am frustrated by him telling me a story about a customer who paid him every Friday just like he likes with an open-ended never-ending project. "I ended up getting $40,000 from that guy out of a simple bathroom remodel. I sure didn't complain."
I mean, the more this guy talked, the more I was shoving him away.
I could go on with more stories, but it just pains me to even mention what he would say! Needless to say, I am not going with him. Ugh.
So I am in a pickle. I REALLY need to get this house done. It has had no movement in weeks. I am basically turning a corner where I realize that I have to do the dirty work. I have to gut it. I need to take it down to studs, then find an electrician, a plumber, a drywaller, and a contractor to finish bathrooms and kitchen. I really think that each person needs about 10 days. I need a solid 14 days to gut. But the rest should be able to do each of theirs in 10 days.
Two more things about the contractor. For the interior work only: "I might be able to have you done by Thanksgiving." "I would say $125,000 for the whole thing."
But from a guy that is charging $1200/day to swing a hammer with his wife, I'm not sure he would stop at $125,000. He was allllllll about those open-ended checks every Friday. He even mentioned that he had customers who just left him blank checks. He loved it.
I'm sure you did. Now get off my property.
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