I think we discovered one reason we are still unhomed. And the subtle homophobia infuriates me.

We met with Mr. Contractor and the Sub he hired to do the bulk of the basement construction work about getting the decks done. Because the house is on a slope, we need three decks, each at a different height. The conversation deteriorated rapidly.

Now, I can often hear what’s not being said in a conversation based on a person’s body language. And this man’s body language betrayed the words falling from his mouth. I get if you don’t want to work with someone, and if you don’t just say so. But please don’t blow smoke up my @$$ and cover your bigotry with bullsh!t. I’ll hear it. And I heard it loud and clear from the Sub.

Mr. Contractor will finish what he’s agreed to do, then we’ll let him go, and then talk to someone who wants our money. Right now, that entails getting us through this round of inspections and insulating the basement after the inspectors have had their look at the work. We’ll worry about getting the decks in when the weather warms up. For now, we’ll get the designs into the building department and get the changes approved in advance.

I’ll give a full and unvarnished review to the business when this is all over (best not to stir the pot until after the job is complete). But, yes, I plan to call out the Sub’s homophobia when I write my review. And word of mouth is a powerful thing. If you don’t want my money, at least have the testicular fortitude to look me in the eye and tell me. Don’t mumble your bullsh!t at your shoes.

The house is this 🤏🏼 close to complete. The biggest thing stopping us from getting our Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is having the decks, and the Sub doesn’t want our money. So, First Reader and I need to hire someone else to do that part. We knew just who to call. He suggested we contact the building department to find out what we need to do to get a temporary CO.

We marched ourselves downtown and interrupted their day with our many questions. The news from the county was in our favor, and I can breathe now. The inspector said that as long as we meet the minimum inspections and have one entrance available, we can get the TCO and finish the rest of the work later. Most of those inspections will happen in the next two weeks.

Wednesday, the propane company will install the tank and regulator, and pipe the tank to the house. Once that’s done, we’ll have heat. The health department has inspected the septic lines, and we passed that inspection. The electricians rough-wired the basement so the inspectors can see all the connections. When the electrical inspections are complete and passed, then we can fire up the water pump and pressurize the system to make sure we have no leaks.

The inside is almost complete. The drywall repairs are done, and the walls painted. Ceiling fans are up in all the rooms. I think all they need to finish inside is to lay the carpets in the living room and bedroom. After that, there is a bit of outside work that still needs doing, but according to the lead on that job, he’s waiting for replacement material. Once he gets that, he’ll be able to finish repairs to the siding and eaves that were damaged during transport.

The last bit of good news this week was that they approved us for the state loan/grant. We’ve been able to pay for most of the work out-of-pocket so far, but my retirement savings is down to my 401k. 🙁 This cash infusion will allow us to get the decks built and maybe even get some of the basement finished. 🙂

I had a feeling that this part was going to take the longest. And indeed it has. The last few weeks have been the most stressful for us, knowing that Old Man Winter is just around the corner, waiting to bring the snow and cold to our mountain home.