We Are Working on Mom’s House

It took all of us a couple of years to talk her into moving, which she really hates a lot. Of course the place is not set up for a woman of her age to live in and it is at least four times the size of a place that she needs. When we were kids it was not that big of a place, it was Mom, Dad, my uncle and four kids in a four bedroom house. The thing that I need help with is HVAC repair in Queens and once I figure out what that is going to cost I can quickly figure out the rest of the project. The place is in good shape structurally, I got a friend of mine to replace the roof about five years ago and it is good for around a quarter of a century longer. The plumbing is fine and although the wiring is old, there does not seem to be any real issue with it.

There is plenty of stuff that I can do on my own or with the help of my kinfolk. I know people very well who are in all the trades and would be happy to work off the books for a good discount. They would be glad to take an envelope of cash at a much lower price than you would get if the government was involved. I can do the bathrooms and the kitchen on the weekends, although before I start I need to figure out what the budget is and that requires a thorough analysis based on what all of it is going to need. The HVAC needs to be figured out to start and then I can figure out how much I can put into the rest of the job. The bank seems happy to lend me what I need.