Emptying the moving van at Jacob's new home in Mesa on May 31, 2018.
Despite the many challenges we've faced both prior to and since Jacob's return to Arizona, May 31st was one of the best days ever for me. After two and a half years in Utah, my son was back in Arizona to live and work. I love that all three of my children are once again in the same state, within easy visiting distance.
Jake grabs another box while Jacob works inside the truck.
May was an exciting month. We got to see Sarah and Chris purchase a home of their own, their first, and get settled in. And we got to see Jacob get moved into his late great-grandmother's house, which he hopes to buy soon and settle into for the long-term. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my children work hard, find success, and create good lives.
Jacob readies more boxes for transfer from truck to house.
Not that Jacob wasn't taken aback by his first view of the house that was to become his home. I had sent him pictures of the destruction and the rubbish-strewn state of the house, but the reality is rather more jarring than photos can convey. He waited until the second day before confiding that his initial reaction was, "I don't want to live in this house!" Fortunately, by then we'd made enough progress to see the positive possibilities, and he'd decided this was doable.
The living room was the only room that seemed to have the furniture
removed, but this was the mess they left behind for us to clear out.
Notice the holey damage to the walls, on nearly every wall in the house.
I was aghast myself (though not exactly surprised) at all the junk left behind. It filled every room of the house, as well as the garage and yard. Clearly the former occupants are scavengers. Most of us know someone like that: folks who see a broken bike or couch left by a dumpster and stop to put it in their truck and haul it home. They intend to fix it up and make use of it, but usually it just lands on an ever-growing heap of collected garbage that takes over their space. They're also hoarders, because they can't let go of anything, even as it crowds them out and creates unsafe living conditions.
The condition of the master bedroom when we walked in.
Another view of the master bedroom, now Jacob's new room.
The guys rolled up that carpet and hauled it to the dump.
Originally, Dylan and Jake weren't going to be able to join us, but then they got Thursday and Friday off at the last moment, and they brought along their friend, Justice. Thank goodness they did! I truly don't know what we'd have done without their hard work. So much more heavy lifting was needed than just the four of us (Jacob, Sarah, Mark, and I) could have done in only two days.
Dylan and Justice carry out broken remnants of a chair.
Jacob is in the doorway of what is now his new bedroom.
The middle bedroom. This was Mark's old room, from age 12 to 21.
It never looked like this when he lived there, though!
It's important to note that, although our gang carried out everything that had been left inside the house by the former residents, we were limited on what we could do with it. By law, after a forcible eviction, the tenants have twenty-one days to reclaim anything they left behind. The tenants had told us they had no room to store the furniture, since they hadn't found a new place to live, so we should just get rid of it. Without getting that in writing, though, I'll play it safe and wait until the twenty-one days are over, on June 21st (Mark's 50th birthday, coincidentally).
Another look at the middle bedroom, Mark's former room (1980-1989).
A peek inside the scary garage.
Any of their furniture and other items deemed to still be serviceable are stacked on the driveway, in front of the garage. I would have happily stored their things inside the garage or even the backyard, except for two problems. One, the garage door and garage door opener are both broken and cannot be operated or opened. Two, there's no room in either the garage or the backyard, due to the immense amount of rubbish with which they've filled both. Check out the garage in the picture above. It's almost impossible to walk through it. I tripped and almost fell twice.
Thus, the driveway is filled with furniture and other clutter that we hope they'll come back for. Meanwhile, I haven't yet received a Notice of Ordinance Violation from city officials for the unsightly mess. Hopefully, we can hang in there for five more days, until we can legally haul it all away.
Jacob's pup, Razz (Razzmatazz), watches all the coming and going.
As our six days of working on the house unfolded, I was continually reminded of that old movie from 1985, The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. Everywhere we turned, we found something else neglected or damaged, while I watched my costs to restore the house mounting. I suppose the timing is right. I couldn't have afforded to do anything about the house a little over a year ago. Now, thanks to the generous retirement benefits I received when I retired last June, I do have money put aside. However, this is not how I'd planned to use it!
The first costly task we faced was replacing all the outside doors. There was no point in putting the new doorknobs and deadbolts on the scavenged doors the tenants had installed. They were bashed-in and crumbling, one with broken glass. They wouldn't even close properly. So while others in our group continued working on clearing out the house, Dylan and Jake went to Walmart to purchase an electric drill (Mark couldn't find the charger for his), while Jacob and I went to buy four exterior doors, a security door, door trim, and other supplies.
By the time I left Mesa, the total cost for doors, doorknobs, and related supplies was: $1,143.88 And we aren't done yet. We still have at least four more doors to replace, as well as the trim. Three are interior doors, which are less expensive, thankfully.
Our first two doors and door trim, on a cart at Home Depot.
The first costly task we faced was replacing all the outside doors. There was no point in putting the new doorknobs and deadbolts on the scavenged doors the tenants had installed. They were bashed-in and crumbling, one with broken glass. They wouldn't even close properly. So while others in our group continued working on clearing out the house, Dylan and Jake went to Walmart to purchase an electric drill (Mark couldn't find the charger for his), while Jacob and I went to buy four exterior doors, a security door, door trim, and other supplies.
By the time I left Mesa, the total cost for doors, doorknobs, and related supplies was: $1,143.88 And we aren't done yet. We still have at least four more doors to replace, as well as the trim. Three are interior doors, which are less expensive, thankfully.
Dylan carries a box through the nice, newly-installed front door.
Jacob will pull up the broken and mismatched living room flooring.
Not that any of us are expert do-it-yourself-ers. Jacob had watched some YouTube videos on how to install doors, and I had watched my second ex-husband put in our new front door seven years ago, so we had a rudimentary understanding of the concept. Still, we felt it would be wise to call upon my niece Celesta's husband, Riley, for assistance. He had some experience in installing doors, although not the kind we were installing, which were already pre-hung and set into their casings. Thus, it was a learning experience for all of us, but they got it done! It's a great improvement.
The entire, broken, living room window, frame and all, must be replaced.
The most costly single repair will be the front window in the living room. When I walked through the house in April, the tenants did tell me someone had thrown a rock at the window, breaking the glass. They'd replaced it with a too-small pane of glass and blocked it in on top with some wood, as shown in the photo above.
I called out a glass company, expecting to pay a few hundred dollars for a large pane of glass. What the tenants hadn't told me is that the window's frame was mutilated, with some portions even missing. I actually gasped before murmuring faintly, "Oh my," when the lady at the glass company quoted the price to replace and install the entire window, including new vinyl frames: $1,041.54. It has been ordered, but the window won't be delivered until about a month from now.
Again, there's more. At least one bedroom window needs repair or replacement, and both bathrooms have missing frosted-glass panes, which the tenants replaced with plywood. I will tackle those problems later... Right now, the total window expenses stand at $1,113.35.
Next up, while Jacob was at the landfill on Saturday, the security company arrived to install Jacob's system of cameras, alarms, and sensors. The installer seemed unduly concerned that the doorbell didn't work and told me I'd have to replace the "transformer" before they could put in the security system. Almost sixty-four years on this planet, and I'd never heard of a transformer in anyone's house.
We made another frightening discovery while dealing with the transformer. When we had to turn off the electricity to the old transformer so Scott could install the new one, we found the fuse box cover lying in the dirt, having been broken off and mangled so badly that it was no longer usable, leaving all the switches open to the elements. The fuse box is located at the side of the house, toward the front yard, in full view of the sidewalk and within easy access to anyone who happens to walk by. Meaning, anyone could flip the main switch off at any time, leaving the house with no electricity at all.
Jacob has taken the fuse box lid to three different places so far, hoping to find a replacement, but they all shake their heads because it's so antiquated (the house was built almost forty years ago, in 1979). We may have to bring in an electrician to rewire everything into a new fuse box, but I'm afraid to think about what that will cost me.
I also to had to buy a new fire/smoke alarm, since the one in the house was disconnected, with hanging wires (not battery-operated). Not to mention all the bare wires protruding from outlets with no covers and ceiling holes with missing light fixtures and more dangling wires. Scott kindly offered to teach Jacob how to fix those items sometime in the future, saying it was fairly easy to do as long as safety precautions are observed.
On the plus side, Mark's aunt's roommate works on air conditioners, and he offered to service ours for just $100. It was a relief when he pronounced it to be in "great condition," other than needing a new filter (naturally, the former tenants had put in a much-too-small filter and then never changed it). We had a momentary scare when the a/c quit cooling the house and instead started blowing out warm air, but when I reminded Jacob that his security company had installed a new thermostat (so he can control it from his phone), he gave them a call. It turned out that the setting was wrong, and they helped Jacob rectify it. Now it's working fine. Whew!
So far, total electrical costs have been just $222.00. That includes the $100 service fee on the air conditioner.
Both bathrooms were so awful, I should have known they would become our next crisis. The toilets and their seats were covered with such unpleasant stains and crusty mysteries that we immediately bought new toilet seats. Meanwhile, during our first two days in the house, no one used those bathrooms. We held our bladders until we were at Walmart or Home Depot or a fast food restaurant. Yes, even those bathrooms were preferable!
On Saturday night, when it was just the two of us left, Jacob scrubbed both toilets really well and then set to work putting on the new toilet seats. The bolts on both toilets were incredibly corroded and he couldn't break them loose. He finally had to resort to a crowbar and a hammer, and eventually was able to get the new seat installed in the front guest bathroom.
Then he went after the toilet in the master bathroom. Those bolts were even more corroded. He wrestled with it for a long time before he finally worked one bolt loose. Later, I heard him muttering Jacob-style obscenities ("Oh, snap!"), followed by the crash of shattered porcelain. The force of the hammered crowbar had fractured the side of the toilet bowl.
I wasn't too sorry to have to buy a replacement toilet. I upgraded it to a nicer one, like I have in my own home, and told Jacob that from now on I will have full access to the master bathroom when I visit! Meanwhile, the front bathroom was usable, so it was all good...or so I told myself.
I was content until Sunday night, when I flushed the toilet in the front bathroom and something snapped. No more flush. I called to Jacob and told him the chain in the tank must have come off. He checked, but he found it rigged with some odd material that couldn't be reattached. Struck by inspiration, I suggested, "The toilet in your bathroom isn't any good now. Maybe you can scavenge parts from it to fix this one."
Jacob thought that was a good idea, so we trooped back to the master bathroom. I stood in the doorway while he opened the tank, only to find the same weirdly rigged system. Giving up on my idea, he flushed the broken toilet...and a strong spray of water gushed from the open tank and hit me in the face, soaking my nightgown and Jacob's sheet and pillow on the bed behind me!
To top it off, water poured out of the toilet for a minute before Jacob was able to turn off the water valve, and then the wave poured through the wall into the guest bathroom on the other side. This revealed a large hole torn through the wall near the floor between the two toilets. Another repair to add to the list. It was all so horrible that all we could do was laugh.
Suffice it to say, we were again reduced to no toilet at home, this time for almost twenty-four hours. On Monday, Jacob reported for his first day of work at the Phoenix office, leaving me on my own for the day. I shopped for odds and ends, like curtains for the living room window and a new flapper for the front toilet. A flapper with a chain, at Jacob's insistence. After he got home from work on Monday evening, he repaired the flush and life was good again.
Total costs related to the bathrooms so far: $272.32.
When I woke up early on Monday morning, I was suddenly seized with a desire to attack the layers of grime on the large tiles in the hall, dining area, kitchen, and part of the laundry room. I would say this was the one legitimate improvement made to the house by the tenants in their almost-six years there. It isn't perfect. There are places where the tiles are of uneven height or missing pieces or badly cut or chipped or stained with grout. The pattern of mismatched colors and textures is beyond random. My guess is that they installed the tiles in the order in which they were able to scavenge them. Some have no match at all, such as the dark-red tile behind Jacob's foot in the picture below.
Nonetheless, overall it's a solid job, and I'm grateful to at least have a few areas for which I won't have to provide new flooring.
However, the layers of filth were almost indescribable. By the time Jacob woke up and found me mopping away, I'd already used up one large-size tub of Swiffer wet cloths and started on the next. No exaggeration, I had to use three or four Swiffer cloths for each six-tile area before they stopped coming up black with grime. It looked pretty nice when it was done, though.
The tenants also installed smaller tiles in the bathrooms, but I wasn't able to stomach going in to take a closer look at them yet. They may be fine, although I did notice some large tile-less gaps.
Flooring is one expense I'll make a decision on later, when I see how much everything else costs in the end. All three bedrooms are down to bare cement, since we pulled up all the carpets. Soon, the living room will also be down to cement, once Jacob pulls up the old, scavenged wood planks and broken tiles. I have yet to find any type of flooring that will cost less than about $1,000 per room. (Groan.)
Cost for cleaning supplies: $84.81.
I called out a glass company, expecting to pay a few hundred dollars for a large pane of glass. What the tenants hadn't told me is that the window's frame was mutilated, with some portions even missing. I actually gasped before murmuring faintly, "Oh my," when the lady at the glass company quoted the price to replace and install the entire window, including new vinyl frames: $1,041.54. It has been ordered, but the window won't be delivered until about a month from now.
Again, there's more. At least one bedroom window needs repair or replacement, and both bathrooms have missing frosted-glass panes, which the tenants replaced with plywood. I will tackle those problems later... Right now, the total window expenses stand at $1,113.35.
The front bedroom, occupied by the young man who refused to move out,
claiming it was still his house. Filled with broken furniture, but somewhat tidy.
Next up, while Jacob was at the landfill on Saturday, the security company arrived to install Jacob's system of cameras, alarms, and sensors. The installer seemed unduly concerned that the doorbell didn't work and told me I'd have to replace the "transformer" before they could put in the security system. Almost sixty-four years on this planet, and I'd never heard of a transformer in anyone's house.
What the heck is a transformer? Turns out it's a tiny, 120-volt box in the garage (usually, but ours was hidden in the water heater room) that has one job, and one job only: to power the doorbell! Without it, apparently, there could be no security system, since everything is wired through the doorbell. Go figure.
The transformer itself only cost $16.18 at Home Depot, but Jacob and I soon realized we were out of our depth. If we'd tried to install it ourselves, our charred remains would eventually have been found lying near the water heater. Riley suggested we call his brother in-law, Scott, who's married to my niece Genevieve. Scott is an engineer, so he had the broken doorbell "donging" in no time at all. Yes, I said "donging." Like everything else in this house, the doorbell was busted. Instead of "ding-dong," we got "...dong."
Another view of the front bedroom. I made sure we saved most of
his furniture, since it seemed clear that he valued his possessions.
We made another frightening discovery while dealing with the transformer. When we had to turn off the electricity to the old transformer so Scott could install the new one, we found the fuse box cover lying in the dirt, having been broken off and mangled so badly that it was no longer usable, leaving all the switches open to the elements. The fuse box is located at the side of the house, toward the front yard, in full view of the sidewalk and within easy access to anyone who happens to walk by. Meaning, anyone could flip the main switch off at any time, leaving the house with no electricity at all.
Jacob has taken the fuse box lid to three different places so far, hoping to find a replacement, but they all shake their heads because it's so antiquated (the house was built almost forty years ago, in 1979). We may have to bring in an electrician to rewire everything into a new fuse box, but I'm afraid to think about what that will cost me.
I also to had to buy a new fire/smoke alarm, since the one in the house was disconnected, with hanging wires (not battery-operated). Not to mention all the bare wires protruding from outlets with no covers and ceiling holes with missing light fixtures and more dangling wires. Scott kindly offered to teach Jacob how to fix those items sometime in the future, saying it was fairly easy to do as long as safety precautions are observed.
On the plus side, Mark's aunt's roommate works on air conditioners, and he offered to service ours for just $100. It was a relief when he pronounced it to be in "great condition," other than needing a new filter (naturally, the former tenants had put in a much-too-small filter and then never changed it). We had a momentary scare when the a/c quit cooling the house and instead started blowing out warm air, but when I reminded Jacob that his security company had installed a new thermostat (so he can control it from his phone), he gave them a call. It turned out that the setting was wrong, and they helped Jacob rectify it. Now it's working fine. Whew!
So far, total electrical costs have been just $222.00. That includes the $100 service fee on the air conditioner.
This was the nightmare that greeted us in the guest bathroom.
Jacob scrubbed this disgusting toilet so well that he made it shine like new.
Jacob scrubbed this disgusting toilet so well that he made it shine like new.
Both bathrooms were so awful, I should have known they would become our next crisis. The toilets and their seats were covered with such unpleasant stains and crusty mysteries that we immediately bought new toilet seats. Meanwhile, during our first two days in the house, no one used those bathrooms. We held our bladders until we were at Walmart or Home Depot or a fast food restaurant. Yes, even those bathrooms were preferable!
On Saturday night, when it was just the two of us left, Jacob scrubbed both toilets really well and then set to work putting on the new toilet seats. The bolts on both toilets were incredibly corroded and he couldn't break them loose. He finally had to resort to a crowbar and a hammer, and eventually was able to get the new seat installed in the front guest bathroom.
Leftover tenant stuff on the sill of another busted window, guest bathroom.
Then he went after the toilet in the master bathroom. Those bolts were even more corroded. He wrestled with it for a long time before he finally worked one bolt loose. Later, I heard him muttering Jacob-style obscenities ("Oh, snap!"), followed by the crash of shattered porcelain. The force of the hammered crowbar had fractured the side of the toilet bowl.
I wasn't too sorry to have to buy a replacement toilet. I upgraded it to a nicer one, like I have in my own home, and told Jacob that from now on I will have full access to the master bathroom when I visit! Meanwhile, the front bathroom was usable, so it was all good...or so I told myself.
The toilet in the master bathroom was slightly less vile.
I was content until Sunday night, when I flushed the toilet in the front bathroom and something snapped. No more flush. I called to Jacob and told him the chain in the tank must have come off. He checked, but he found it rigged with some odd material that couldn't be reattached. Struck by inspiration, I suggested, "The toilet in your bathroom isn't any good now. Maybe you can scavenge parts from it to fix this one."
Jacob thought that was a good idea, so we trooped back to the master bathroom. I stood in the doorway while he opened the tank, only to find the same weirdly rigged system. Giving up on my idea, he flushed the broken toilet...and a strong spray of water gushed from the open tank and hit me in the face, soaking my nightgown and Jacob's sheet and pillow on the bed behind me!
To top it off, water poured out of the toilet for a minute before Jacob was able to turn off the water valve, and then the wave poured through the wall into the guest bathroom on the other side. This revealed a large hole torn through the wall near the floor between the two toilets. Another repair to add to the list. It was all so horrible that all we could do was laugh.
How the sink in the master bathroom was left for us.
Suffice it to say, we were again reduced to no toilet at home, this time for almost twenty-four hours. On Monday, Jacob reported for his first day of work at the Phoenix office, leaving me on my own for the day. I shopped for odds and ends, like curtains for the living room window and a new flapper for the front toilet. A flapper with a chain, at Jacob's insistence. After he got home from work on Monday evening, he repaired the flush and life was good again.
Total costs related to the bathrooms so far: $272.32.
Both panes of window glass are missing from the master bathroom.
When I woke up early on Monday morning, I was suddenly seized with a desire to attack the layers of grime on the large tiles in the hall, dining area, kitchen, and part of the laundry room. I would say this was the one legitimate improvement made to the house by the tenants in their almost-six years there. It isn't perfect. There are places where the tiles are of uneven height or missing pieces or badly cut or chipped or stained with grout. The pattern of mismatched colors and textures is beyond random. My guess is that they installed the tiles in the order in which they were able to scavenge them. Some have no match at all, such as the dark-red tile behind Jacob's foot in the picture below.
Nonetheless, overall it's a solid job, and I'm grateful to at least have a few areas for which I won't have to provide new flooring.
Jacob finishes up the mopping in the dining area for me.
However, the layers of filth were almost indescribable. By the time Jacob woke up and found me mopping away, I'd already used up one large-size tub of Swiffer wet cloths and started on the next. No exaggeration, I had to use three or four Swiffer cloths for each six-tile area before they stopped coming up black with grime. It looked pretty nice when it was done, though.
The tenants also installed smaller tiles in the bathrooms, but I wasn't able to stomach going in to take a closer look at them yet. They may be fine, although I did notice some large tile-less gaps.
Flooring is one expense I'll make a decision on later, when I see how much everything else costs in the end. All three bedrooms are down to bare cement, since we pulled up all the carpets. Soon, the living room will also be down to cement, once Jacob pulls up the old, scavenged wood planks and broken tiles. I have yet to find any type of flooring that will cost less than about $1,000 per room. (Groan.)
Cost for cleaning supplies: $84.81.
The kitchen was grotesque. All this stuff was in the upper cupboards,
and more was in the bottom cupboards and drawers we never got to.
The hood and fan over the crusty stove had been ripped out.
I ended up staying in Mesa two days longer than planned. Originally, my plan was to return home on Sunday, the day Jacob thought would be his first day at his new job site. When he found out he didn't report until Monday, I stayed an extra day to help him get more done. Then I extended my stay until Tuesday so I could be there when Scott came to install the transformer on Monday afternoon, while Jacob was at work.
I finally left the house after 10:00 on Tuesday morning. My next stop was at the Mesa Police Department, where I turned in the bullets we'd found in the master bedroom, including some incendiary rounds. That was an interesting experience! Then I drove on to Lakeside, arriving just in time to pick up Mark from work around 2:30. I was happily dreaming of two relaxing weeks at home, free from Mesa-house drama, before our next trip to Mesa on June 20th. Little did I know...
The very next morning, I got a call from Jacob. "You might want to call pest control," he said. I gulped. "Why?" I asked weakly. "Cockroaches. Running through the fridge this morning," he told me. I was devastated. We'd spent six days in that house and never saw a single bug. I'd spent hours scouring that refrigerator so we could stock it with enough food to get Jacob through until his next payday, and I never saw signs of any cockroaches. (I've never dealt with cockroaches in my adult life, but I remember them from my childhood, when we lived in rentals until I was nine and my parents bought their first house.)
The very next morning, I got a call from Jacob. "You might want to call pest control," he said. I gulped. "Why?" I asked weakly. "Cockroaches. Running through the fridge this morning," he told me. I was devastated. We'd spent six days in that house and never saw a single bug. I'd spent hours scouring that refrigerator so we could stock it with enough food to get Jacob through until his next payday, and I never saw signs of any cockroaches. (I've never dealt with cockroaches in my adult life, but I remember them from my childhood, when we lived in rentals until I was nine and my parents bought their first house.)
The scrubbing of the foul, sticky refrigerator took quite a long time.
I told Jacob to go ahead and find a reasonably priced exterminator. He did. Defense Pest Control offered me a one-year contract to come in and spray every other month for $65 per treatment. I agreed, but Jacob called me later. "Bad news. These are German roaches." That meant nothing to me, so he explained that meant a different treatment. German roaches are smaller and multiply much faster than the other types. It requires locating and treating their nests, which is more costly and time-consuming. It would only take two treatments, but the cost is $225 per treatment, or $450 total.
It went downhill from there. I jokingly told Jacob to stop calling me, because every time he did, it cost me more money! The exterminator did an impressive job, according to Jacob. He crawled around the house's cupboards and appliances for almost three hours, spraying nests and setting traps. Jacob called to report, "He found nests under the oven and the dishwasher. It's so bad, he said we should get rid of them because it's hard to get at the roaches in there."
I couldn't disagree. After all, I'm sure that's where the infestation began. German roaches (I googled them) like to nest in appliances because they're attracted by the electrical warmth, so bringing in used appliances (even something as simple as a hand-mixer) is a common cause of bringing roaches into the home. All of these scavenged appliances were no doubt picked up from junkyards, so the tenants probably unwittingly infested the house without realizing it. Jacob told me he found a huge stash of roach sprays and other cockroach traps as he cleared out the bottom kitchen cupboards.
The exterminator helped Jacob take the oven and dishwasher out to join the stacks in the driveway. Jacob called me again an hour later. "Wow, we just hit the mother lode! You should see the huge nest under the fridge!" Aargh! So, out went the refrigerator, too. Jacob said there was a nasty, thick, black pile of roach droppings on the tiles under the fridge.
The morning after pest control's visit, Jacob walked into the front bedroom and found a different kind of cockroach, "as big as a June bug!" he said in a horrified tone. Jacob has never lived in the Valley, so he'd never seen a sewer roach. This required a different treatment, which usually costs $100, but the exterminator offered to do it for only $65 when he came out to do the second German roach treatment. I accepted.
There is good news. Since he saw the sewer roach nine days ago, Jacob hasn't seen any more bugs in the house. The exterminator returned yesterday and did another thorough search and spray, but he too saw no live roaches anywhere. In fact, there were no roaches in the traps he'd set, which means the chemicals killed the roaches before they even got that far. He also treated the house and yard for sewer roaches, including the piles of debris left out in the yard by the tenants. That's where they're most likely to be living, he said. I can't wait to haul that rubbish away!
Total pest control expenses (so far): $515.00.
Prior to the discovery of the cockroaches, I made sure that
Jacob's scrubbed-clean fridge was stocked before I returned home.
Meanwhile, Jacob needed a refrigerator. Big thanks to my sister, Karla, who pointed him to Spencer's Appliances, where he found a good fridge on sale. Jacob plugged in the new fridge across the kitchen from where the old one stood so it wouldn't tempt any possible surviving roaches. He had to leave his refrigerated stuff out on the counter for a while, giving the new fridge time to chill, but he took his freezer items to Karla's house to stay safely frozen for the next twenty-four hours.
I told Jacob I would buy a new oven/stove (as a chef, he needs something to cook on) and a new disposal (the old one sounds like it's grinding large rocks) this coming week, but he could live without a dishwasher and a washer and dryer until he could afford to buy his own. So, naturally, he went back down to Spencer's Appliances today to purchase a stove, a dishwasher, and a washer and dryer set, and then informed me that I could pay for the stove when I return to Mesa this coming Wednesday. So much for patiently planning and preparing...
Total cost for all the new appliances (except the disposal, for now): $2,641.85
I knew fixing up this house was going to be a big job. Overall, though, the house is structurally sound. It has simply been neglected and abused for so many years that there are a lot of surface issues to correct. And it obviously won't be cheap.
The end tally of house-related costs over the past sixteen days since Jacob moved in, not including travel expenses (food, fuel, lodging) or eviction expenses, is a whopping $6,232.21...with more to come. All I can do is handle it one crisis at a time. Stay tuned...
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