PA state troopers called - vacation home trashed [merged]

[VivianLynne]

I think I must have missed that you are doing the physical labor. .... Our do-it-all handyman gets $30/hour.

PJ - I have a handyman also - about the same rate who comes up with me for the week (10 hour days). We are there every 3rd week due to his wife's shift work schedule and their pets. They have a pet-sitter relative during her dayshift, but NOT the 3-11 or 11-7 shift when he is normally home.

We can't stay at the house - there is nothing NOT totally destroyed. We have been camped out at Wyndham Shawnee with the help of a Wyndham owner - 4 nights from Monday night thru Friday AM checkout. While it is a 22 mile ride each way, the Home Depot and Lowes are both on the way. He leaves for the house at 6:15AM and I am allowed to be lazy til 7:30 or so, when I call him (what DID we do before cell phones???) for any add-ons to the day's shopping list. We each have a pickup truck which truly helps to lug stuff.

I just did not want someone else to "put the old stuff back" - the replacement junk from doors to cabinets is mostly pressed paper products which look good for 3 months and then start to peel apart or warp in a vacation house.

Yes, I could have picked from a picture book - but how many times, does a contractor stay, "That has been discontinued and I picked this as similiar as the guys had to install it NOW." I did not need battles every day over their profit maximizing B.S. And the insurance woman was just pushing this "little old lady" into her handpicked contractor. Remember, she thought I had built this house in 1972 (40 years ago) as a vacation home. Would have made me to be in my mid/late 80s. (as most vacation home people are 45+/- yo when they build a 2nd home). It was 1977 and I chose to have a very small vacation home instead of a BIG primary home.

I did buy a converted FIXED week off ebay - gives me 166,000 pts. But it will most likely close AFTER we finish the vacation house.

Our plan this coming trip (Mon Jun 4th start) is to finish the bathroom. Pickup the kitchen cabinets. Finish painting the LR - as the trooper collected more evidence when I came up to order the KIT cabinets on a daytrip 10 days ago. Cut out the old door jams. Perhaps install the new door jams.

Next trip will be to finish installing the cabinets, order the countertop (or start to make), get the appliances out of LR as we need the space to stain the interior woodwork doors & trim. Then, we will be ready to put the new LR/DR hardwood floors down. Rug in the bedrooms.

Still need to get the windows (I had so wanted my wood windows back, but looks like those sizes are just not made outside of $$$$$ custom). Replacement windows can be put in 1/2 a day without altering the sheetrock AND siding.

Need to get a new 20" stove and 30" rangehood. Will order those after this trip. Stainless steel, white or black???? I have been looking but my decision will be after I see the cabinets and floor done with some price considerations ... hey, I can dream, but realize it will most likely be white. Have been looking at lighting in KIT also (LCD track is winning).

 

[VivianLynne]

More houses trashed near mine .....

Grabbed a cheap diner breakfast on Tues morning. Just the waitress and I at the diner and we got to chatting. Turns out she lives in a development (about the same age) just a 1/2 mile as the crow flies or around the cornor from my development for the last 28-30 years. She was stunned by the level of damaged I described - done by teenagers.

Go back on Friday AM and another waitress is working. She is the owner's wife as their waitress had an emergency; her and her 86yo neighbor's house had both been broken into with the windows smashed, trashed and spray painted inside. Owner's wife said they had been vacant and people were arrested. I was leaving when I was told this.

Then I remembered my internet searches on the teenage girls' soccer team had a varsity player FROM that development. WOW! Could this be a LINK to my breakin? If they arrested people and they were processed with fingerprints, could we get MORE hits for my damages? Could these/my teenagers NOW get charged with 3 damaged houses? There are 79 lots (less than 65 houses) in my development and the other development is just a bit larger (I believe). The HS covers 3 decent size townships and there were less than 15 girls on the varsity team. With practices and games, it is VERY likely these girls rode in the same car to/from school. These were the only 2 girls who lived near my house.

Will call my State Police Criminal Investigator on Monday......

PS My brother, the criminal lawyer, was thinking this is too interesting ...

 

[VivianLynne]

Progress Report on repairs.

Finished setting the bathtub, started the tile around the tub wall. Hung the Kitchen cabinets, move the stove and refrigerator into their position, measure for microwave rangehood. Sinkbase was damaged by store - new one on re-order. Hotwater heater was installed in laundry area.

Need to order LR/DR hardwood floor for next time; bring up new bedroom and kit & bathroom windows.

Insurance adjustor was surprised and pleased with our work. Lvved my tile job in the bath & kitchen, esp the infloor heating.

Good progress!

 

[Ridewithme38]

Grabbed a cheap diner breakfast on Tues morning. Just the waitress and I at the diner and we got to chatting. Turns out she lives in a development (about the same age) just a 1/2 mile as the crow flies or around the cornor from my development for the last 28-30 years. She was stunned by the level of damaged I described - done by teenagers.

Go back on Friday AM and another waitress is working. She is the owner's wife as their waitress had an emergency; her and her 86yo neighbor's house had both been broken into with the windows smashed, trashed and spray painted inside. Owner's wife said they had been vacant and people were arrested. I was leaving when I was told this.

Then I remembered my internet searches on the teenage girls' soccer team had a varsity player FROM that development. WOW! Could this be a LINK to my breakin? If they arrested people and they were processed with fingerprints, could we get MORE hits for my damages? Could these/my teenagers NOW get charged with 3 damaged houses? There are 79 lots (less than 65 houses) in my development and the other development is just a bit larger (I believe). The HS covers 3 decent size townships and there were less than 15 girls on the varsity team. With practices and games, it is VERY likely these girls rode in the same car to/from school. These were the only 2 girls who lived near my house.

Will call my State Police Criminal Investigator on Monday......

PS My brother, the criminal lawyer, was thinking this is too interesting ...

There is a saying 'don't add gas to a brush fire' (or something like that)

 

[pjrose]

Yes the other break-ins are VERY interesting. I'm sure the investigators will want to check for commonalities. If it's these kids, then I think the S will HTF.

 

[VivianLynne]

Yes the other break-ins are VERY interesting. I'm sure the investigators will want to check for commonalities. If it's these kids, then I think the S will HTF.

Not the same area. Owner's wife and I were NOT talking about the waitress who lives near me. That "vandalized" waitress and I did talk on Friday - I came up to drop off a load of hardwood flooring I had brought at an outlet near me. She drove into her house they were moving out of and found kids inside her garage - with the help of Facebook and her preteen daughter, she id'ed the 2 kids "who were just looking"; State police got those 2 kids within an hour or two - still wearing the clothes she saw them in.

State police arrested those two 14-15 year old boys. The elderly neighbor's house just had a broken window - she has been in hospital since April; waitress's garage had a lot of tools gone and her house was vandalized; a lot of spray paint. Her insurance company is telling her that policy was NOT for a vacant house - they had moved 30+ days earlier to a new house. She will have a battle - but she was in the process of moving, still got mail there (not at new place), etc. She had been to the house just the day before - damage was all done within a 24 hours window.

 

[VivianLynne]

Realized I am battle weary --- 2-3 hour drive is "Zoombie Zone" time

Okay, I have 3/4" hardwood flooring - a total of 49 cases of it - purchased. This means the WHOLE house will be hardwood flooring. Now 24 of the cases are at the Poconos house. 25 left to move. Ran a load up on Friday and did some local material pickup. Rain was/is forecasted for Monday and Tuesday up there/on the drive up; hardwood floor does NOT like being wet. I also picked up my replacement Kitchen Cabinet (sinkbase), some unfinished oak trim boards, and misc supplies for the re-building project. Spent 5+ hours emptying the storage bdr closet into the upper kitchen cabinet - after lining the cabinets with rubbermaid shelf liners.

Did a 2nd load of wood on Saturday morning again. And brought up the hand truck to move some appliances and a collection of drop clothes.

I noticed that on the way home - time has begun to have no meaning. It is just a mindless road with traffic. Doing 75+ MPH. Under construction. Lanes are narrowed, no shoulders, and big tracker-trailer trucks. And throw in the Friday afternoon - going to the shore traffic. Saturday home bound traffic was much lighter.

And tomorrow is the Monday - start of another full week at the house. Worst than full, as this will be a 7 day stint. The fellow doing the work is adding on Saturday and Sunday, so he can take off for a 7 day trip over July 4th.

I think I will buy a CASE of beer for my week. That is only 3 beers a night, if I hoard them.:rofl:

 

[VivianLynne]

Did the unthinkable - emailed by ex-bf - no talked to in 5+ years.

Yes, I have a longterm ex-bf. Dated 10+ years; his family hated me; he was a travelling out of town cheating S.O.S. But he did live at the house in the Poconos while working as an engineer north of there - for over a year and he paid rent & utitilies. Yes, I guess I knew him fairly well after 10+ years; he has some very strong opinions of me also.

Figured as a CYA type of person, he would have taken "inventory" pictures of the house contents. Am still working on my listed of "damage or missing personal property" for the insurance claim. He might NOT like me, but he liked that house and if he doesn't have to see or talk to me, he might like to help free some money from any insurance company. Should I mention he was a VW Camper Bus, acid dropping Hippie Flower Child of the 60's who wore his hair down to his waist and lived on the West Coast?

I stopped by his house here - not answering his door, but his car was home. Decided he was avoiding me, so I did the email by simple request yesterday. He answer about being in Southeast Asia for the next 5-6 weeks travelling. He will look through his photos after he returns home beginning of August. As I knew, he emailed that he really liked that house and sorry to here it was so damaged. I replied with the Friday photos of the partially re-done Kitchen and Bath rooms.

As I have mention before - I have owned that house almost my entire adult life. I built it for $27,000 plus the cost of the 1 acre lot ($7,000). It has a lot of my history and a lot of memories. It will be almost a new house with 2012 finishes. I hope the house and I have fun making some great new memories. It is just the pain and sore muscles of moving those 7' long, 50.9 pound boxes of wood - all 24 of them; only 25 left to move.

 

[csxjohn]

Make sure you let that flooring acclimate to its new environment before you install it. The required time will be in the installation instructions.

Glad to see things are progressing.

 

[vacationhopeful]

VivianLynne -

Had a couple of cups of coffee between 7AM and 8AM this morning? :ignore:

Keep up the good work.

 

[VivianLynne]

Just got back from the house about 2 hours ago. Am going laundry and enjoying the air conditioning. If I had WINDOWS, I would have put the window A/C unit into a WINDOW and had A/C there also. But with cardboard and a stick outside, we did get a 5,000 BTU unit pumping some cool air in. I also dragged out the dehumidifier - ran both of them.

Finally, got an agreement from the insurance, myself and my help on windows... so, I ordered the 4 WINDOW :whoopie: 16-23 days before they come in. Might be there for the next trip. I also ordered the interior solid wood stain-grade 6 panel doors - to get the $400 rebate. Again - just 4 interior doors.

Found the perfect solution for a small kitchen with very limited countertop space - a rangehood convection oven microwave unit - a Viking unit. Let me tell you, it will bake cupcakes, broil a steak, and nuke water -- all for $1700. Asked if the model unit in their display needed to be replaced - Yes, I am a wise *ss. Fellow who was helping me said (and installed/designs the displays) said he didn't think it was that old. But he would go look - It was last re-done in 2006 ... And the store sold that one to me as a decent discount. Now looking for a drop in countertop burner unit - GE makes a radiant 2 burner unit - which I will ask another of my friends, what can he help me out on the discount for that from their GE owned store.

Hardwood flooring - completed the living room, dining room and down part of the hallway. This is a hard job - but does it look wonderful! It is a white oak, 2 3/4 inches wide, random length (1 ft to 7ft boards) and pre-finished with a dark finish. It goes perfect with the porocilen tiles in the bath & kitchen; eventually, also the tiles go in front door area. The Kitchen cabinets look nice also.

Got the Kitchen light fixture up also - it is a bendable metel rod (flexible like a HARD rope) with 5 movable light cans. There was never any good light in the kitchen before.

Painted the walls in the living room and dining room. A very pale green color.

Finished the tiling the shower walls and grouted them. Started setting the repainted bathroom vanities (2 30" units), putting new hardware on them, and a new floor also. Painted the walls a light tan.

Found a NEW problem. The wire for the stove from th panel box was to be moved for the cook top - to inside the base cabinet. It was a bit short - like 6 inches. But we discovered it is shiney aluminmum and not copper. That should be replaced - I would truly hate to burn the house down after doing all this work. The hot water heater has copper wiring as does the rest of the house.

I want to again thank the Wyndham staff at Shawnee --- we arrived with 4 different reservations for the 6 night trip this time. In 3 different HOAs; with a 1 bdr unit for 1 night and overlapping 1 night with 2 2bdr units. The back office of the front desk helped us in NOT moving at all during our stay. I am sure the place was 100% occupied. And they found us a place in about an hour of waiting. This was our/my 8th stay - and our longest to date. With the hottest weather.

Only 2 weeks from tomorrow, for our next fun filled adventure trip ... windows, I hope! Final kitchen cabinet arrives; above rangehood and cooktop. Wait, the cooktop means - countertop needs to be in ... might not happen. But the rangehood will be installed. The refrigerator has been inplace for the last 2 visits.

 

[pjrose]

. . .
Finally, got an agreement from the insurance. . .

I am tired just reading all the work you've been doing. I'm amazed you're doing it yourself, but is that because the insurance won't cover having it contracted out?

What has the insurance company agreed to?

Any update on the police investigation and the vandals?

 

[VivianLynne]

I am tired just reading all the work you've been doing. I'm amazed you're doing it yourself, but is that because the insurance won't cover having it contracted out? The insurance company perfers that work be done by licensed contractors. Quality done by many homeowners and done in a timely manner are big concerns. As for doing it all myself, I have a construction junkie doing most of the physical labor. I am the designer, buyer, run & fetch gal and the 3rd hand expert. When you are miles from any store, just getting the thing, is a 2 hour trip.

What has the insurance company agreed to? Agreed to egress windows and the alter the wood framing of the building - code allows for replacement of the exact size, but does NOT allow you to alter downward the size - to save money. The insurance policy is for replacement costs - stain grade wood is NOT white vinyl plastic windows.

Any update on the police investigation and the vandals? Not at this time.

PJ,
The biggest reason I am doing the work myself is CONTROL of the finish product. I have to spend the TIME up there while repairs are being done anyways ... rather not have to deal with labor who show up at 10AM after promising me a 7AM appearance. I want a very good finished product. I know a little bit about construction (okay, more than the average person), play with design ideas knowing how I use the house, and have an available and able guy who needs the extra money for his personal plans (to pay for his daughter's wedding in Sept).

Having owned this place for 35+ years, I have a lot of memories of being there. I have been a gyspy in my personal residences with the longest period of time being 8 years (and I did not like that house particularly) to less than 13 months several times. If you sat outside on the deck there, you would understand how a summer's day is a breeze blowing thru the trees and the clouds moving across the sky. In the winter, burning wood in the fireplace and reading a book as it snows is how that season goes. It is totally wooded, few cars, no walkers or bikers - it is very peaceful.

So when this is all done, I will have a NEW house and it will reflect what I need and want today. It will have a soaker tub (installed), a smaller kitchen footprint. more light from windows in the bedroom (and safer, too), hardwood floors (with fine wood area rugs), infloor bath & kitchen heating and fresh paint.

If I have to do be there anyways, it is NOT more work to get what I want --- it is less work to not be fighting with a contractor who wants a bigger cut of the insurance company's repair money.

 

[MuranoJo]

Sounds like this may be an entirely different, more luxurious (improved) place than prior to the vandal incident. Therefore also seems you must be putting a lot of personal funds (as well as elbow grease) into this.

The way you've described the area, it sounds wonderful and well worth all the work you're putting into it.

 

[Talent312]

The way you've described the area, it sounds wonderful and well worth all the work you're putting into it.

Indeed. It sounds like a great project.
I might have just hired a contractor and said, "Call me when its finished."

 

[Passepartout]

Viv, from your description, it really sounds like your 'new' all season, vacation home is coming together. Congratulations are in order!

When I initially read of the heartbreak of the vandalism and your efforts to find the culprits and then the rebuilding process it strikes close. We will be needing to do a similar re-do of DW's Dads house that he built with his hands in 1955. It hasn't suffered from vandalism yet, just 30 years of 'deferred maintenance.' OK, neglect. DW has read the ongoing accout and asked, "Why doesn't she just hire it all done? Isn't that what insurance is for?" after your explanation to PJ, up a couple of replies, DW saw the logic in your hard, hands-on work. You get what YOU want, not just what a contractor thinks you want on your terms.

Thank you for the step-by-step guide through your rebuild. It allows me to see what lies ahead.

Autumn in the woods in your new home will be wonderful and you will have such a sense of accomplishment.

Jim

 

[VivianLynne]

Thanks, Jim. When I built that house, it was a deluxe place. 35+ years ago. It had a cracked local stone fireplace and triangle fixed glass windows in the cathedral LR/DR area of the house. The KIT had a dishwasher and a breakfast bar. There was a laundry closet with a full size washer & dryer. The bedrooms had full wall length closets. There was a dual vanity in the bathroom.

But today other things define luxury. I went with a soaker tub so as to not have jets and a pump. I picked 36" tall cabinets, but fewer to keep storage space. I figured out handwashing a few dishes was better than keeping space for a DW. I eat out more and have fewer cooked meals for guests. I like hardwood floors and nice area rugs.

As for your FIL's cabin, plan before you spend $ or taking a hammer or sawall to anything. A 1955 cabin might need new electric wiring. The rooms might be more cutup/smaller. You most likely have a screened porch. You might need central heat. Decide what character YOU want to keep or style of your finished product. Knotted pine board walls if still unpainted might looked super on a wall or two as an accent. Pine shelves in a kitchen with a low ceilings can look great with Fieasta dishes - esp if you need more expensive items like a roof, windows, well, etc.

I needed a place to journal this work. TUGGERs are great.

 

[VivianLynne]

Sounds like this may be an entirely different, more luxurious (improved) place than prior to the vandal incident. Therefore also seems you must be putting a lot of personal funds (as well as elbow grease) into this.

The way you've described the area, it sounds wonderful and well worth all the work you're putting into it.

Personnal funds are not too much. My labor and "deals" on buying stuff helps. I get 10% off most stuff by buying at the PRO desk at Home Depot, if not on sale. I brought HD STOCK kitchen cabinets on sale. Walmart paint. Discount hardwood flooring on clearance - $2.50 per sq ft for 3/4 in finished white oak. Display rangehood; cooktop from a local store for $25 less than other vendors.

And I have gone back to the insurance adjustor several times for addons or code requirements necessaities.

But I will spend my money for engery updates or safety items.

 

[VivianLynne]

I promise pictures of the finished vacation house - plus an Open House date to my TUG friends.

 

[pjrose]

I promise pictures of the finished vacation house - plus an Open House date to my TUG friends.

Woo hoo...I was going to joke about an invite but you said it first!

 

[VivianLynne]

Ordered the small 2 burner cooktop from my friend - he cut 15% off the cost.

Need to go check on my rangehood/convection oven etc....

Next week will go to the granite yard which I have been looking at for several months on my drive to/from Shawnee and the house.

 

[VivianLynne]

Just got back from another 5 day WORK week/vacation stay at Shawnee. On Tuesday, my mechanic informed me that he could do NEXT WEEK also. Great - no Shawnee units and 2 hotel rooms for 4 nights is around $575. It really does make timesharing so nice - a 2bdr unit instead of 2 hotel rooms.

I get to sleep in my bed for 3 nights - wow! But the price is 2 days of weekend shopping for paint for the bedrooms plus the other 14 items on my list needed for MONDAY.

It was HOT this past week - got a second air conditioner installed by taking the saw and cutting a hole in the 3/4" plywood covering the former window. It was only slightly cooler.

Seems Lowes has a computer tracking system based on illusion and delusion. The assistant store manager while I was 3-way called into the 1-800-Lowes customer service complaint line walked to receiving and found my SPECIAL ORDER WINDOWS ($2,000 for 4 windows) had been there for 1.5+ days. Late Thursday just allows us to unpack one unit, size the hole from inside the house, and make plans. If I had gotten them on Wednesday, several would have been installed by now. As we are going back on Monday, all those windows will be in by the installed by next Friday afternoon.

Now ask me about my SPECIAL ORDERED interior doors - the Lowes computer system is saying they are "SHIPPED" - just like my windows were shipped for 7+ days. Will have to go find the assistant store manager - on Monday.

So what got done:
The discovered last time aluminum range wire (the 220 line) from the panel box to the stove; it has now been replaced. Had to open up the wall under the panel box (break the sheetrock out) and run 36 feet of wire in the crawl space. New insurance whine will be needed to cover the cost for that repair. But I surely did not want the rebuilt house to burn down.

Most of the hardwood flooring in the hallway and 1/2 of the smaller bdr. The sink base cabinet was set with the plumbing connections thru the floor. The 2 old vanities were fixed with new bottoms (and painted last trip) and also set in the bathroom with the plumbling connections. The new vanity double bowl with new faucets got installed. Mirror connectors positioned and installed; 2 new vanity lights where I had to repositioned the lights for the tilting mirrors. New hall ceiling light installed. New bathroom ceiling light installed.

The porclein floor tile in the entry way was started.

And best of all - a toilet was installed. No more visiting my personal tree in the woods or driving the 4 miles to use the CVS public bathroom.

Second BEST - my Viking rangehood/convection oven/microwave was installed and is working. It is so quiet - you can watch TV next to it and hear the TV. Except I have no TV since my 3 TVs either had paint poured into or rattled when moved (that will be a future shopping trip).

On this coming Monday, the granite people come to make a templet. Friday might be granite installation day. Hope we will have time to set the 2 (two) burner radiant cooktop before we leave. Need to move more hardwood flooring to house from my garage - only 1 box left up there.

I think I have lost another 5 lbs this past week. Just too tired to take off my shoes and walk to the bedroom. My tight shorts are loose as I sit here on the computer writing this update.

 

[jerseygirl]

VL - I enjoy these updates so much. I know it's been awful (and I hope the perpetrators are punished) ... but I see a very happy ending in your future!

 

[pjrose]

. . .

And best of all - a toilet was installed. No more visiting my personal tree in the woods or driving the 4 miles to use the CVS public bathroom.

. . .
I think I have lost another 5 lbs this past week. Just too tired to take off my shoes and walk to the bedroom. My tight shorts are loose as I sit here on the computer writing this update.

OMG, no toilet all this time? That would have been first on my list. Props to you for putting up with the outdoor facilities this long!

I wouldn't mind losing the weight, but not the way you've done it.

Any news on the vandals?

 

[DazedandConfused]

I would love to see before and after pictures