You see, my house is almost 70 years old. The oil service guy told me the terra cotta chimney liner was destroyed but we were still able to use the chimney; however, he insisted I get it looked at immediately for safety sake. The oil company recommended Garden State Chimney. I called them repeated and left messages and no call back. I called the oil company and they apologized. Later that night, the guy from GSC called me and sounded annoyed. He said he was busy and it wasn't serious since the chimney was still usable. He said he'd get back to me and that was the last I heard from him.
So I went to Orlando and then when I got home I had all those rehearsals and the show so I kinda forgot/ignored it/hoped it would fix itself. Of course, that was not a good thing and finally I called another company and the guy came out t
oday.Well it's serious as my chimney is in bad shape. He was very concerned about the fact that the heater was venting into the basement and not into the chimney. He recommended a Stainless Steel liner and it would cost about $1,800 to $2,000 to install. AND he suggested a get a carbon monoxide alarm for safety sake. YIKES
But you gotta do what you gotta do so I am getting it done. He said since it's an emergency he'll be able to get the paperwork moving for the permit very quickly and should be able to start working on it first thing next week. I guess that's part of being a home owner, the sucky part.
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18 comments:
Sorry to hear that. Nothing worse than unexpected expenses especially in times like these. I hope that's the end of it and everything works well from now on and nothing falls apart.
Owning a home is fantastic--until stuff like this happens. We've been in our place for almost 5 years and still have a list of things we'd like to change.
I was cool with payday until the guy fixing our car called and said he finally got the part in. Then the Ford dealership called and told me the part I ordered in December finally came in.
Then I had to take The Kid to the doctor on Monday and with copays, prescriptions, etc. I was broke by Sunday evening.
I feel ya, man!
Just pay it and don't look back. Owning a home is not the American Dream, rather the American Myth. You never get ahead and always have to pay for something else that breaks next. It is part of what keeps the economy going, even though I look forward to retirement and renting again!
YIKES! Unexpected expenses are just wrong. We still rent and will for at least another five years...Stories like this make it okay...(just kidding - kinda).
Hope you have a good rest of the week. :)
I feel your pain on the chimney thing. Mine is rotted and I have to shell out $512 to get it fixed so that the new roof can be insured. The joys of having to fix things unexpectedly, huh?
That sucks ! Who ever said that owning a home was the American Dream should have all my "unexpected expenses", I'm pretty sure they would change their opinion pretty quick! Sometimes I think it's the American Nightmare instead of the Dream ! Oh well, at least it's My Nightmare ~ lol. Hope everything works out for you !
Ouch. Sorry! But you're not alone. I had an unexpected giant expense when I took my car in for an oil change. I left the place $1,000 lighter. Ugh.
Well I see GSC has great customer service.
Sorry it's going to cost a fortune.
Better safe than dead is my motto!
Ken - I've got my fingers crossed that nothing else falls apart.
Dave - You're right. I love having my own home but it is so expensive to maintain. You don't realize that as time marches on, little hidden problems become BIG ones.
Lorenzo - You're right though. It's gotta be fixed and that's all there is to it.
Jerrie - There are advantages and disadvantages to renting. I like the freedom of my own home but hate the upkeep.
Mystery Man - You gotta luck with just $512. I'd be singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" if that was all I had to pay...
WillowLakeScents - It's sometimes a dream and sometimes a nightmare.
Kathy - Unfortunately, misery loves company. Sorry to hear about your unexpected expense.
Meghan - I would never recommend Garden State Chimney to anyone ever! And you're right, better safe than dead for sure.
I first read that as "there goes my monKey up the chimney". Guess that would be cheaper :/
well, i do live in a condo complex, so that may be why, but i'm still gonna bitch and moan becuse the insurance should have covered that. that's what we pay it for, y'know?
Our house is old too and every time something happens it costs a lot of money to fix. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do! Hope everything goes well with the fix.
Julie - Yikes! A monkey in my chimney? No thank you.
Mystery Man - Insurance doesn't cover normal wear and tear unfortunately.
Valerie - Yup, old homes have a way of costing a lot when they need fixing.
We're rennovating an older home this spring. Oye. You've got me nervous. Sorry that happened!
Nothing like having unexpected bills hit you in the face. Please tell me you got that detector?? Don't put it off. I have three in my home, and lots of fire detectors.
Ugh, that's no fun! At least you finally got someone to come out and take a look at it.
Ugh - home repairs. And thanks for the kind words in the SITS comments section today!
xoxo
Margaret
Tara - Older homes need lots of work usually but best to get it all done and have no worries later.
Wheresmyangels - I sure did get the detector. Better safe than sorry.
Jaina - Not only is it no fun but it was damn expensive too. Final bill was $2,140!
Nanny Goats - Ugh indeed. And you're welcome girl. Your blog rocks!
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