Help Us Go Home!

UPDATE UPDATE: [see the bottom] 


We're working to raise money to finish our house and go back home.

In 2013, we were lucky enough to be given the modular home we'd been renting from our landlady, with the provision that we move it onto our own land. Luckily, my husband's grandfather had a modest plot of land just waiting, one for each grandchild.

My husband's grandfather was even gracious enough to offer to loan us the money--he'd front the cost of moving our home to the land and get it set back up and livable again and we'd pay him "rent" until the debt was repaid.

After several false starts the project went underway, but during the move, both of my husband's grandparents fell ill and required hospital stays, effectively drying up their resources. Luckily they recovered to full health, but they could no longer help us. We were able to repay that debt within the following year, but then the trouble started.

Since then, we've been through job losses and our own financial crises, and our house has been sitting within eyesight, unfinished. For the last three years, we've been fortunate enough to live with my in-laws, whose generosity has shown no bounds. They've given what they've had to offer, but even they can't afford to help us finish this massive undertaking.

We've been digging ourselves out of the hole that comes with extended unemployment, which has been a blessing, but it's also made it nearly impossible to save up or even get ahead enough to start chipping away at the costs of fixing up the house little by little.

With your help, we'll be able to give our children a home again--a space of their own, rather than a front room with a doorway that serves as a main entrypoint into my mother-in-law's house. We'll be able to reclaim our own house before even more damage sets in: we've already battled nature's encroachments. We've dealt with the rodents and bugs attempting to claim our house for their own several times, and we've mitigated mold and mildew from sitting unoccupied in the humid South Carolina sun. With your help, I will be able to proudly say I'm a homeowner before my 30th birthday, which is something I've dreamed of since first entering adulthood and enduring numerous moves and living on friends' couches.

I can't express how indebted and grateful our family would be for your kindness and generosity. The best I can offer is that for your donation, you will be invited to the housewarming and/or sent a hand-written thank you card. I know it's not much, but it will come straight from our hearts.

If you'd rather donate materials, that would also be amazing. Here's a list of the major things we need to make the house ready to pass inspection and be livable again:

-- Underpinning: one of the first steps to get our inspection will be to get the house underpinned; we've opted to use vinyl siding rather than brick simply for the cost. It's got about half of this done, and will cost approximately $250 to finish.

-- Lumber & hardware to build code-approved steps into the house: I'm not entirely sure how much this one will cost, honestly, because we've gotten nowhere near that point; it would only be enough to do two very basic sets of stairs. I'm hoping it will come to approximately $250 or less.

In all, I really just want to thank you if you've done as little as take the time to read all the way through this explanation. It means so much to us. Thank you. <3

-- Drywall & plywood, a few shingles, a gutter or two: the previous owner had a certain type of gutter system installed, which made it impossible to clean out (and we lived right under a very healthy oak tree). This meant over the years, it got clogged up, and which allowed rain and ice to damage the  roof and push the water up under the shingles. In turn, this warped walls and floors, and made it easier for the mildew to start creeping once the house was moved and started sitting un-air-conditioned. It's likely also damaged an electrical outlet or two, but I'm guessing getting the other things fixed would be the first step. Thankfully, the damage is only in one spot and therefor easily isolated.

-- Painting supplies: Honestly? This is just a for-fun one, for the most part. Who doesn't like getting to pick out a fresh coat of paint for a room?



UPDATE UPDATE: Oh holy cow, y'all. You guys have been flipping amazing, can I just say? We met the first goal within twelve hours, and the second one within 24. This is seriously exploding my brain, okay?

[I tried to insert that Italian Spider-Man gif of the student being stunned and surprised, but GFM seems to disagree with my choices.]

I've bumped up the goal again, and will probably not change it after this. I'll leave it sitting intact, even if the campaign continues, as a testament to y'all's awesomeness.

But seriously--everything is going straight into this house. Even once we're able to move back in, there are still plenty of repairs, many of which come from our house sitting unloved for three years. There are wall, floor, and toilet repairs, and some minor roofing issues that are the root cause of those wall and flooring problems. Y'all's generosity and love are absolutely a thing I will treasure forever.

DON'T FORGET: So I mentioned those hand-written thank-yous and invitations, didn't I? If you've already donated, or are going to do so, please get your address to me, so that I can make sure our love gets back to you. For those that have already updated, I will be going through in the following week and messaging y'all privately, to find out your preferences.