Accidental Home

Summary

Rhonda Marrone recounts the unexpected purchase and subsequent cleanup of a double-wide trailer on four acres of land, which she won at an online auction with a low bid, discovering it filled with garbage and in disrepair, yet she has begun to restore it.

Abstract

In June, Rhonda Marrone unexpectedly won an online auction for a 2004 double-wide trailer on four acres of hillside land with an extremely low bid, realizing only afterward that the property was in a state of neglect and disarray. The home was littered with trash piled two feet high, including 57 bags of garbage and 31 bags of clothing, and had been left in filthy condition by its previous occupants. Despite the daunting task, Rhonda has made significant progress in the cleanup, removing the debris, and even addressing plumbing and electrical issues. She has also begun to tackle the emotional task of dealing with the remnants of the previous inhabitants' lives, such as a room full of ruined books that had to be discarded. With the help of a friend, she has removed the unsalvageable carpets and is planning to repair the floors. The water has been turned on, and with the major cleanup done, Rhonda is now focusing on more detailed repairs and renovations.

Opinions

Rhonda views her purchase as a gamble and a naïve decision, indicating her surprise at winning the auction with such a low bid.
She expresses a sense of heartache and sorrow over the condition of the home, particularly when disposing of the ruined books, empathizing with the previous occupants, especially the children.
Rhonda's determination and optimism shine through as she describes the progress made in cleaning and restoring the property, despite the initial overwhelming state of the home.
The mention of hoping the children continue to find solace in literature suggests her belief in the power of books as an escape, reflecting a personal value or opinion on the importance of reading.
Her appreciation for the help received from a friend in removing the carpets indicates a reliance on community support and the value of friendship in overcoming such challenges.

The Story of My House Part 2: Update

Photo by author

In June I accidentally bought a house, a 2004 double wide trailer sitting on 4 acres of hillside land. It was an online auction and I put in an extremely low bid thinking someone would surely go higher than me, but no one did. I had never seen the property in person, it was a gamble, a naïve thing to do. Like I said, I truly thought there was no way my extremely low bid would win.

The property was a mess: but not an irreparable mess. A filthy, trashy, needing a good scrub with bleach mess. Garbage 2 feet high in all the rooms greeted me and holes knocked in the walls. And this was not done by squatters but by the family that lived there.

I have made a lot of progress on cleaning out my “Accidental Home.” So far I have had an abandoned car towed off, 2 mattresses removed, 57 bags of garbage, and 31 bags of clothing removed, washed and donated.

Before photo by author. Under that garbage is a foot of books

One of the rooms was full of books. A foot of books was on the floor under garbage and cat litter and animal feces. It tore out my heart and put a hole in my soul to throw in the garbage so many books but they were ruined. It was the girls’ room, girls’ clothes. They loved books, obviously. I can only imagine what living like that would do to their little psyches. I hope they continue to find an escape in literature.

A wonderful, fantastic friend tore up the nasty carpet for me. There was no saving it. No amount of steam cleaning would ever get the literal shit out of those carpets. I’ll work on getting the floors redone one room at a time. I have plenty of throw rugs.

I have had the water turned on. There were not many water leaks, thank the heavens. So, now I can begin the scrubbing. There are plumbing issues and light fixtures need replaced but all of that will come along shortly. Once the garbage is removed the rest is not so overwhelming.

After photo by author

To read Part One:

Accidental Home

The Story of My House Part 2: Update

Accidental Home

The Story of My House: Part 1