Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Go to the authorities . . .

The ceiling in Don's family room -- complete with a hole that not only allows the sun to shine it -- so does the wind and rain and cold weather, bringing down more insulation and ceiling each time.  What a mess!

I think the $64,000 question at this point is:  is the house structurally sound enough to invest in rebuilding or do we remodel the detached 2 car garage into a house?

Seems each contractor that comes to take a look has a different opinion. 

Today I had an appointment scheduled with the building commissioner to see if some of my questions and concerns could be resolved.  Monroe was sitting with his material list to rebuild the house and he needed to know whether to continue with it or not.  Don has applied for his grant from the state and with the weather getting colder each day we have no time to waste.

The commissioner was a big help as we discussed each option and difficulty and then had to toss in the fact of lack of funding.  It was rather like playing ping pong, back and forth and back and forth.

At the end of our meeting I asked the commissioner if he would come and take a look at the house and garage.  He said he hadn't seen them himself and although he cannot make the final decision due to liability issues, he can take a look and . . .

So tomorrow we will meet at Don's and once again get another opinion. 

Monroe got his material listing to me so first thing in the morning I will head to both Lowes and Menards to speak with the folks at the contractors desk where they can take the materials and put dollars to them.  Atleast then I will have a better idea of what the rebuilding of the house would cost.

Of course, there are always "hidden" things that can pop up when you start opening up walls and ceilings and floors so you can never get an exact estimate.  But we can get a rough idea and at the same time compare the costs between the stores.  Bottom dollar always wins!

Please keep Don in your prayers as this has been a very difficult time for him and although his spirits are high and he is being as flexible as anyone could be under these circumstances, we need to get started and get this gentleman back into a real home!

Also please pray for direction -- for us all to have divine wisdom in making this decision.  Our goal is to bring Don home again and in doing so -- bring glory and honor and thanksgiving to our awesome God who continually tells us that with Him nothing is impossible!

And while you are praying, please remember the 25 families in the city of Paoli (about an hour south of us) that were struck by a tornado on Monday night!

Until next time . . . "facing an impossibility give us the opportunity to trust God."  Susan and Monty

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