Help Rebuild the Render Home
Donation protected
My mother and I share a home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Unfortunately, much of what was wrong with the home was not caught in the inspection. After we moved in, we discovered doors that did not properly align, running water that would not get hot and general signs of looming issues.
Over the years, we've been able to make the home work, with plans to fix things here and there as we could afford to, but recently, things took a turn for the worse.
We noticed a crack begin to form in the ceiling of my mom's bedroom. The crack went from a few inches long to spanning the entire length of the ceiling in under a week and began to show signs of bowing. We knew we needed to act fast, so we put items in storage and moved my mom into the spare room. A few days after we moved her, the entire ceiling collapsed. Drywall and insulation now cover the floor, and the ductwork and ceiling fan hang precariously through the wooden beams. This was the room where my mom slept and spent most of her days. She has arthritis and chronic pain that keep her in bed much of the day. We're so grateful we got her moved out before it fell or it could have seriously injured her.
Everyone we've had out has been shocked at what happened in the bedroom, saying they've never seen anything like it. One technician said it looks like the sheet rock may have never been properly secured and the movement and shifting in the house finally caused it to give way. We are now scared the ceilings in the rest of the house may be next to go.
Unfortunately, that crack in the bedroom ceiling was not the only crack we'd seen. I'd estimate we have about 10 noticeable interior cracks. With the misaligned doors and the cracks popping up in walls and ceilings, we decided we needed to have someone out to look at the foundation. Knowing this could be a costly repair, I contacted our mortgage company and looked into refinancing the home to pay for the repairs. I was pleased to hear we could likely get 10k in a cash out refinance. Then the first estimates came in.
Foundation repair: $22,000
Ceiling repair: $1,000 - $4,000
Securing remaining sheetrock: $1,500
We're at a loss for what to do. We know the repairs need to be made to make the home safe to live in.
We have $10,000 we can place toward repairs (pending appraised value), but we need $15,000 more to complete the essential foundation repair work.
My mother is retired and lives on social security, and while I have a good job that I am very grateful for, I am not in a position to afford a home repair cost this sizable.
If you are able to help, we would appreciate it beyond measure. Anything you can give to aid our cause or spread the word of our time of need would be greatly appreciated.
With gratitude,
Jan and Jessica Render
Over the years, we've been able to make the home work, with plans to fix things here and there as we could afford to, but recently, things took a turn for the worse.
We noticed a crack begin to form in the ceiling of my mom's bedroom. The crack went from a few inches long to spanning the entire length of the ceiling in under a week and began to show signs of bowing. We knew we needed to act fast, so we put items in storage and moved my mom into the spare room. A few days after we moved her, the entire ceiling collapsed. Drywall and insulation now cover the floor, and the ductwork and ceiling fan hang precariously through the wooden beams. This was the room where my mom slept and spent most of her days. She has arthritis and chronic pain that keep her in bed much of the day. We're so grateful we got her moved out before it fell or it could have seriously injured her.
Everyone we've had out has been shocked at what happened in the bedroom, saying they've never seen anything like it. One technician said it looks like the sheet rock may have never been properly secured and the movement and shifting in the house finally caused it to give way. We are now scared the ceilings in the rest of the house may be next to go.
Unfortunately, that crack in the bedroom ceiling was not the only crack we'd seen. I'd estimate we have about 10 noticeable interior cracks. With the misaligned doors and the cracks popping up in walls and ceilings, we decided we needed to have someone out to look at the foundation. Knowing this could be a costly repair, I contacted our mortgage company and looked into refinancing the home to pay for the repairs. I was pleased to hear we could likely get 10k in a cash out refinance. Then the first estimates came in.
Foundation repair: $22,000
Ceiling repair: $1,000 - $4,000
Securing remaining sheetrock: $1,500
We're at a loss for what to do. We know the repairs need to be made to make the home safe to live in.
We have $10,000 we can place toward repairs (pending appraised value), but we need $15,000 more to complete the essential foundation repair work.
My mother is retired and lives on social security, and while I have a good job that I am very grateful for, I am not in a position to afford a home repair cost this sizable.
If you are able to help, we would appreciate it beyond measure. Anything you can give to aid our cause or spread the word of our time of need would be greatly appreciated.
With gratitude,
Jan and Jessica Render
Organizer
Jessica Render
Organizer
Tulsa, OK