The Game’s Afoot!
We’re doing it! I have exactly one week to pack up everything in my house and move it into storage so that the workers can come in and begin the sprucing-up process. Can’t do everything I want to do yet …. I have only $18K to work with. So we prioritized my projects and we’re doing the top three, plus some little fillers.
A new roof is the biggest priority. Several shingles blew off in “Hurricane Elvis” — the straight-line windstorm that crippled Memphis in July 2003. Other storms with high winds have continued the peeling process, so a large patch of roof is now missing shingles. It’s not down to the decking, yet, because there is at least one old roof under the current one. But there is a small leak that’s dripping into the attic, and I want to stop that before it becomes a big mess.
Fixing up the bathroom is priority number two. The tub has several rusty places, and the shower diverter doesn’t work properly. The toilets frequently clog. The sinks are stained and cracked. And there’s the window. The previous owners had a mini-blind in the window, which is just over the tub — and gets splashed on by the shower. Can we say “rotten wood”?! Oh, and the linoleum is NASTY. New flooring! New vanity cabinets, too, since the current ones are made of particle board that is dissolving.
Priority number three is the kitchen. New linoleum, new countertops, freshen up the cabinets….
And in the rest of the house, we’re going to fix all the doors and doorknobs, put deadbolts on the outside doors, fix holes in the walls and ceilings, repaint everything….
It’s going to be NICE! And it will take only four to six weeks. I’m moving to my parents’ house for the duration. And then we will move in all the furniture and put it where we want it, and then I will bring in my other stuff and go through it, evaluating whether I want to keep it, sell it, or toss it in the trash. Everything will have a place, and, by george, it’s gonna BE in that place!
All I can say is, this is gonna be some kind of week. And then I’ll have a “practically new” home to move back into. HOO – RAH!!