If you have read a post or two about the things we have been doing in our house and yard, you probably know that we typically run into some little “quirk” in the way the former owner, Myrna, did things around the house. For example,
- Not removing outlet covers, switch plates, or window blinds when painting a room (resulting in various pastel paints on the edges of virtually all the outlet covers, switch plates, and blinds in the house);
- Putting clear packing tape over the edges and corners of frequently used kitchen cabinets to prevent skin oils from damaging the wood (this, by the way, does not protect the wood from the tape adhesive and its finish-harming effects);
- Taping sheets of clear plastic over the shower surround to prevent the shower from getting dirty or moldy (again, does not protect shower surfaces from the effects of the adhesive);
- Not removing an unwanted shrub (and associated trellis) before planting new plants around and on top of it;
- Adding a retaining wall and simply dumping fill dirt directly over an exiting sprinkler system rather than extending the sprinkler heads to the new, higher surface.
Now, I originally described these as quirks, but they have become so frequent and, for lack of a better word, stupid, that it is clear they are just examples of extreme corner-cutting by a ridiculous tight wad.
The latest evidence is our air conditioning. The story of the AC is an epic saga. When we were in escrow on the house, we brought in our own independent home inspector. When he checked out the downstairs AC, he showed us that it was not properly functioning; it cycled up, but would only remain on for a minute at best. He told us it could very well be because the weather was cold, and AC often does not work in cold ambient temperatures. Nonetheless, he recommended that we have a pro look at it, since he was not an HVAC expert. So we included as one of our contingencies to closing that the AC had to be inspected and repaired if necessary. Myrna agreed.
When we did our final walk through, the unit was still cycling the same way it had been. Myrna was there, and she assured us that the unit was functioning properly, we were just having problems because it was cold that morning. All of our other repair requests had been attended to, so we believed her. Plus, our agent was also Myrna’s agent, and we figured if she knew Myrna didn’t comply with the repair request, she had a fiduciary duty to inform us.
Fast forward a few months to warm weather. Surprise! AC unit is still cycling and shutting off. We spoke to our agent and she advised us that the home warranty that was part of the purchase should cover it, and we should call them. A quick note on home warranties: they are meant to cover things that break within the first year of the new owner’s occupancy of the house. The explicitly do not cover things that were wrong with the house at the time of purchase that are only discovered after the closing. We called the home warranty people and they sent someone out. He pointed out that we had a 3-ton condenser unit hooked up to 2-ton air conditioning coils. A clear mismatch. Not functional and also not covered by the warranty because the condition must have been existing when we purchased the house.
Needless to say, we ended up hiring our own AC guy, on the recommendation of Steve’s boss, who confirmed the mismatch. With a little investigation, we also found some things that the home warranty guy missed in his haste to declare NO COVERAGE!, and got a proposal for repair. But time is short, and this post is long, so that will be a story for another day . . .
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