You know when you had this whole plan and it all seemed like it was going to work out, so much so that you started putting a lot of time and energy into acting on the plan and then even started writing a blog post regarding some of those pieces parts about said plan….and then.
AND. THEN.
You’re so funny, universe. I know you’re actually looking out for us but really. So funny. Appreciate it and all but still. Here we go again.
SO. The plan gets a kink and the kink is so serious that you’re not even sure if you’re going to carry out the plan anymore.
Hello, welcome to my life, the current edition.
Of course this allllllllllll revolves around the hazmat house. And this time it’s actually living up to its name! Way to be a team player, house. I guess if you describe a thing a certain way enough times it ends up taking on those properties. Murphys Law or something.
Probably not Murphy at all but definitely some kind of law the universe has in place.
Anyway.
We are in the process of having appraisals and inspections and all completed and yesterday we received the radon report.
What’s radon, you say?
You have no idea what I’m talking about?
Sidebar: If you live in Colorado, I hope I’m not talking to you.
Quick science lesson for everybody else:
And if anybody has a better lesson on this or if I am describing this improperly, please share.
Radon is a gas that is created by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil. It comes up from said soil into your house. When you have this gas in an enclosed and well insulated/sealed area like a house, it floats around until it exhausts its half life, which is around 4 minutes and that is plenty of time for the particles to get into your lungs. Having this happen day after day, year after year can cause lung cancer. Because radon is a carcinogen and carcinogens are super bad for your body. Radon is more prevalent in some areas of the country (looking at you, Colorado…and now apparently also South Carolina…) and it is also more frequently an issue when you have a basement.
Usually you have a radon mitigation system in your house to combat this. It is a pipe that goes from the ground to outside to vent the gas. It doesn’t remove it completely but it gets rid of enough of it to get it to lower levels. Still a carcinogen…just not as much. Really that sounds ridiculous but it is what it is…because radon is everywhere.
The hazmat house said it had a mitigation system.
The radon test result said that mitigation system is not doing its job.
Levels that warrant intervention are at 4…..okay really it’s way more complicated than you probably want to know.
Brass tax is the house radon levels are high and we are concerned. I don’t want any of us exposed to a carcinogen at levels that are putting us at a much higher than average percentage of developing lung cancer.
Yes, we know the system can be fixed. But the big question is will it really BE FIXED? Yes, they’ll do another 2 day test and it that comes back as acceptable…and we say we will go ahead with the sale…….
Okay really. It feels like I’m trying to justify us eating bowls of fried sugar washed down with soda and driving around without seatbelts – and we do not do any of those, for the record.
The most accurate radon test is 90 days and if we decide to buy the house and then do the 90 day test and find out that radon is still a big issue….mitigation system or not….then what?
Do you see where I am going with all of this?
And to think this post was going to be about the distress we were having about how difficult and confusing it is to buy an area rug…..one email later and look where we are now.
chickenbees 