because a few weeks ago, FEMA came out and did an inspection. Since we have a working stove, oven,microwave, running water in the sink, and a fridge in the kitchen, along with at least 1 full bathroom upstairs, they said we could live in the house on the second floor and they will stop paying for the motel. So they gave us 72 hours advance warning that they would stop paying for the motel. Of course,the upstairs looks like an episode of one of those "Hoarders" shows, where whatever we could salvage as the demo crew was wrecking the first floor got stacked in boxes with almost no paths around them.

Mind you, ever since Bubba the Texas General Contractor stopped showing up, leaving us with a very incomplete first floor, not to mention his taking close to $20K of our money for work never performed, I've had to play general contractor to keep the process moving along. Naturally, the highly rated skilled labor folks never return your calls (because they're booked solid for months); the medium rated guys might get back to you (but don't count on it); and the bottom level guys will return your calls, only to quote you a very inflated price because this is a once in a lifetime chance to make a killing. So we've had people in to continue the process, but mainly to fix the crappy job Bubba's subcontractors did. For instance, when putting up the new sheetrock they "forgot" to use tape at the joint under the joint compound in several rooms. So I had to find someone to repair that, which is another unexpected expense. They are plenty of other examples like that where I'm paying a second time to have something done properly. And we're a few weeks ago from this guy being done because he decided to take on another job at the same time, and our complaints to him were met with "If you don't like it, I'll just go work over there and never come back".

When you add up the money we're spent on workers, sheetrock, paint, trim and moldings, cleaning supplies, new major appliances, replacing the wife's car, new kitchen and bathroom cabinets (and new countertops because the carpenter made them slightly larger than the original ones),etc., we've spent more than most everyone on this board makes in their gross annual salary. And we've yet to go shopping for replacement furniture and replacement clothes - wife says "we'll learn to live more frugally" so no on buying a new dining room set, for example.

Sadly, too many of our neighbors are in the same boat. Here it is,9 months after Harvey hit, and so many of us still don't have our homes close to what they were before the disaster hit. While the business media keeps crowing about the surge in consumer spending as several hundred thousand homes had to be rebuilt, they're ignoring how so many of us will close our wallets for the next several years to let our bank accounts recover. We won't be taking vacations, or upgrading phones or computers, and keep our surviving cars until the day they die, because we're already tapped out. And Trumponomics and his tax cuts aren't trickling down like they say on Fox Network ...

He's doing a much better job repairing all of the shitty work the original crew did, along with doing lots of other things that still need to be done.

Of course, we're happy now because he has finished working at the neighbor's house and can focus on our place exclusively. He was over there for 3 weeks while his only other worker (his son) was doing chores in our house. Both f them have been here for the past 10 days and has been saying he'll has us done in "a week and half". Well, that time frame has come and gone, and he'll still need at least another 10 days to complete what we put into the contract. Hell, when we originally hired him he said it would take no more than 3 weeks, and that was 2 months ago.

Sadly, he keeps playing the game where he hands me a receipt for materials and says I owe him reimbursement. So far I've managed to keep my temper but each time I have to pull out the signed copy of our contract and point to the section that says materials are paid for by him and are included in the agreed upon amount that we will pay him for the job. He always seems to "forget" that section and he never apologizes when caught trying to nickel and dime me.

Bah.

Went to set up my stereo this past weekend. Tuner wouldn't work (it did pre-flood). Contacted Sony today and was told I'd have to ship it to Brownsville, TX at my expense and get charged a $75 bench fee, payable towards the repair total if I give them permission to fix it. When I told the woman that the receiver is over 30 years old, there was a short pause before she goes "No way we can replace any parts in that!" (Yeah, I kinda figured as much.)

Doing online searching today and no receivers are made with the built-in pre-amp for a phonograph connection, so it's Craigslist, Offer Up and Ebay for a replacement.

I also lost the equalizer unit and cassette deck, but those I can live without.

And we're now at $94K and counting in expenses to rebuild the place.

playing email tag with a guy that has a Yamaha CC-70W/CC-70S Bookshelf Stereo System for sale for $50. He can't find the antennas to prove the AM/FM tuner works, I have a few cassettes and CDs to check out those pieces and can wait until I dig out the box holding my records and connect the phonograph - that is, if I buy it.