Friday, December 3, 2010

Raising the Roof (I Hope!)

Okay, first off, I'm hoping you all have the same sense of humor I do.  And, I hope you find the following story about our weekend adventure as laughable as I do.

I have no idea how the following situation will turn out, but of course I'm telling myself it will be good.  I'm no sucker and usually am conservative about business deals.  One thing I have been very unhappy about with my current house is that it has no garage.  I don't care about parking my car in one, but have no area to use all my tools and can't create or build anything.  I had to build my whole chicken coop out on the desert floor.  I have a small shed with electric and literally climb on top of things (like my compressor, the bicycle, table saw, etc.) while trying to get to something else.  Frustrating beyond belief!  Well, my partner found a workshop with attached carport on Craigslist yesterday.  The workshop is 12' x 16' and the carport is the same making the whole setup 24' x 16'.  It is built with the same construction a house is, is wired with electric, is insulated, has windows and sheet rock, a man door and a sliding door going into the carport.  It cost about $8000 to build about 5 years ago and my partner bought it for $500.  The problem is how do we get it here?  So, we ran an ad on Craigslist to have someone take it down and reconstruct it here on our property.  My partner talked to a man on the phone and he sounded very friendly and professional.  They met (the workshop is about an hour from our home) this morning and he looked and acted professional and knowledgeable.  The deal was that for $1000 he would do all the labor.  A heck of a deal!  Especially considering I don't have any money to spare.   If it was up to me to purchase it, I'd be without a workshop for a long time to come.  Yay!  Super excited!  Early Christmas!  (it's my Christmas present)

And... then... this morning... my partner met... "the crew".  Oh, my.  5 other people...  the main man's wife who has purple braided hair, 3/4 length sweat pants, halter top with red socks and house slippers and long red painted finger nails that wave around a lot.  There is also an adult child who my partner wasn't sure was male or female - sideburns and fingernails, no breasts but seemingly a "package" down below.   Chalk it up to California?  Then there are two skinhead looking fellows and one guy who just kinda hung around with his hands in his pockets seeming a bit lost and not sure what to do with himself.  Would this make you a bit nervous?  Well, apparently, they are just as nice as can be... very polite and well mannered.  So we went ahead with the deal.  I wanna give everyone a chance and a lot of people really need the money these days.  So, we're going with it.  They are supposed to come down tomorrow late morning with the workshop broken down and reconstruct it.  I joked about how they have their deposit money, cancelled their prepaid 7-11 phone and are driving away with our workshop laughing as they zoom down the road.  Well, it's given us a lot to giggle about.  I hope we didn't use poor judgment.  We wanted to give them a chance and, again, since the main man really seems knowledgeable, my partner rolled the dice!  If all goes well, we'll have a workshop and carport tomorrow late in the day or Sunday morning.  If it doesn't go well, ... well, not sure what we'll have!  But, we'll get ready to buy them pizza for lunch tomorrow, be great job hosts and cross our fingers.  Wish us luck!  I'll be back soon with pics and the rest of the story.   

7 comments:

  1. This is a great story can't wait for the final chapter. We have to have a little trust in people. I think you will have a wonderful new carport and shed by tomorrow night. Keep the gun handy just in case.

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  2. Praying it all works out for you! What a wonderful Christmas gift, so practical and to enjoyed for years and years to come.

    I've learned that appearances mean very little, you can have a clean cut, well spoken person rip you off just as quick as someone with purple hair, no taste in fashion and fingernails*wink*

    Praying all goes smoothly for you and that they enjoy your hospitality. The above advice of keeping your weapon close is worthwhile, you just never know 100%. Looking forward to pictures of the whole process.
    Blessings,
    Kelle

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  3. What an adventure indeed! I hear of winners and losers out on Craigslist, but everytime I have used Craigslist to purchase or lately sell some items, the folks I meet have been true gems! Hard working and just as nice as can be. It sounds like you might have the same batch out in CA. Hope everything goes great and you have your workshop up soon!

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  4. Good Luck! Looking forward to the next post on this matter. Seriously, I hope this all turns out well for you.

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  5. Cant wait for an update, hope you take pics!

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  6. Well, you didn't name yourself Hopeful for nothing, right? I for one can't wait for part two of this adventure and I so hope it all went well and you have your workshop by now.--Inger

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  7. I'm out of the loop but loving the story and on to part 2! I wish you had a pic of the crew...

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