Abandon House! How to Survive a Home Repair Fiasco

Episode 12: Where are they now?

March 2021: After five years of leaks, pirates, and silver-tongued bandits, Kenny and Shari are finally dancing in their finished kitchen…and hot on their heels, two internet home-buying companies want to buy the Castle - SIGHT UNSEEN. Welcome to the bonus episode that wasn't supposed to exist, where you finally get to hear what happened next... The real estate auction begins with the two iBuyers throwing out escalating offers. Four short days later, the Castle sells. But just when the Rudolphs thought they were free from timelines, a new 90-day clock ticks off as they race to enter the hottest real estate market in Texas history. Exhausted and half checked-out on a Sunday night, they make a hail mary offer - and luck out on a house that matches their 90-day-get-out-of-California timeline perfectly. The tightly orchestrated moving day arrives. A company that looked above board in the sales process arrives six hours late with an undersized truck, no inventory list, and a demand for a 20% premium payable by bank draft: cash only, take it or leave it. The Rudolph's belongings disappear for weeks, and when they finally arrive - mangled, missing, and late - they’re told to begin the arduous task of triplicate documentation for an insurance claim that will amount to almost nothing. And then, finally: Texas. New friends, family close by, and Lily Von Schnauzer surviving coyotes, mountain lions, and brutal summers with enough attitude to send the wildlife packing. As a full-circle moment to close out the series, Kenny and Shari introduce their current general contractor, Corey Brannon of C Brannon Construction [https://cbrannonconstruction.com/] in Calgary, who represents everything their California experience was not. Kenny, Shari, and Corey discuss: * What it actually took to buy a house in Texas in 2021 - the letters, the earnest money, the above-asking offers, and the one thing that finally worked * The moving company playbook: how a respectable front, precise timing, and full transparency about your circumstances can sadly hand them all the leverage they need * Why they walked away from the money Lawyer RIP said was rightfully theirs (and why they don't regret it) * Borg’s hilarious and equally bumbling resurfacing * The three-step philosophy behind C Brannon Construction - collaborate, communicate, construct - and what it actually looks like when a GC does it right This podcast is the official companion to the book series of the same name Abandon House: How to Survive a Home Repair Fiasco. Book 1 is available wherever you buy books, and at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT [https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT] Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/] Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] The Abandon House! theme song and Go Sell Crazy Somewhere Else were produced by Jeff Gerke with music and lyrics, vocals and guitar by Kenny Rudolph: https://abandonhousepod.com/ [https://abandonhousepod.com/] Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A]

Episode 11: The Great Escape

February 2021 arrives with windows STILL held in by plastic sheeting and tape, a foreman with a sledgehammer and a grudge, and a renovation project that should have wrapped weeks ago. The Castle is close - so close - but Moreno isn't done making them earn it. What follows is a week of compounding chaos: master bedroom windows measured and cut wrong, a two-week rush order, window screens delivered pristine but found mangled the next morning, an island that arrives oversized, and exterior window frames that are visibly, nakedly crooked. And then, into all of this chaos, walks Juan Solo. No crew. No assistant. Just one cabinet installer who sets up his tools, tells Moreno exactly what’s what, and gets to work. In a single day, Juan Solo accomplishes more than the Side Hustle crew has in weeks. Shari names it immediately: The Juan Solo Effect. Bottle it, and there'd never be a home repair fiasco again. But is it enough to get the Castle over the finish line? Not one, but TWO unsolicited offers land in the Rudolph’s inbox from corporate real estate platforms wanting to buy the house sight unseen. But will there be a finished renovation to not look at? GC Joe arrives for the final walkthrough sick, masked, and unexpectedly human. Moreno and all the other workers leave with cash tips in hand. The kitchen is finally, finally done. The Castle is theirs again. In this kitchen, the Rudolphs dance. Kenny and Shari discuss: * What "The Juan Solo Effect" actually looks like in practice, and why it matters * The moment GC Joe became a real person * How thin margins, divided loyalties, and ego fuel the chaos inside renovation projects * Why documentation beats confrontation every time * Winter Storm Uri, and a Texas-sized disaster at Kenny's mom's house Next time: The Episode 12 encore. Did the Rudolphs take the offer? Did they move? Where are they now - and where is everyone else? Plus: they're back in the game, baby. A new project, chosen on purpose this time, with a crew they actually trust. Stay tuned, the happy ending is incoming! This podcast is the official companion to the book series of the same name Abandon House: How to Survive a Home Repair Fiasco. Book 1 is available wherever you buy books, and at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT [https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT] Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/] Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] The Abandon House! theme song and Go Sell Crazy Somewhere Else were produced by Jeff Gerke with music and lyrics, vocals and guitar by Kenny Rudolph: https://abandonhousepod.com/ [https://abandonhousepod.com/] Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A]

Episode 10: Madman Moreno, Treasure Hunter

January 2021 arrives with the promise of a reset. The “Hard Five Week Plan” is officially underway, Borg is in the rearview, and Joe’s side-hustle crew is supposed to bring order to the Castle at last. That optimism doesn’t last long. Instead of steady progress, the Rudolphs get payment shakedowns, backordered materials, vanishing crews, and a foreman who treats accountability like a loose suggestion. Enter Madman Moreno: treasure hunter, driveway screamer, and master of the disappearing act (himself, brooms, whatever). Deadlines stretch. Floors are installed wrong. Windows arrive the wrong size. Appliances are delayed and reordered. And just when it feels like things can’t get more surreal…Moreno raids the garage to detail his truck while the house sits unfinished. What was pitched as a focused five-week sprint quietly mutates into something else entirely: a case study in what happens when thin margins, side hustles, and ego collide inside a live renovation. And yet - still - the Rudolphs rise! Kenny and Shari decide: no more shouting matches or impulsive threats; just firm boundaries, written plans, and a “contractor summit” to drag this project toward the finish line. Kenny and Shari discuss: * Why the “Hard Five Week Plan” unraveled almost immediately * What happens when your foreman is working two jobs — and lying about both * The compounding pressure of small mistakes * How thin profit margins fuel chaos in renovation projects * The difficult choice of documentation over confrontation * Finding resilience when the house (and the world) feel unstable Next time: The Great Escape. Can a team built on side hustles and shaky truths deliver a whole house? Will “Hard Week Five Six” finally deliver forward motion - or will the Castle demand another sacrifice before letting anyone leave? This podcast is the official companion to the book series of the same name Abandon House: How to Survive a Home Repair Fiasco. Book 1 is available wherever you buy books, and at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT [https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT] Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/] Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] The Abandon House! theme song and Go Sell Crazy Somewhere Else were produced by Jeff Gerke with music and lyrics, vocals and guitar by Kenny Rudolph: https://abandonhousepod.com/ [https://abandonhousepod.com/] Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A]

Episode 9: Regular Joe and the Side Hustle

With Borg gone and the Castle still very much unlivable, Kenny and Shari do what any exhausted homeowner would do: they roll the dice again. Enter Joe, a new general contractor who seems like he might be the hero the Rudolph’s have been searching for - just a Regular Joe with a plan, a crew, and the promise of forward motion. That optimism doesn’t last long. Deadlines slip. Costs creep. Subcontractors appear and disappear like fog. And then there’s Mareno - the madman foreman whose creative interpretations of his duties sparks one of the Castle’s most infamous moments yet: Cabinet Gate. What should have been a straightforward step forward becomes another lesson in how chaos thrives when accountability is optional. To widen the lens, the Rudolphs welcome kindred spirits Mike and Michelle, who share their own home repair horror story from the 2021 Texas freeze. Their experience - sudden disaster, compounding failures, and the emotional toll of fighting for basic repairs - mirrors the Castle’s journey in unsettling ways, offering hard-won lessons about preparedness, persistence, and knowing when to push back. Kenny also debuts his original song, “Go Sell Crazy Somewhere Else,” turning a tagline of defense during the Rudolph’s fiasco into an anthem for anyone trying to stay on the high road. Kenny, Shari, Michelle, and Mike discuss: * What happens when a “fresh start” contractor isn’t actually a reset * How missed deadlines and vague scopes quietly derail projects * The danger of side hustles inside major renovations * Why Cabinet Gate became a breaking point in the Rudolph’s fiasco * Lessons from surviving multiple Texas freezes * Finding humor - and resilience - when everything feels out of control Next time: Episode 10, Madmen Moreno - Treasure Hunter. A new expert appears. Old mistakes resurface. Timelines are “locked in” (again). And the Castle inches closer to an answer to the question that’s been haunting it from the start: will this house ever be whole - or is abandonment the only real option? The interview for this episode was recorded at ACTION! Studios. [https://theactionstudios.com/] This podcast is the official companion to the book series of the same name Abandon House: How to Survive a Home Repair Fiasco. Book 1 is available wherever you buy books, and at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT [https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT] Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/] Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] The Abandon House! theme song and Go Sell Crazy Somewhere Else were produced by Jeff Gerke with music and lyrics, vocals and guitar by Kenny Rudolph: https://abandonhousepod.com/ [https://abandonhousepod.com/] Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A]

Episode 8: Breaking Up at Walmart

We return to the Rudolphs to find them still standing in the wreckage of a job that was supposed to be “six weeks, tops.” Instead, it’s October 2020, the kitchen is still a construction crime scene, and Borg’s excuse factory is running three shifts a day. The mysterious Brothers Tran have vanished. Again. The windows still leak. The contract still doesn’t exist. Just when it seems like momentum is building, Borg’s latest “solution” shows up carrying red flags, backdated invoices, imaginary property ownership. The Rudolphs are forced to say the quiet part out loud: they are worse off now than when this all started. But wait - the insurance cheques actually clear. Real money hits the bank. Hope flickers. Borg scrambles. Isaac returns demanding payment like a landlord in flip-flops. Tempers flare. Lines are drawn. In the midst of the chaos, we also pivot to that rare quality that the Abandon House! guests all seem to have in spades, in spite of it being absent for the majority of the fiasco: competence. Kenny and Shari welcome Michael Fournier [https://mudgemusic.myportfolio.com/] and Doug Reid from SAIT [https://www.sait.ca/] (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), creators of Trades Take 10 [https://www.youtube.com/@TradesTake10] and educators who actually explain how things are supposed to work. Together, they unpack: * Why the skilled trades shortage is very real (and very fixable) * How apprenticeships are equivalent to university degrees — without the soul-crushing debt * Why soft skills matter just as much as technical ones * How trades can be a launchpad for any dream (including rock stardom) * And why the future of housing depends on training people who actually know what they’re doing It’s a rare bright spot in a saga defined by demolition dust and broken promises - proof that good people still exist in the system, and that not everyone asking for money is running a long con. Next time: Sidehustle Joe and Mad Man Moreno descend upon the castle - and if you thought the last batch of pirates were bad…honey, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Go sell crazy somewhere else! This podcast is the official companion to the book series of the same name Abandon House: How to Survive a Home Repair Fiasco. Book 1 is available wherever you buy books, and at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT [https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-House-Survive-Repair-Fiasco/dp/B0FJYRFYKT] Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/ [https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/] Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/ [https://www.morganechambrin.com/] The Abandon House! theme song was produced by Jeff Gerke with music and lyrics, vocals and guitar by Kenny Rudolph: https://abandonhousepod.com/ [https://abandonhousepod.com/] Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A]