Carol,
While it is quite a catastrophe, I must admit it gave me a chuckle: the
driver was obviously (by Providence perhaps?) eager to assist in the
remodelling by providing you with a new picture window opening, all the
better with which to gaze upon the Suffolk countryside. At the same
time, he effectively lowered the selling price of the house.
If the roadway is such where something like this could conceivably
happen again, then perhaps a fortified wall would be wise. Some places
here will protect such areas with metal guardrails to deflect wayward
cars. I've also seen substantial wooden pylons used -- something about
the diametre of a telephone pole that sticks up about 3 feet out of the
ground, and placed about every 5 feet along the area to be protected.
They go into the ground far enough to be quite solid, yet provide enough
"give" to absorb a good portion of an impact and thus protect drivers
from more serious injury or worse.
And I also agree with Martha's response -- hopefully the house overall
is still structurally sound to allow your purchase and remodel to go
through. Sounds like it would be a wonderfully restful place when it's
complete!
Thurlow
Carol wrote:
Hi Spiders All,
Can I just vent some dismay, and maybe make you all chuckle too?
I think some of you know my husband passed away very recently, so things have
been chaotic and glum here, but the family home - which we put up for sale
some months ago - has sold, so I have been looking for somewhere to rent,
temporarily, whilst my daughter and her husband, a builder, look for a
suitable, very-run-down property for me to buy, so that they can do it up, for
me to live in!
Well - last week we thought we had found the ideal property! Miles away
from anywhere, with stupendous views over the Suffolk countryside, and plenty
of potential to turn this grim looking, very neglected and run-down,
one-bedroomed bungalow into a wonderful two/three bedroomed bungalow, with all
mod cons, as well as a 'wooden chalet' place in the large garden for me to
make lace! So - not surprisingly, we put in an offer.
My grandson - 13 years old, and with what I now consider to be a very warped
sense of humour - rang me up early yesterday morning, to say "Marmar, did you
realise that a car came free with your new house?" When I asked him what on
earth he meant, between chortles of laughter, he informed me that a car -
whose driver was certainly 'under the influence of alcohol' as the police so
quaintly put it - had not made the corner, flew over the quite substantial
ditch outside 'my' house, and buried itself in the wall, taking the porch area
and two house walls with it! Well - after Mass this morning I trundled up
to see the damage, and I am amazed that the driver was able to extricate
himself from the car, via the sunroof, and leg it off home - and by the time
the police were able to identify him from the Drivers' records at Swansea, he
was not over the drink-drive limit! The room at the back of the house was
absolutely full of the brick and plaster rubble from the front of the house,
so you can doubtless imagine my disbelief when I saw it all! I have seen
cars with just a broken wing mirror, whose occupant has died in the shunt, and
this one is so mangled at the front, where it is buried in the house, it would
be hard to identify what make of car it was. The driver obviously has a very
hard-working guardian angel.
Now what do we do? Christian and Claire are of the opinion that, subject to
the surveyor's report, we still go ahead - but we build a wall around the
property, with metal reinforcement in said wall - apparently called a
'terrorist wall' in the trade - to stop it happening again! And of course,
we reduce the offer significantly ...
But - what a way to start the housebuying rounds - and I wonder what you all
think of the possibility of purchasing this property ...
Carol - Suffolk UK
'Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day.'
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