Can't catch a break - one more thing on my already overloaded plate!

[Tradd]

Something else has happened to land a load on my plate. I can't catch a break! Uh, God?!

Back story: Since Sept. 08 I've rented a privately owned condo (guy kept it after he got married). Great landlords, rent has never increased. They keep everything fixed and are even proactive with things like furnace and central a/c maintenance. Complex is more than 25 years old. I live ground floor, on a slab.

I return a call from wife land of landlords today. I'm in shock when I get off the phone.

My building is SINKING. Soil erosion, I think she said. There will be major repairs outside but then they will have to come inside and do stuff in my LR and BR. Rip carpet and sub floor up and get down into the slab.

**I have to move everything out for a week.**

Condo assoc said I could keep stuff in the K, but it would get very dusty, I would think. Landlords are being great - wife has found several extended stay hotels with kitchenette where they will put me up. This will be after the office moves, so she's going to check out by the new office.

Wife half of landlords is 40, pregnant, on bed rest, and due in TWO weeks! She didn't need this either!.

It's questionable about when the town granted the building permits 30 years ago. It's only my building that's affected. Of course, only mine!

They're going to move my stuff into one of those POD things that can be easily moved about. The landlords are then going to put it in the driveway at their place so my stuff has someone watching it!

I am in the midst of: finishing up a massive exam for my previous class, stuff for the current semester (last one! yay!), and soon to begin studying for a professional licensing exam (the exam itself is in early April). I either need to get my arse into gear in a MAJOR way and get the class exam done in the next week or so or I can haul a ton of books with me to wherever I'm staying.

Husband half of landlords and some of his friends are going to do the schlepping with moving my stuff and helping to pack up, but I think I'm going to do most of the packing myself (they're going to supply me with boxes, etc.). I happen to have a pretty good stash of large plastic storage tubs (8-10), so I can do my books and clothes myself. They're doing the best they can to make sure I'm inconvenienced as little as possible. I don't have a ton of stuff so this move will be not too bad on them.

The condo assoc is being half-arsed about this. They don't have a definite date (starting date for the outside work will be sometime within the next 20 days), but given that it's northern IL and we're quickly heading into winter, they better get going SOON.

What a PITA! Prayers, please that this goes well.

The only positive thing is that I can get rid of the cruddy beige old carpet that shows the dirt easily and really needed to be replaced anyway. I was just thinking I wish I could get rid of the carpet.

Bad stuff, aside from having my life in upheaval for a week: I had just done a nice stash of canned goods and such for the winter. Several cases of water. One large double doored base cabinet is just loaded with my stash. This is in addition to a plastic tub full of lanterns and batteries and a huge thing of TP and paper towels under my bed. I'm going to see if I can put the TP and other paper products in my hall storage closet. I also have to see if I can somehow tape up cabinet doors with plastic, so the canned goods stash doesn't get much dust.

Ugh. Has anyone been through anything similar?

[WorldFoodie]

Yep, shifting, sinking slabs are common here in SE Tx. Too much rain, to much drought, cities using ground water for drinking water are the major causes here. When I owned condos and was on the condo board, we had to have it done on some of our condo buildings.

I had it done here(not condo), where I live now about four years ago and had to use to warranty to have it adjusted more recently. Here they took jackhammers and drilled 15 two foot holes through my hardwood floors and cement slab inside my home. I lived here while it was being done and it is very dusty as well as having my "nest" rearranged and disrupted. If you have electronics you'll want to get them out. (Don't forget to tape off the thermostat.) Don't know if you have any respiratory issues, but that is another thought.

I've been a landlord, and yours sounds like a sweety! If it were me, I'd take the week in the extend stay. As to a more definitive schedule, try to find who the contractor is and see what they may tell you.

Good Luck, WorldFoodie

[redfox]

Be very very glad you're not the owner having to swallow the expenses of this nightmare.

[Tradd]

My electronics consist of my laptop, printer, and associated router, etc., iPod, digital camera, and a small speaker thingy for my iPod. All will be taken out. My place has to be emptied, aside from the K appliances. I'm allergic to dust and mold, grass, etc., but mold is more my issue. They supposedly bring in some big vacuum thingy and suck all the dust out. Landlord is calling tomorrow to get more info.

My place is so small that I couldn't live here while it was being done. Both BR and LR are going to be torn up at the same time. I HAVE to take the week at the extended stay. The friends who have room for me live too far away from the new office

[Mrs-M]

Fingers crossed for you in hopes of a smooth and short-lived event.

[daisy]

We had to have that done to our home when we lived in Dallas. They had to drill holes through our living room, dining room and kitchen floors, as well as dig a large hole in our living room to repair the drainage pipe underneath. Based on our experiences, I would try to make sure the extended stay place has more than 1 week available. Rain slowed our repair down by several days. We stayed in the house while it was going on, but it was pretty miserable.

[Tradd]

Daisy, I will make a point of asking my landlord to make sure the extended stay place is available for more than one week.

I began decluttering last night. I went through the bathroom and kitchen cabinets and ditched a bunch o'stuff. I have to tackle my big BR walk-in closet, going through things as well as packing up. I've got one tub of books packed up and will probably have another two. Will go get more plastic tubs. Someone in the office had noticed them on sale. Given that my stuff is going to be sitting outside in a POD, I'd prefer all clothes, books, holiday/memoribilia to be in the plastic tubs. Kitchen stuff can go in boxes without being harmed.

You can't store food items in the PODs, so any packaged goods in boxes/bags - cereal, pasta, beans, rice, flour, etc. - are going to the food pantry. All canned/jarred items are already in lower cabinet of breakfast bar that I will cover up with plastic sheeting and tape up.

Next is to go through my papers and destroy the personal stuff set aside for destruction.

A friend works for an upscale furniture store and she offered to get me large plastic bags to cover my couch and easy chair from dust in storage. I have to go to UHaul and get plastic bags for mattress and box spring.

I'm doing this all the same time as trying to finish up the last take-home exam for my theological course, as well as being in the midst of our last semester (although much less intensive than the previous semesters)! I'd really like to finish exam before I have my temporary move.

Several friends from church told me I could stay with them, but they are all about an hour from where I currently live, which would make commute to new office location about 1:45. I appreciated the offer, but told them why I had to turn it down.

[treehugger]

Sounds like you have a really great landlord who is doing a lot to make the best of an unfortunate situation. Can't catch a break? I realize this seems like a great inconvenience, but it is really short term and doesn't mean the universe is out to get you. Don't forget to breathe. You will get through this!

Kara

[Tradd]

Kara, the can't catch a break thing refers to my already overloaded plate. More keeps being added to it! But man, am I decluttering a ton. Miss Minimalist might get a "Real Life Minimalist" posting out of me on this experience!

[treehugger]

That's a great chance to declutter. I always think that's the best reason to move. :) Sorry your plate is so full.

Kara

[Tradd]

Got more plastic bins at Walmart and I'm packing up a storm.

[iris lily]

Tradd, you are very minimalist, so I'm sure that you are, right now, thanking that habit because it's cutting you a lot of slack in the work.

[Tradd]

Tradd, you are very minimalist, so I'm sure that you are, right now, thanking that habit because it's cutting you a lot of slack in the work.

Iris, I've got about 70-75% of my stuff packed after a very energetic evening. Landlord is going to bring some boxes over very soon.

So, yes, I am really thanking that habit!

[Tradd]

Well, long story, but it might end up being 3-4 weeks out of my apt, and in the midst of the holidays, too! Outside work hasn't even begun yet.

I've decluttered more things. I'm not even leaving my canned goods stash in the cabinets under breakfast bar. I've bagged them up and they are being donated to the local food pantry. Lots of things they ask for, like tuna and canned tomatoes, so it will go to good use.

Since I appears I'm going to be out for so long, I'm keeping ALL my clothes with me (which isn't much, maybe 2 totes). Anything irreplaceable is staying with me or going to a friend's who offered to let me keep a few tubs at her home. Will be mostly books, class papers, and that sort of thing.

The head of my theological program had told me several weeks back that since our class cycle was so rigorous with exams, class presentations, etc., that I could graduate without taking the national exam that men applying for the diaconate take. He was, however, going to lopp off the parts we covered very well in class, so it was going to be shorter, anyway. I was going to do the exam, but I might now just take the option of NOT doing it! Or at least see the exam before I make my decision.

I'm so packed that I could be out of here with a day's notice. I've even got my stuff sorted into "pod" and "take with me" piles of totes in LR.