There were only two things I was thankful for when arriving at this house.
I got away from my parents. There are so many trees around here!
I had been given permission to chop some trees if I wanted firewood, but as a carpenter, I had better plans. That said, having just arrived at a house without heating an hour ago. So with that in mind I knew I had to do my best to ensure that I wouldn't freeze during the night. A single blanket was not going to do it.
I made a simple stump seat as I sat down and started to visualize what I could make this house become. For electricity, I wouldn't need to pay, but for the electrician to install everything I would need to have something he can build on.
The more I thought about it the more I realized that my original plan to not spend any money and only do a few things each month was going to fail. What was even worse was the lack of drains. How do you even figure out where to take the water or sewage? Sighing I took out my phone to call the landlady.
A slightly shaky voice came from the other side of the phone, "Hello? This is Mary."
"Hey Mary, it's Ivan."
"Oh dear it is wonderful to hear from you, but we just talked a little while ago. Did you miss my voice already?"
"Haha! Well although your voice would be a good reason to call, I called this time because of something I noticed when looking around the house. You see as I knew I had to fix it up I looked at everything and found out that all the water appliances drain into the dirt under the house. Do you understand?"
"I am afraid I don't quite understand. Can you explain it one more time what is wrong with the water?"
"The incoming water works fine, but the pipes that should take the water away from the house are not there. The pipes simply let the water fall under the house without going anywhere."
"Oh... I see... What should we do about that?"
"Well, unless you know if you have a septic tank we are going to have to install one. Then we are going to have to install one and connect it to the house. Also we need to make a drain field to take care of the water."
"Oh my, do you have any idea how much that might cost?"
"Well based on what I found online. At least three thousand just on materials and that is a very low estimate."
"Oh dear... What other options are there?"
Hearing the hesitant voice on the other hand I could only sigh as I told her the only other option, "I can make an outhouse and not use the toilet inside. Though it might not be the best option, at least tempararily it can work."
"How much would that cost?"
"Well free for materials and just a ton of manual labor."
"..." Mary had become silent as she thought about it. I knew she was a nice lady, so I had hope she would pay for the sewage tank materials. After a minute Mary spoke, "I realize an outhouse should only be a temparary solution... So why don't I pay for the materials? Just tell me when you are ready and we can start the installation."
A smile blossomed on my face as I spoke with a smile, "Thank you Mary! I need to dig the hole and everything first, so please wait a bit and I will do enough research to make sure you don't waste money! I will make sure your beautiful hands will not be ruined!"
"Such a charmer." Letting out a low chuckle she spoke again, "No problem Ivan. I am sorry the house isn't better."
"Don't worry so much. If need be I can stay in my car for a few nights. I will be fine. I asked for this after all."
After knowing I wouldn't need to suffer so much I talked with the kind lady for half an hour more. Only then after telling her it would be fine hundreds of times did I get the chance to end the call to get to work.
Leaving I bought some tools and extra supplies I knew I would need with the most important being a shovel. After all I knew I coudn't afford to rent a machine. Without wasting time I started digging using my shovel for the dirt and occasionally using an axe on some bigger roots.
After four hours the sun started to set. Knowing I shouldn't delay any longer I started a fire. Next to the fire I took out some paper as I did some calculations.
"So the school will need 4 grand for tuition and books. Currently I have 11 grand in my bank account. Daily food costs 5-20 bucks depending on what I eat, so lets set that at 15, times 7 which is 105 a week so 420 a month and for six months it is 2,520. Gas for driving 30 minutes every day... 80 bucks a week if I conserve heavily... So 320 a month and 1,920 for six months.
So basic costs for six months if I don't waste anything and only eat two home cooked meals a day with the cheapest ingredients... 8.5 grand a semester. Sooo.... I can't even pay for a year of school... FUCK!"
Rubbing my head in frustration I wondered what I could do. This is the middle of nowhere so there aren't that many jobs and the few that are here are highly valued by students already looking for work. Not to mention many pay under minimum wage since many people can't find work elseware and need that job.
"If I don't go to school and only focus on the house?" Suddenly I had the idea to calculate the new costs without worring about having to move that much.
"2.5 grand for six months and since I don't need to take my truck everywhere I will probably only get gas once a month! So only 480 for six months! Basically only 3 grand every six months!
Let's say 3.5 grand for miscellaneous things I forgot. So I could live here for a year and a half no worries! I can't rely on my parents that made it clear what I earned was going to be my college fund, so why don't I just forget college for at least a semester and then focus on getting a stable job and making my living not miserable."
The more I thought of it the better it sounded!