Fail!

We failed our mechanical inspection today. Turns out the HVAC system works great, there's just the wrong grade of wire used in a couple places. Luckily we have 6 months to fix it.

In other news, our stove arrived today and the neighborhood had no water because they're doing something to the sewers. I didn't notice, since today was the first day we had the electricity, gas, and water on.

I met one of our neighbors while I was waiting around for 4 hours for the stove and the city inspector to show up. He wanted to know if our water was off too and I said I didn't know because I didn't have any faucets. He was perplexed for a moment, but then said, oh you're in the red brick house! Welcome to the neighborhood! Our house has a reputation.

No water because there's a large machine that's been swallowed by the street.

New stove! It's almost a functioning kitchen now!

The lights are finally on.

Construction Day #1

Let the work begin!

The HVAC guys showed up for Day 1 of 2 and made some progress, complete with the random bottle of malt liquor sitting on top of the furnace.

Our electrician showed up and installed 2 lights, he'll be back tomorrow.

For some reason, getting a complete HVAC system installed is easier than getting than getting a parking permit in Alexandria. I spent over an hour at City Hall yesterday trying to get a parking permit, no luck, but they were kind enough to charge me $10 for guest parking passes that expire every 24 hours. I hope not too many people want to park at my place for longer than 3 hours.

Basement Furnace, complete with extra trimming

Close-up of the quality post work beverage

The rear furnace just waiting to go into that closet.

Two brand new air conditioners on the roof.

Tankless water heater in the basement, some sort of fancy Korean brand.

A small hole in the dry wall to run new lines. Clearly the cell phone camera needs better light.

The FHA to do list

Today the FHA appraiser came up with this list of things we need to do before we can close on the house, nothing is a big surprise, but some of it isn't as specific as I would like.

Bath rooms to be in working order.

Heating system to be in working order.

Door on side of structure to be secured, not to allow exit, same with rear door.

All exposed wiring to be capped.

Stove to be installed.

Railing to be installed on second floor around stair area and leading to first floor.

Railing to be installed on stairs from kitchen to family room area.

All plumbing,heating and electrical to be in working order.

I met with another set of contractors today to talk about installing railings and blocking off doors, so I think we're in good shape to get a lot of work done quickly. I now know more about HVAC systems, railings, and laundry rooms then I'll ever need to know in the future.

Here's a few more pictures of the sad state of the interior:

Upstairs Guest Bathroom.

I'm still trying to figure out where I can get a sink that's only 9 inches deep.

Blurry picture of the kitchen.

Family room with the fireplace remnants and the lovely cement floor.