Garage as bought
Deep rat nest along the back right wall.
First Days
I found the place on Redfin. I went from drive-by, to inspections, to closing in under a week.
DB was my broker. He did 2 dump runs with his trailer as a thank-you. The first happened the morning I met him there to get my keys. He had 2 of his employees help load up the trailer, and it took no time to fill it with stuff from the garage and carpet from the bedroom.
It actually went a little faster than I would have chosen...I was inclined to sort through what might be worth keeping. In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't have the choice. The pile was disgusting, and it was good to get a jump on clearing out what turned out to be a massive rat nest.
The next two days I continued clearing the garage, and scraping the concrete floor of compacted sludge at the bottom of the rats nest, uncovering rats both dead and alive, along with bird bones and the like. Especially gross was a broken but powered fridge that had to be defrosted then hauled off. I'd have to take fresh air breaks when my gag reflex started sending warning shots.
Breaks consisted of pulling out shoots of blackberry that dangled down through a grape vine gazebo, and ivy making its way into the backyard from beyond the fence. The landscaping was at one point well maintained and diverse, but fallen into neglect. I didn't take ample photos or fully identify plants before their leaves fell off for the winter, but there were several interesting looking ones.
I prioritized cleaning out the garage to take advantage of a second dump run ASAP, and to try and stop the place from being a major vermin haven. I staged a trailer load in the driveway, then one morning it was magically gone. Thanks again DB!
I did a final run in the tiny truck for just the dead fridge and some hazmat. After that, back to the home itself, my highest priorities were olfactory: I needed it to stop smelling foul ASAP. I sealed up rat ingress points, started drying out smelly stains on the subfloor so I could seal it up with special oil paint, and tracked down other sources of stink.
The kitchen sink's drains were clogged with what turned out to be utensils that had fallen in the busted drain baskets, and the faucet was impractical for the sink's novel, dated design. I cleaned the drains out, and replaced the drain cups and faucet.
Staged partial load
Waiting for the second dump run.
Rat Nest Bones
Part of the critter eviction tour.
Near nest bottom
Almost to the finish line on the nest
Lineup of Jump Scares
Things I was relieved were not organic.
Living Room as bought
With carpet under fireplace and big damp area.
Lifted Fireplace
Mini cribbing to pull out carpet.
Deck Gutter Sprinkler
Holes drilled to hang (and water? 🤪) plants.
Worn out asbestos tile
Mesothelioma much? 😬
Overflowing Drain Pan
Flushed it out with vinegar and water solution.
Under-sink rat highway
After pulling out cabinet bottom, before cleaning and closing up.
Dehumidifier transport
Borrowed from CHTL on its way to help dry out the subfloor.
I had to leave town for a couple of weeks. Having addressed all other sources of foul smell, I left a 1.2A fan running, drying out the moist section of the living room subfloor. This seemed harmless at the time.
To be continued...