Housing Recap

Things have certainly been busy since March 12 when I finished my FamilySearch support mission. The BIG thing was selling our acreage. This required some repairs and upgrades. We painted the walls, installed new heavy vinyl "Ceramalite" floor tiles throughout the upstairs areas that did not have laminate flooring. We also installed it in  the stairway and downstairs bathroom. I also replaced the vanity and some drywall in the downstairs bathroom. I did minor electrical repairs and upgrades including new light fixtures in the downstairs hallway and the bedrooms. I installed a new water heater and new stairs into the basement. We hauled many trailer loads to the waste transfer station and made 2 trips to the Rosshaven land fill site. Some of the items were left in the recycle shed and were quickly claimed by other people. Other good stuff was simply dumped, including a washer and dryer, dresser, recliner chair, and old tools.

On July 5th we moved into Evelyn's new house in Spruce Grove. But most days we returned to finish various jobs on the acreage. Certainly the most puzzling was an odor in the furnace room. I checked for propane leaks by using liquid dish soap and water and found none. I bought a gas detector from Home Depot and it detected neither propane nor carbon monoxide. I plugged the floor drain in case it was the source of the odor. I checked the gas flue size (when I bought the furnace I was told the flue size bordered on needing a liner) and online research indicated that installing a flue liner would probably not solve the problem. Lastly I checked the vent and screen on the outside intakes for combustion air and cold air return. The screen was virtually plugged by cotton fluff from the trees. I cleaned this with a stiff brush, and I hope I have solved the odor problem by allowing fresh air to enter the furnace room. I was also reassured by the fact that the home inspector, gas inspector and 2 teams of appraisers found no problem. July 31 was the possession date for the new owners. We hope they love the acreage as we have loved it.