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

Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/

Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: 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/

Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A

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?

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

Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/

Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: 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/

Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A

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 and Doug Reid from SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), creators of Trades Take 10 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

Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/

Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: 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/

Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A

Down came the rain…and with it, a team of licensed catastrophists.

When Isaac and his Planet Eden crew arrive to perform what’s been generously labeled a “discovery process,” Kenny and Shari watch their functioning kitchen get stripped to the studs in record time - no signed contract, no clear scope, and no guarantee anything will ever be put back. Cabinets vanish. Appliances hide in plain sight (right where the car is supposed to be in the garage). A plastic zipper wall turns the kitchen into a private demolition club, and the Rudolphs are not on the guest list.

What began as a leaking window has now escalated into a full-blown kitchen apocalypse.

As invoices multiply and reports drift dangerously close to creative fiction, the insurance pirates circle, Borg’s promises wobble, and the Castle enters its submarine era: six months without a real kitchen, a microwave in the garage, and just enough hope to keep everyone hanging on.

Then, finally, our long-awaited window expert appears (no, it’s not Moby).

The Rudolphs welcome Terry Adamson, Technical Director (and former President) of Fenestration Canada, the national trade association in Canada for windows, doors, and glazing. Terry brings decades of industry knowledge, plain-language explanations, and something the Castle has been missing for years: clarity. From flashing and envelope failures to real-life examples like the infamous “Vancouver leaky condo crisis,” Terry explains what went wrong, why the whatever-you-want-to-call-it sky wall likely failed after 14 years, and how homeowners can avoid ever living through this kind of fiasco.

Actual answers. Real standards. No smoke. No mirrors. No Jedi moisture meters.

Kenny, Shari, and Terry cover:

• What fenestration actually means (and why consumers never hear the word)
• Why flashing is non-negotiable - especially in rain-heavy climates
• What test reports homeowners should demand before buying windows
• The importance of window and door maintenance (yes, that’s a thing)
• How to find real experts instead of confident guessers

Next time: Borg’s excuse factory goes into overdrive, a mysterious window sensei appears, promises are broken (three times), and the Rudolphs inch closer to the moment every homeowner dreads: realizing they may need to walk away.

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

Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/

Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: 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/

Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A

After weeks of wrangling with Overlord Surety Bond, Rounders Insurance, and Swizzle Stick Claims Management (yes, all names have been changed to protect the innocent and the incompetent), Kenny and Shari decide to bring in Borg of Clydesdale Construction as their Bigfoot contractor to finish the job. Borg promises superhero-level expertise, industry muscle, and negotiation skills that will free them from the administrative doom-loop they’ve been living in. And to kick things off…Borg no-shows their first meeting.

When he finally appears, he brings Chuck - a man who actually seems to know what he’s doing - and Isaac, a one-man Middle Eastern hurricane who bursts onto the scene wielding a moisture meter like a Jedi lightsaber while shouting “Cut the jive!” It is unclear whether they’ve hired salvation, or started a subplot in an action-comedy.

But then: a breath of actual expertise.

The Rudolphs welcome into studio Nick Svaikauskas, owner of Calgary Custom Concepts, and host of the Constructive Conversations podcast and Nick Svaik Youtube channel. Nick is a Red Seal carpenter, former firefighter, and the contractor’s contractor: a human antidote to every grifter, ghoster, and Google-less “expert” who passed through the Castle. He brings clarity, candor, and deeply practical advice about vetting contractors, spotting red flags, preventing scope creep, and surviving the reno industry’s lack of regulation. A contractor who actually cares? Believe it.

Kenny, Shari, and Nick cover:

• What a Red Seal carpenter actually is
• How to spot shady contractors before they disappear (again)
• The questions you should ask any contractor before you start a project with them
• Why scope creep can ruin both homeowners and builders
• Nick’s recommended Calgary service pricing (a homeowner’s dream) https://calgaryhomeservicesblackbook.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

Next time: Sledgehammers are swung, prices are pulled out of thin air (and then raised…and then raised again…) as work finally gets underway to FIX THAT WINDOW! But will the repair actually get completed before someone walks away? And who will crack first: Borg, or the Rudolphs?

Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/

Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: 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/

Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A

Spring 2020 brings rain, leaks, and a new level of chaos to the Rudolph house as Shari and Kenny continue their fight to fix their sinking California castle. In this episode, the couple faces a fresh wave of insurance pirates, robotic adjusters, and legal run-around as COVID restrictions complicate everything. But amid the absurdity, a new hero emerges: they let rip their new lawyer, Rip.

Then: a breath of fresh, competent air. The Rudolphs sit down with Zach Ogden, co-founder and lead project manager at HiveMind Construction, a Philadelphia-based construction cooperative known for transparent and ethical practices. Zach brings empathy, insight, and straight talk about contractor bids, bad builds, and what homeowners should be asking before they sign anything. He also shares tales from the trenches - including a renovation disaster that rivals the Rudolph’s endless window leak.

Back in California, Kenny and Shari take their lawyer’s advice and begin the hunt for the impossible: a contractor who can fix what Brady Windows destroyed once and for all. Enter: Bigfoot. Or…Borgfoot? His partner Isaac arrives unannounced, waving a moisture meter like a Jedi lightsaber, shouting “Cut the jive!” and issuing the prophetic warning, “Sometimes small jobs become big jobs.”

Is Borg the solution? A grifter? A miracle worker? A man addicted to eating takeout out of Styrofoam containers? The signs are unclear.

What is clear: the battle isn’t over.

Along the way, Kenny, Shari, and Zach discuss:

• The cascade of insurance adjusters who ran through the Castle
• COVID-era construction protocols
• Legal wisdom from Rip, the SoCal lawyer of dreams, including where to sniff out the above board contractors in California via the State Licensing Board website
• A deep dive into co-op construction with Zach Ogden of HiveMind Construction
• The highly dramatic entrance of Borg and Isaac to the Castle
• And the ongoing search for Bigfoot…aka, a contractor who can actually finish the job

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

Next time: Whether Isaac could see the future, cast some kind of a spell, or had Borg’s number…this small job is indeed about to become much, much bigger.

Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/

Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

The Abandoned House theme song was produced by Jeff Gerke with music and lyrics, vocals and guitar by Kenny Rudolph: https://abandonhousepod.com/

Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A

As Kenny and Shari recount their eighth - yes, EIGHTH! - failed repair attempt by Brady Windows, they reveal how frustration, fatigue, and a global pandemic finally pushed them to take back control. From the tyranny of lifetime guarantees to the power shift that comes from saying “You just bought our house!” the Rudolphs dive deep into what happens when good intentions meet bad workmanship - and what it takes to stand up for yourself as a homeowner. We also hear from Karalynn Cromeens, a construction attorney, author, and host of the Quit Getting Screwed podcast who brings legal clarity and practical advice for homeowners and contractors alike to unpack what went wrong, what to look for in a contract, and how to protect yourself from construction nightmares.

Along the way, Kenny, Shari, and Karalynn discuss:

• Making “the machine dance”, aka what it takes to change the picture
• The COVID-19 pandemic’s surreal overlap with the Rudoph’s personal house fiasco
• How to get out of a broken contractor relationship and more helpful legal insights from dynamite construction attorney Karalynn Cromeens

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

This episodes features an excerpt from the song "Everybody Wants" by Eden's Journal.

Next time: Kenny and Shari hunt for Bigfoot - a new contractor willing to take on the mess Brady left behind - and what “red flags” to watch for before signing your next home repair agreement.

Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/

Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: 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/

Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A

What begins as a long-awaited home repair turns into a comedy of errors, a masterclass in patience, and a crash course in the perils of “lifetime guarantees.” In this chapter of the Rudolphs’ ongoing home-repair odyssey, Kenny and Shari finally hire a contractor to fix their leaky sky wall (Halleluja! It has a name!!) What follows: multiple failed repair attempts, shattered windows, leaking warranties, and an ever-expanding cast of contractors - each with their own excuses and a new kind of goo. Along the way, life keeps rolling (sometimes literally), from mountain-bike collisions to big career moves and family health scares. Plus, insurance expert Mike Connolly of ClaimsPro Canada offers a sharp, enlightening look at how insurance systems really work North of the border - along with what homeowners should know before disaster strikes, and how to advocate for yourself when the fine print gets slippery.

Along the way, Kenny, Shari, and Mike discuss:

• The “Lifetime Guarantee” Trap: When a company’s promise of perfection turns into years of callbacks and excuses.
• The Power of Documentation: Why keeping records, photos, and notes matters when repairs go wrong.
• Insurance Wisdom: Guest expert Mike Connolly of ClaimsPro Canada explains how claims, adjusters, and contractor networks differ in Canada vs. the U.S.—and how to protect yourself as a policyholder.

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

Next time: Foreshadowing disaster, this chapter closes just in time for the holidays…and strange whispers of a new virus making news overseas…surely that won’t be a problem, right?

Abandon House! is produced by Jess Schmidt: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/

Our editor is Morgane Chambrin: 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/

Additional music graciously provided by Eden's Journal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28z4W9e04lGdr0GWL-DK2A