We’ve been living in our new house for close to eight months now. Every so often we’ll come across a feature that leaves us scratching our heads: what were they previous owners thinking? For example, I had to repair the sprinkler line I damaged, so I dug up the trouble spot and found not one, but two sprinkler lines running through that location. The first line runs parallel with the second line, only about an inch deeper, if that. It’s extremely difficult to fix the one pipe with the other one that close. Heaven help me if something ever happens to the lower pipe.
The last house we lived in also had some real head-scratchers. Like when they put in concrete around one side of the house they did it in such a way that the surface turned out very rough and jagged. I’m relieved to say we survived five years there without anyone tripping in that section and shredding a knee.
Or when I tore down the deck they built on top of the patio and over part of the yard. Every few feet in the dirt area they had left a concrete “gumdrop”, where they essentially dug a hole and dumped concrete into it for no apparent reason. I had to remove about a dozen of these. I would have loved to have shot someone.
I suppose the people who occupy our former houses today often wonder the same about us. Like why the picket fence I built is not straight in some places. Or why did we build that monstrosity of a shelving unit above the stairway into the garage. I suppose that’s the fun of living in pre-owned houses. You inherit years of decisions made by people living a much different life than yours. Some you like and keep, some you don’t and change, and some you learn to live with.