calling in the inspector

I'm pretty sure - without looking up any statistics- that most females dream for awhile of the perfect house they one want to buy. They dream of the house they will have a family in, create memories, and live in for a very long time. They want a house they can invest in for the future. They plan, they save, they cut pictures from magazines and create a mosaic of what their dream would look like. Plantation shutters, long sweeping front porch with a swing, small fence out front with flowers growing along side it, sun room out back perfect for dabbling in the many hobbies that come and go, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, wood floors- you get the idea.


You finally get to the point in your life where you start searching in earnest for THAT house. You see others that are beautiful but they just don't measure up to what your dream is. Then one day you get the call from your realtor that she has found it- she has found exactly what you want. So you go drive over and it takes your breath away. Your speechless. Words cant express what it means to see your dream right there in front of your eyes. You tear up a little as you slowly walk thru the gate and up the porch past the swing to the large inviting front door. With glee spreading over your body like a sudden downpour of rain you turn the key and turn the knob and walk thru that door. Your heart beats ever fast as you look around. Gorgeous knotted wood floors. Windows everywhere you look allowing glimpses of the backyard. Carved wooden stair case flowing to the upstairs. You walk around and its all there- everything you wanted and dreamt of is bundled up perfectly in this house.

You and your spouse buy it and move in. Even with all the chaos that comes from moving in, you couldn't be happier. After months and months- you are settled in and loving every minute you spend in this house. This is your dream and it has come true.

Then as the years go by- you start to notice a few minor issues showing up. That wall has a small crack near the ceiling. This floor board is rising a little bit. The door to one of the bedrooms starts getting a little stuck in the door jam. All little things that separately aren't that big of a deal. You fix them and move on- still in awe of actually having your dream house. But then things start happening with more frequency, you notice you are having to fix more 'small' things. Your husband goes down to the basement to bring up extra chairs for the family dinner you are having and notices it- the crack in the slab. After the guests have all gone home for the night he shows you and you begin to worry if maybe there is something wrong with this dream house of yours. You vow to do whatever it takes to get this fixed before it becomes a huge problem. So you get the names of some of the most top rated inspectors and contractors in the area, they come and take a look and tell you that it will be a problem if something isn't done soon but its going to cost a lot of money and quiet possibly a lot of time to repair- and even then- they cant guarantee that the crack wont come back later. But, if you don't do anything, then at some point down the road- the house will become uninhabitable and you will lose it completely. So you cry - a lot- realize that this is still your dream and your not giving up on it, and start moving forward with the new plans for what is becoming a revised edition to your original dream. But you find you can be happy and still make memories in this newly revised dream- and life can still be good.

Kids can be a lot like our dream homes- and right now, its time to call the inspectors and contractors to get help for Mr. M- because like that dream house, he needs help for the crack in his foundation- but we know that even with this revised dream- life can still be good

- Katie