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Comment by LLovesmysailor on July 17, 2009 at 11:50am

Bea, I talked to the contractor and we are going to start in late Oct. It would have been nice to have the basement done before he came home, but that just wouldn't work. First, I don't know exactly when he is coming back or when his leave will be scheduled. So, I pushed it out as far as I could. I can't go any later than late Oct because I don't want to run into winter weather, esp since we are putting in another window. Thanks for the advice!

Comment by NevadaSierra on July 17, 2009 at 9:49am

Hi Everyone;
Thank you for your prayers. I have set my retirement date for 7-22-09.The lay off will be effective on the 24th, so I was advised that to be able to keep my medical benefit (75%) of the cost being paid by the court that I needed to retire while still a current paid employee. I was put on 'administrative leave' until the 24th. So, that is why the date - to keep the medical benefit. Otherwise, we would loose that benefit. The 'severance agreement' would have taken away all rights that I had under the MOU, Policies & Procedures of the court. It is worth too much for our future. So, there we are. Thank you for your prayers. I'll be helping with Grandma & Grandpa once things get settled. Next week will be going to CalPers to get all the paperwork taken care of. Worse case I loose a couple of days pay - best case I have the medical benefit in tact.
Shirley (sailor's mother in-law) is home on mophine and as comfortable as she can be at this time. The hospital was able to rehydrate her. We understand that they will be able to visit sometime in the next couple of weeks. A lot depends on her health. He may be able to bring out littlest angel up to give his wife a break.
We all appreciate your prayers. It has been a challenge to figure this out. Your prayers have helped. My angel blessings and Navy Mom hugs to all, Susan
Our sailor has finished his time with the Penn - so I guess I'm done being a sub mom till things change in his life. Is it okay if I keep checking in? This is such a good group, and I have learned so much! ~s

Comment by Mark on July 16, 2009 at 12:44am

Dang Bea, that was really something!

Hey back atcha Ginger :) - I would think that he should be able to get his FPO mailing address for the LA before he got to the boat, fer sure. Dunno about the e-mail thing though - back in the old-timey days (cough, cough) we had to survive without it, so I can't really say. An FYI for you, the LA will be relocating to Bremerton in about a year for decommissioning. You can look forward to visiting the great northwest!

Comment by LLovesmysailor on July 15, 2009 at 10:12pm

Alex just says, "If it isn't a switch with a reactor attached, it is not in my job description." But then he was alway good at disappearing when there was even painting to be done. He is however very good at breaking in a new couch or checking out how well the new frig is doing, keeping the food cold. I miss that boy!

Comment by LLovesmysailor on July 15, 2009 at 8:18pm

A. Alex do the work?? Not likely. LOL I don't think Alex has ever actually met a hammer in his life. He's a Nuke. Nukes don't do construction, at least that's what the Nuke I married keeps telling me.

Comment by LLovesmysailor on July 15, 2009 at 8:13pm

OK, now my head is starting to hurt> LOL I have a contractor. He's good and therefore he's busy. There's no chance he can even get started until the middle of or late Sept. We do need permits because we are putting in a new window, electric lines and plumbing. There is no issue with ever renting the space. We live in a condo community and it would not be allowed by the association. Thanks Bea, you've given me a lot to think about. I've got plenty of homework to get done before they start the project. Its just such a nice space with a walk out to its own patio.

Comment by BunkerQB on July 15, 2009 at 7:07pm

t would be great to have a wonderful place for Alex when he comes homes; however, my experience with remodeling is that anything that can go wrong will. Therefore, personally, I would wait until you have a two to three month block with another one month extension.
If you have your heart set on getting start now and If you have all your material selected and know you can get the items quickly if you need to change things (cabinets, granite, tile, windows, etc.) I would start construction immediately. Put a finish date of September 18, 2009 with a penalty per diem equivalent to a nice stay at hotel near by. This is assuming you have a contractor selected and you do not need a permit for any of the proposed work and your contractor is not in the middle of during another project and can concentrate on yours exclusively. Keep in mind, anytime you make changes, the contractor views it as an excuse to ding you. Make sure your contract is spelled out explicitly what the job entails. Does the contractor have a crew working for him or is he going to sub everything out. If he is, you may want to make payment to the sub directly and pay your general contractor the 10% (of the whole project) to manage and coordinate the project. Remember if subs are not paid, they can put a lien on your property - not good if you plan to refinance. If a permit is needed, who is doing the drawings and the submitting the project to the city? and making the arrangement for building inspections and meeting the inspector? What about the plumbing? Is there existing plumbing lines in place? What about electrical? Will you need to upgrade your service? What about the windows? The ones you need may have to be special order. What about the transition from upstairs to downstairs? Lastly, if you think you will be renting this area out in the future, make sure you have investigated requirements for converted, secondary units Do the project right. It's permanent.
If the basement is in a condition that is usable currently, I would clear out the space of everyhing. See if you can get a good used carpeting and a couple of old couches that someone is tossing, you can create a temporary "hang out" room, so he can invite buddies over and just chill. Maybe get (burrow, rent) a pool table, a ping pong table, refrigerator, microwave. There are a lot of houses being foreclosed on. Find out the company responsible for clearing the belongings inside. These companies don't salvage anything. Everything gets thrown out regardless of condition. The bank pays by the number of houses these companies can clear. A "hang out" place is especially important if Alex is under 21. We have a large, perfectly wonderful family kitchen but my boys would rather go to someone's house with a private area, away from parents when they have friends over (old convented garage, gazebo, back patio - you get the picture).
My husband is the trustee for a property in our local area. In April we completed a "near total" remodel of a single family home. Go www.wiltonremodel.com this website details the remodeling with detailed description and lots of photos. I have done a few projects.
Sorry for the disorganized rambling. Good luck.
Bea
Realtor with over 30 years of experience
Bachelor of Architecture
Master of Urban Design

Comment by LLovesmysailor on July 15, 2009 at 5:31pm

I have a bit of a problem and I'm hoping for some advice. I am planning on finishing the basement. It will have a full bath, a separate kitchen, and a media room,mostly for Alex to use. My first idea was that it would be done for when Alex came home. Thinking he would be home the end of Oct or beginning of Nov. Then plan was to start contruction the first week of Oct or the last week of Sept. Last time we talked he said he'll have two weeks leave when they get back. But we could go to Groton in case he has two weeks before his leave starts. They now expect to return "Octoberish." Meaning late Sept or anytime in October. So now what do I do. Do I wait until after his leave or try and get it done before he comes home. I'd have to guess when "Octoberish" would be. Help!

Comment by LLovesmysailor on July 15, 2009 at 4:52pm

To our new sub Mom, I would also check out the CT group. I have a CTN but he's not on a sub. There might be a CTI Mom who could answer some of your questions.

Comment by Mark on July 15, 2009 at 3:06pm

FYI - the mail situation is different between fast attack (SSN) subs and the boomers (SSBN's) - dunno about SSGNs, but probably similar to SSBNs. By all means keep the letters to your sailors on fast attacks coming (especially from spouses and GFs - no offense moms :) ) - getting mail to fast attacks so it is there when they make port visits (including foreign ports) is a priority to the Navy. SSBNs don't pull into port until they come back home, so that is a different story - but fast attack sailors are very grateful to have those letters when they pull into a foreign port, trust me!

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