Chapter 3 - Inside
Opening the door Tom and Alex stepped inside the new purchase.
"See, not too bad, the frame work of the house seems solid, just needs a bit of tidying up and revamping and it'll be ideal for a newly married couple or whoever has the money" Tom said.
"Could do with some brightening up for sure, perhaps a bigger window to let some more light into the space" Alex replied
"Once we get the landscaper in he'll be able to sort things out in that department, that tree out the front is blocking most of the light" Tom replied
Going to their left they entered the living room, it only had a few arm chairs covered in white sheets, the dust plain to see. A nicely decorated fireplace drew Tom's eye.
"Look at this, bit of spit and polish and this, this will be the focal point of the room. Remember to check if that was blocked off or not." Tom said
Alex made a small note of it and they continued looking around. To the right was the kitchen.
"Hmm a bit dated but nothing a few new units won't fix. Look better with an island and a bit more open, at least give the illusion of space" Tom said.
Again Alex made a small note of it, they seemed to work better that way, him making notes after Tom's initial viewing, helped in the process later on.
"I think this is the basement" Tom said opening the door.
"Nope, utility room, amble space for a few of the necessities" Tom added
"This the basement?" Alex asked pointing to another door.
"Let's see shall we?" Tom smiled as he grabbed the handle.
"Damn things stuck" Tom replied after trying to shove it open with all his weight.
"Ahem" Alex said as he pointed to a small key hanging on a hook.
"Very funny" Tom replied as he took the key and undid the lock.
"50/50 the light switch is at the top of the stairs" Alex said.
"More than likely, not very safe having to climb down stairs into pitch black to pull a cord to turn a light on" Tom replied, still smirking.
Tapping along the walls looking for a light switch Tom couldn't find one.
"Torch?" Alex asked handing him his small LED one.
"Thanks buddy old pal" Tom replied taking it and shining it at the wall.
"Aha!" Tom shouted "Found it"
Pushing the switch the bulb in the middle of the basement flickered into life, revealing several rows of piled up cardboard boxes.
Venturing down the creaky stairs Tom got to the bottom step before it broke in two sending him flying onto the concrete floor knocking the wind out of him and the torch out of his hand.
"You okay?" Alex asked as he tried his best to stifle the laughter that began to emerge.
"Just fine, can't say the same for your torch though" Tom replied as he slowly stood up.
He had a few scrapes but he was used to that sort of thing. "Glad it wasn't further up" Tom added.
"Will put new steps on the list of things to do" Alex replied writing it down.
"Look at all the shit down here, have some of the guys clear it out before the end of the day, want it cleared so I can have a better inspection of it. Have them dump the stuff into the skip that'll be arriving later on, okay" Tom said.
"Yeah, will do" Alex replied, again writing it down in his notebook.
"Wood looks fine though, will have a closer look tomorrow once all the stuff is outta here" Tom said looking up at the roof.
"Okay, back upstairs, check out the lounge area and the office" Tom said.
"My torch please" Alex asked
Tom walked over to where it had landed and picked it up. He pressed the button on it and it didn't work. "Sorry buddy had it's last bright idea"
"I'll bill you for it" Alex replied as he turned and walked back up the basement steps.
"Get a heavy duty one next time" Tom replied as he followed him.
Getting back to the kitchen Tom turned off the basement light and closed the basement door. Onto the lounge area" he added as he went back through the living room and back out into the hall.
Opening the door he stepped into the lounge, again quite sparse, a half pulled up carpet and half the walls covered in wallpaper, once wall partly painted.
Alex pressed the light switch on the wall and the large light lit up.
"Well the light works" Alex said before turning it off.
"Nice space to entertain in, lots of potential. Few little niggles to sort out. Other than that, not bad. Okay, I think the office is through here" Tom said as he pointed to the door on the far wall.
Opening it up revealed the wood paneled room an old desk with an old lamp along with an old wooden chair, nothing else was in the room. A small window let some of the outside light in but not much.
"Definitely put in a bigger window and lighten the mood in here and it'll be the ideal place to work from" Tom said.
