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