November 2025 Home Updates
During the cold November weekends, my focus shifted fully to indoor projects. I got the demo itch and knocked down another small, non load-bearing wall in the living room which took a couple of days from start to finish. Sanding drywall is absolutely not my favorite part of the process. Overall, it was worth it and I’d do it again. I made an addition to my wellness routine by prioritizing optimal sleep & bought a Hatch alarm clock. The gentle sounds and subtle light changes, are literally everything. Waking up in such a peaceful, gentle way is so soothing and now the only way I prefer to be awoken, being the last year in my twenties. The brown noise is grounding, stabilizing and calming because of the steady frequencies affecting the nervous system. I also found lightbulbs online from Govee that mimics a sunset which is a subtle change during these darker months without as much sunlight. Another wellness purchase came from World Market, to restock my favorite shower steamers. My mom came through and sent me a coupon for $30 off my entire purchase. I could spend hours in there just browsing. Real estate wise, I helped my step brother find a new rental in an old renovated Fishtown school building where he’ll be moving after Christmas. He’ll be living by himself for the first time and it’s a 2b/1br just under 1000 sqft, designated parking and 30 minutes closer to his job. I held another HOA annual meeting at the Cock & Bull in New Hope, PA for one of my single family communities in the area. This annual meeting included a contested election and an audience full of neighbors in the 300 home community.
As for home updates this month… I have two separate heating and AC systems, one for the main downstairs unit and one for the second floor rental. My tenant of five years let me know that the heat wasn’t turning on. I immediately gave him a temporary space heater and began scheduling diagnosis appointments. After 9 quotes from local HVAC companies and several hundred dollars in diagnostic fees, the general consensus was we need a new heating and AC unit. The current one was over 25 years old and was holding on for dear life. I knew this was coming soon because we serviced it several times last winter. The quotes I received, ranged from uncertain temporary fixes costing $1,200 all the way up to a full system replacement for $18,000. Accepting donations…. Venmo: @haleyshomes :) Learning about AC systems and furnaces has been a process. It’s important as a long term rental home, to make sure I’m getting the best equipment for the best price. The scope of work included a whole home HVAC system replacement, with a 96% high efficiency gas furnace and AC, with relocation of the outdoor condenser from the roof to ground level, and a new smart thermostat. The current unit is from 1999 and has been sitting on top of the roof which is such an eye sore, moving it off of the roof is a requirement because of the aesthetics. The final quote I agreed to came in at roughly $10,000. I applied for an emergency 24 hour mechanical permit in the Jenkintown Borough. During the install, electricians were called in to correct old electrical mistakes that were from the previous owners. The new units installed during the full system install were Lennox 96% fuel efficient gas furnace and a Lennox single stage SEER2 AC unit. In order to remove the old furnace, we had to cut a 36x36 hole in the brand new ceiling drywall and then have a new access panel reframed. The hole in the ceiling was patched back up to be 30x30 and we had to custom order a ceiling access panel for that specific sizing. We went back and fourth deciding on whether or not to purchase an access panel with a drop down ladder but for the extra $800, ultimately decided against it. Several big ticket home items have been hitting hard in 2025, hopefully 2026 brings more time to focus on the pretty stuff.