Fungus (no longer) amongus

Today, our on-the-ball real estate agent sent two teams of dudes to our house. The first duo were professional damp guys. They took one look at the layout of the extension and did their best not to giggle into their clipboards. Let's just say they were only surprised this hadn't happened before now. The short version of their lengthy analysis is they think the whole extension is doomed for the long term (huge jacaranda tree roots run beneath it), though just the study is a goner for now. The second duo came to rip out the carpet and the built-in bench along the wall. They noticed immediately that the concrete floor beneath was totally soaked. When they finished, it was their turn to laugh.



The built-in bench was done to cover old cement stairs that must have led to the backdoor before the extension was built. That would mean the floor of the study is an old patio and thus would be an unsealed concrete slab. Um...yeah. We could tell before we moved in that the extension was put on for bottom dollar, but this is just sad. Consider the housing market here. If this house went up for sale, they would ask over AU$3 million. With a slip-shod extension built onto an old unsealed patio.

This whole thing is leaving me remarkably cheerful. After Katrina had her way with my dad's house in Ocean Springs, the #$$%^ contractor had his way with us, drawing out the renovations and repairs for two tortuous years and doing only half the quality job I needed because I wasn't there to supervise him. In the meantime, lost money, lost time, lost opportunities to make things better...it was an ordeal. When I discovered the mushrooms here on Friday, I started having Katrina flashbacks and tensed up big-style. However, now that the carpet and the mushrooms are gone, I find myself completely relaxed, and I'm just thankful that the bill won't be mine this time.