We bought this house sixteen or seventeen years ago when we came to the Detroit area. At that time, D1 was married and living “up north”, D2 was beginning her last year of high school, and D3 was a freshman in high school. We had a house in our old home town that we hadn’t been able to sell, and we had used up our six months in a company apartment. So, we went to a few open houses; it used to be a Sunday tradition around here. I suspect things have leveled off lately.
Anyway, we didn’t find a house, but we did find real estate agent. She was aggressive, and said something like, “If this isn’t the house for you, what are you were looking for”? I described my minimum desires for a house, basement or garage, a pretty good sized yard, 3 bedrooms, under a certain price, in the school district where our daughters were enrolled.
Mrs. Aggressive mailed us some listings, and we found this one little house. The price was right, it had a garage, 3 bedrooms and a basement. The basement is a “Michigan basement”, it gets pretty damp in wet weather, in spite of the sump pump and dehumidifier. Over the years we’ve put in new windows, siding, a roof, Remodeled the kitchen and bathroom, torn down the old garage and built a new one and a myriad of other projects, large and small.
So, now what? When I quit working several years ago, I bought one of those new, water saving washers. At that time our family was D1, GS1, GS2, D3, Papa and I. There was a ton of wash, sometimes three loads a day, and that washer has really saved on our water and gas bills. It’s a great washer, but it has started having a few problems, and I know it has to be replaced soon. Now, the project. Since the floor in our basement isn’t very flat, leveling appliances is a chore at best.
To solve that problem, Papa is going to pour a little platform on top of the basement floor, where the washer, dryer and laundry sink reside. The platform will be flat, so the appliances will sit level with minimum effort. So, what am I doing today? Moving stuff, and vacuuming and getting ready. We started last night, but I had a few clothes I wanted to wash before moving the washer and dryer. So, tonight, Papa will put in the forms, and we will pour tonight and tomorrow if necessary. We’re using the easy method, bags of ready mix, so we just add water and mix. After the flat area is built, we can put the current appliances back, and I can shop for my new washer.
