It has been over a month since we bought this house.
Renovating Progress Report:
- Walls painted (and some trim)
- Most switches and plugs are replaced
- Half the light fixtures are replaced
- Floors are 100% redone
- Furniture is now in the proper rooms
- Kitchen is still not in, but at least most of the cabinets are assembled!
- Hotwater tank died rather quickly emergency plumbing was required
(It seemed reasonable to me that 2 weeks was enough time to paint and replace flooring. I thought with that nice 2 weeks we'd have a place to put furniture before we had to give up the other house. Defective flooring botched that plan. And delayed every other step)
What has been learned in the last month:
- Renovating takes lots and lots and then MORE money
- Never under-estimate the pervasive, destructive power of nicotine staining
- Anything that can be delayed will be delayed
- Just because something is new and expensive does not guarantee that it will be complete or without defects.
- It will take so very much longer than you imagined.
- Kitchen sinks are the single most under appreciated element of a kitchen.
- I don't need nearly as much gear as I thought to cook*
- Living out of a suitcase of clothes doesn't work when the weather changes
- Things you need are never in the first box you look in
* It turns out that very little equipment is needed to make hearty meals every day. Sure I can't use the same spectrum of recipes I usually do, but I am getting by with one burner and the grille on the BBQ, a hose for water, a table as the prep surface (not ideal), 4 pots, and the trailer's sink for washing up (we were washing up outside but it was too hot). There is a plastic tote of necessities like cutting board, knife, can opener, grater, etc... and a cup, plate, bowl, and utensils for 4 people. Basic camping kitchen really. And I've been cooking that way now for 3 weeks. Sure we've ordered in a few times, but mostly it's all here.
It's amazing to me that anybody would want to do this renovating thing more than once.
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Decluttering progress:
I called the "ReStore" (an non profit charity store that takes used building materials) and they hauled away a
huge amount of the old kitchen! I also bribed them to come with the old washing machine, dryer and gas range (all in working order). I suppose we could have sold them, but that money would have easily been eaten up in the tipping fees at the dump getting rid of the other kitchen materials.
My brother in law took the dishwasher home with him
Large box of misc items no longer loved as I unpacked clothes into my new closet.
(I still have to find a bookshelf so I can unpack/cull the books)
