My husband’s aunt passed away and willed us her house.
He remembered the house from when he was a kid, and he romanticized it as being a Gone With the Wind house.
He said it was the perfect plantation home, and he always wished he could live in it. We were only renting a house, but I wanted to see this old plantation before taking it. He was insisting we move to the house, and do work that may be needed while living there. Two months later, we packed up our belongings, refused to resign the lease, and headed to our new home. I knew we were making a mistake, but there was little I could do. My heart sank when I saw the house. It was in total disrepair, and I didn’t see any sign of electricity or plumbing. There were water closets, but no true bathrooms, and there was no HVAC in the house. We had to move in with his parents while waiting for a contractor. Along with a general contractor, we needed an electrician, a plumber, well driller, and an HVAC contractor. The house was going to cost all of our savings and substantial home mortgage to make it livable. It was also going to take at least six months’ time. The plumbing, electricity, and well, was the least of our worries. The HVAC system was going to cost considerably more than we had expected. Along with the HVAC equipment, we needed ductwork. My husband asked the HVAC contractor about having a heat pump installed. He told us it was doable, and it would cost half the price of traditional HVAC. I liked it would take a couple of weeks as opposed to several months and a lot of dirt to have it installed.