My assessment went up considerably.  By my math, it went up over 100%.  On some level, I am happy to see that the assessed value is actually tracking close to what I paid for my house.  Even better considering the current real estate market.  Nonetheless, I am not looking forward to my tax bill in the coming years.

1. Correct the immediate problem: My immediate problem comes from some poor decision-making on the part of the plumbers who performed the rehab of my house.  Essentially, they ran their vent pipes and the pipe for the exhaust fan through the roof somewhat badly.  Instead of using rubber and tar to seal the areas where the pipes emerge, they decided to use the flange/collars that one tends to see on shingled roofs and sealed it with some roof cement.  The problem is fairly flat roofs do not lend themselves to these collars, so you eventually get a leak.  Phil suggested that we could correct the immediate problem by removing the pipes and collars and redoing them with rubber and tar.  The cost of this option is $650.
2. Tackle the whole darn thing: I could take care of this the right way and have the pipes redone, the current roof ripped up and replaced with a rubber roof with a silver coating to reflect sunlight.  This obviously gives me 20-25 years, and the concomitant cost as well.  The cost of this option is $2200.

Honestly, I am leaning in the direction of just redoing the roof right.  I am probably going to talk to my grandfather and my uncle, just to get their take on it.  The only problem is that I really cannot afford to do this repair at the time.  In a couple of months, I can definitely do it, but not at this time.  I have to admit, though, that my impulse is to do this right so that the problem does not come back to haunt me in the time I own the house.

As Sally said yesterday, home ownership is bliss.   The bliss part becomes slightly painful when you have to pay for home repairs.

I pulled off the air register that is on that wall, as I noticed some dampness in the sheetrock around that area.  I  then poked around the box that houses the vent for the A/C duct work there.  That is when I noticed the problem.  The 2×4/stud above the vent box (for lack of a better term) was pretty wet and leaking water.  I looked around my bathroom, and the only thing I could see was what appears to be some water damage to some sheet rock tape.  The only conclusion I have is that I have a leak in the roof above my bathroom, and the water is leaking in and running down to this wall between my hallway and bathroom.

I know it is not the water to the shower and tub, as there was no increase or decrease in the dripping when I took my shower.  Furthermore, there is no decline in water pressure either.

Just what I needed to wake up to on a Tuesday morning.  Time to go find a roofer for an estimate and someone to fix the sheetrock that is most certainly going to need to be replaced.

• Alarmed:  My alarm system is working and being monitored.  The system works just as it should, and I am using it all the time.
• Walled: The entry point in my basement has now been completely secured.  My friend and I walled it in with some 2×4 and 2×10 lumber.  We secured it with screws and made it such that it cannot be tampered with from the outside.  Even if a potential intruder decides to try their luck, it will take too much time and effort to try and get in.  Even then, the only means of access through the wall are too small to allow anyone in.
• Covered: The window that exposed my office has been covered with curtains.  No one can see into the office from outside my home, so when my items are replaced they will not be attractive to any potential interlopers since they cannot see them.

The last thing I need to address is a way to make the crawlspace completely inaccessible.  I am going to talk to my dad and uncle and see if I can get a hinged and lockable access door.  I know they should be able to get one given the type of crawlspaces they deal with building homes in Ocean Pines.  Once that is done, I will have everything covered.

It was an expensive lesson to learn, that’s for sure.

The last thing on the agenda will be to purchase some window coverings for the back windows.  From there, I just need to follow-up with my insurance company and see what is happening on that front.

Some interesting movement on the job front, too.  More on that later, though.

I immediately went back to my office in the rear of the house, and I discovered that my rear door was unlocked. I looked at my desk to find my new PC, external hard drive, flat planel monitor, my camera bag and camera, wireless keyboard, mouse, and USB hub were gone. I then surveyed the rest of the house.
I noticed that the two coats I had on my stairway banister were gone–a big yellow Columbia parka and my trusty REI fleece. I also noticed they took a priceless meerschaum pipe my grandfather got in Turkey while he was in the Navy. I went upstairs to find that both of my closets had been disturbed but had nothing taken from them. The contents of my dresser were rifled through, but the only things taken there were a gold Seiko watch I had received for high school graduation and my day-to-day Fossil watch. They left my college ring untouched.

I called 311, and I went to the basement to see how the thief or thieves got in. There is a crawlspace under the rear of my house, and the kicked in an access panel to gain access to the basement. I had not locked the basement door, but that would not have been too great a deterrent. The bigger issue was I had not enabled my alarm. Once they were in, they had free reign.

They did not take anything else.  No DVDs, no CDs, not even my DVD player. They concentrated their efforts on the back of the house primarily.  Fortunately, I am a guy who does not have a lot of bling, so I think I disappointed them on that front.

The officer came by and took my report, and the Crime Lab followed to take any possible fingerprints.  I don’t expect much success on that front, but you never can tell.  I also discovered that my neighbor across the street had his home broken into and had a bunch of construction tools taken from his basement.  Apparently, I was not the only victim.

Today, I will be taking care of my alarm problem and repairing how they gained access.  Much longer term, I need to figure out how to make it such that the crawlspace is not so easily accessed.  There is a bright side to this, though: no one was hurt, and the damage is missing material possessions.

What really bugs the shit out of me, though, is the fact that they thieves took coats.  You stole my coat, you drug-abusing asshole.  If I even see some random person wearing a bright yellow and black Columbia parka, I am going to jump out of my car and throw them a beat-down.  The other annoying part, though, is that I had not had my damn new PC for a week, and I had spent most of Sunday getting everything done on it and configuring it the way I like it.  It then gets taken by some drug fiend looking for some quick cash for his next score who has no fucking clue what it does let alone how to use it.

I will admit I screwed up here. I did not have my alarm ready, and that would have scared the idiots away. At the same time, I also did not completely hide what was available.  Consider it an expensive lesson learned. Still, though, after getting things done, this happens.  It could not have happened at a worse time, as my positive cash flow of late has been squeezed a bit (more on that later, but anyone need some part-time work done by a network administrator?).

As those of us in information security like to say, I obviously have some holes in my firewall.  I am off to address those holes and make sure it does not happen again.  I am not soured on city living, though.  At the end of the day, I am a bit more angry at myself for making this too easy for some the filthy paws of some drug-addled malcontent.

Speaking of the house, the one thing I was reminded that I need to go purchase is an outside garbage can.  I was reminded of this when I missed the trash pickup this morning.  It has not been a big deal up until this point, since I have not had that much trash, but I probably should get one.  Here comes another trip to Lowe’s or Home Depot. 

Duty calls. 

Nonetheless, I am throwing this out here before I throw it up on Craigslist.  If anyone has a need for a beech colored TV/Entertainment Bench with sliding glass windows, I am taking offers.  The purchaser will, of course, need to pick up the bench.  A photo of the piece is below, rotated as I have it currently on its end.