One of the great things about buying a new home is that you are covered by a builder’s warranty that covers repairs on any
mistakes or faulty equipment in your home, usually within the first year. I
have been in my new place for about four months, and almost everything is just
as the builder, McStain, promised and in great working order. There are only a few adjustments to be made, and,
to their credit, McStain has been all over me to arrange the appointments and
make sure everything is how it should be. They have a great product, and
fantastic customer service.
But that’s not what I want to talk about. What I have noticed since becoming a
homeowner and beginning this repair process is that I am meeting and
interacting with what I am calling “The House People.” The House People is a collective term that applies to any specialist that
works on your home. So, you have The
Heating People, The Floor People, The Water People, and so on.
At 8 a.m. today, The
Electric People stopped by and relocated the light in the dining area (moved it
six inches closer to the wall). It’s much better placement if I ever decide to
get the elusive dining room table, something I have never owned before. Of
course, now I have to wait for The Drywall People to come and fix the hole
where the light used to be.
They also added a light above the shower in the guest bath.
For some reason, when The McStain People originally built the place, The
Electric People they contracted installed the light above the toilet, instead of the
shower (where it was supposed to go), meaning a dimly-lit bath for any of my
unsuspecting guests (who choose to bathe). Instead of moving the original
light, The Electric People today added a second light above the shower, and
left the original light above the toilet. Now I have lights in both places, and
it makes the bathroom look even better. No doubt my resale value went up
thousands of dollars with just that one modification…
The McStain People stopped by, too, and replaced the doorknob in my bathroom, as
the finish was peeling off the original knob. Another huge boost to the home’s
value, I am certain of it. They also will come back soon with a new shower curtain rod, which The Electric People broke when they were installing the aforementioned light (note the absence of shower curtain in picture above). The McStain People also reminded me we still have to get The Exterior People out here to replace a piece of broken trim on my balcony.
I noticed that my built-in humidifier wasn’t
working – the house is dry as a bone right now, when there is supposed to be a balmy 25 percent humidity level whenever the heat is turned on. I'm talking condensation-on-the-inside-of-the-windows humidity (for those of you in cities with some level of moisture in the air, you really have it better than you might know). So I called The
Heating People, and they talked me through a potential fix to the problem. I
still found that water is not going into the system, even though I played
around with the feeder valve (yes, I used tools...and even a flashlight). Now
The Heating People will have to come out for a visit.
But not before The Floor People, who will be here tomorrow
afternoon to touch up some areas on the hardwood floor where drops of finish pooled and left darker stain, and other such overwhelming grievances that make it nearly impossible to sleep at night.
I am just glad all of these repairs are free. I don't want to visit The Finance People again any time soon.
(You know, there was a time, not long ago, when I had a life...)