So, retirement property #2 needed a little bit of work, construction work. The scope of the work sounded so simple, so easy and seemed inexpensive. Until vandals stole the HVAC during escrow. Oh and all the copper wire and plumbing…which involved breaking walls in the kitchen.
And the interior inspection revealed the plumbing stack needed replacing. It sounded like I’d be done for less than $10k. 
Wrong.
Getting a new stack in involved digging a trench, meaning breaking up all the concrete and adding new pipe to the street.
The pipe was overrun with tree branches. Pesky tree! A 2-week project quickly went over time and over budget.
The upstairs didn’t fare any better. The plumbers had to add plumbing in the kitchen ( 2 walls) and had to run a vent line behind the closet in the bedroom.
On a positive, I love the St Louis area. Which is good given I traveled there every weekend in April. Every weekend.
