After a dose of reality, I wandered back to the house a second time. Soon, our contractor friend Andy showed up for a much-anticipated professional eye on the building.

Good news first: We confirmed the knob and tube electrical work is disconnected and is not what’s powering the house. There are already modern runs connected to the new circuit panel. He called an electrician to come by and get a better estimate of what changes are needed.

The boiler looks sound, as does the plumbing. The exterior work will be quite expensive but can wait. Most of the interior work is cosmetic and can be done in phases. She won’t fall on my head.

Bad news: Asbestos. It’s easy to reach and confined to the basement, but there’s a lot of pipes down there covered in it. Professional removal is going to eat a lot of my move-in budget and make it really uncomfortably tight (probably means no new furniture immediately).

Insurance will also be doubly expensive until the house is move-in ready, and the removal must be done immediately. There is mold in the living room and master bedroom, but nothing that respirators, paint chisels, and Killz can’t handle.

I spent several hours reevaluating my budget and repair schedule. I’ll have a better idea once I have quotes for the asbestos removal and electrical work, but I might pull this off yet.

“Would I do it? Yes. I’d be hard pressed to do it, but I’d take the gamble,” Andy told me.

Brian returned from his week-long road trip tonight. “You ready for three years of manual labor?” I asked.

“Yeah, I could use a lifestyle change anyway,” was his immediate reply.

Me too.