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 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

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

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

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

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?

The interview for this episode was recorded at ACTION! Studios.

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

What do you do when the pirates are quiet, the castaways are safe, and Christmas is finally over? You open the mailbag.

In this special bonus holiday episode of Abandon House! Kenny and Shari Rudolph answer listener questions sent in from around the world - letters to the Rudolphs, if you will - reflecting on love, loss, creativity, homeownership…and how a home repair disaster became a three-book series, a podcast, and even a theme song.

Kenny, Shari, and their producer, Jess Schmidt, discuss:

• How Kenny and Shari managed stress, grief, and chaos as a couple - and why they still insist Abandon House! is a love story
• The losses, professional upheaval, and pandemic pressures that unfolded alongside the home repair disaster
• Why revisiting the story felt impossible at first - and how distance and time turned the fiasco into perspective (and humor)
• How a stack of records, absurd emails, and a story that wouldn’t go away became a memoir, then a trilogy
• The creative journey behind the Abandon House! theme song
• The “back catalog” of castle catastrophes you’ve never heard before, including:
  • A biblical swarm of bees living inside the walls
  • Earthquakes that turned the pool into a wave machine
  • A near-house fire caused by an overheating AC unit
• Whether the fiasco changed how they feel about homeownership (spoiler: skylights are cancelled)
• Why self-advocacy, documentation, and the right experts make all the difference
• And finally…how the story ends (hint: it’s a trilogy for a reason)

As Kenny so aptly puts it: “What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” This episode is about walking through it together - and learning how to laugh once you’re safely on the other side.

Coming up next on Abandon House!, Episode 7: Licensed Catastrophists, featuring Terry Adamson of Fenestration Canada.

From the Rudolphs to you, dear listener: Happy Holidays, and may your New Year be fiasco-free!

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