J&M got Maui'd!

So I was mentioning earlier that it would have been nice to actively blog about our house hunting and house reno experience, but did not have the time. One thing I would like to add that I had not experienced before was a sewer backup. When we saw the renovations downstairs, the contractors added a back flow valve. I figured that it would prevent any potential sewer backup into our house. Nice to have seeing as we were on a ravine. Now what I did not realize was that these back flow valves are best when there is a sudden and acute backup of the system. However, if there is a chronic blockage, the back flow valve.. it does nothing! When the inspector came by to look at the house, we ran the water, flushed the toilets, etc. Everything looked fine. Of course, the house was not lived in for many, many months. In addition, the house next to us was vacant during that time too. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. We noticed that the toilet was not flushing well, we were hearing som

So the renovations are still underway. Maggie suggested that we should have written a blog about the whole ordeal so that we, and anyone else, would be able to learn from this experience. Although a good idea, the reality was that we were so busy with the renovations and life in general that we did not have the time to sit down to document all the stuff that was happening and what we were doing about it. In any case, here is where we stand: The bedrooms are mostly done. They just need to finish up with the electrical and networking. The bathroom is mostly done. The last of the tile is going down and the lighting and exhaust fan needs to get in. The cabinetry has been purchased and assembled and just needs to be installed. The kitchen is well on it's way. There is still the appliances to put in place and some cabinetry, but for the most part, it's pretty close, especially now that we have the sliding door installed. The blinds are on order and will be here in month. The side