It has been one year since moving to Oregon from Southern California.  It has been a good move but a difficult one.  And one in which I definitely have seen the Lord’s hand guiding every step of the way.

My home here is small, but has needed a lot of fixes, which I never noticed when I walked through it a year ago last June.

Many things the former owner told me just were not the case.  Such as the house being all electric.  Well, after I had no hot water in September, I learned the water heater and heat pump were gas, and asked the gas company to turn the gas back on.

There was also suppose to be a sprinkler system for the long driveway, which is bordered on each side with lawn.  And now supports roses and flowering shrubs.  This too was deception, the water for the south side was whatever spilled over from the neighbor’s irrigation system for his orchard.  And the north side, was watered by system controlled by valves located on the property owned by the former owner of my property and who he rented to a rather difficult woman.  I found how difficult she coud be when she decided not to turn the valves on last summer.  I resorted to dragging soaker hoses out to keep from losing the shrubs due to the triple digit temperatures of August.  Thus, this spring I had an inground irriagation system installed.

I learned in this custom home, that the walls are not plaster as I was told, but painted dry wall – no wonder it takes toggle bolts and anchors to secure anything to the wall!  Also I was told the floors were hardwood, but not so…laminate and only laminate.

Recently I had another surprise discovery when I learned the roof was in poor condition.  I was told at the time I bought the home, only a few shingles on the south side were wearing.  A stronge feeling made me decide to get some estimates on re-roofing.  Each roofer who came out said the same thing: “How did this roof pass home inspection?  It is in terrible condition.”  I was also told, that the roof was a defective product the manufacturer recalled four years after it was installed, with an offer to completely re-roof at their expense.  Yet, the former owner did not act on this offer.  Thus a new roof was purchased as it was determined the old one would probably not last the winter.