The Work Begins

We took possession of the house on Friday, and spared no time in starting the renovation process. There were a few things on the "need to go post-haste" list, and they're all taken care of now.

Our new home!

After a trip to the closest hardware store, we came home with a pair of crowbars and went to town on the wood paneling until 11pm on Friday night. We also removed the accordion doors in front of the washroom, and I started removing the floral valance over the sliding glass door.

We got angry!

I then spent most of Saturday finishing off the wood paneling, ripping the valance off, and trying to fix a sticking front door. Also, during that time, we had our refrigerator delivered, and an attic inspection that told me what I need to do to increase my energy efficiency (because I'm not paying $2500 to have other people cut soffit holes and blow insulation when I can do it for much cheaper).

Then, however, our fortunes took a turn for the worse. When we got home (to the apartment), the toilet had malfunctioned (the float valve stuck in the down position, i think), and flooded half the apartment. One emergency call to maintenance later, and we were up at 1am moving everything out of the second bedroom and packing it to take to the house. This included the modem, our main computer, and a bunch of books and other equipment. We decided that this was a sign to transfer the internet service sooner rather than later.

After moving all of that into the house on Sunday, we took some time to clean up the wood paneling and hang some lights on the back patio (the existing lights were dim and underwhelming).

Next up for us is some spackling and taping of the newly exposed drywall, a bit of paint, and some electrical work. I'll also try to get some before and afters up so you can see the difference between Friday night and now!

The Big Day is Finally here!!

Our House!

Closing was today!!

After dealing with a week and a half of logistical nightmare, we finally signed on the dotted line, over and over and over again, until eventually they said enough and we now own the house!

There's still one small hiccup between now and us getting the keys. Due to the fact that our closing was delayed by a few days, we have one more document that needs to be corrected to the proper closing date, and then we can swing by and pick up the keys!


Not only that, but with my first law school final out of the way as of tonight, we can focus on the next two months. We don't have to move out of the apartment until mid-January, so we have two months to affect any changes we want with no furniture to move around.

Now comes the fun part, a list of DIY projects on the horizon!

Trim and exterior door paint 

 

 We're going to shoot for something a little less "southwest", and something a little more on the grayscale. The only complication is going to be that the shingles are red, so we will have to work that in with the rest of the exterior

            Wood Paneling

  

I'm really looking forward to taking a crowbar to the wood paneling in the living and dining rooms! Can't wait to find out what's underneath!

Entry Wall                

 

That left wall in the entry is just begging to meet the sawzall! That will open up that entire side of the house immediately!

        Hardwood Flooring 

  The floor is just a few shades too bright for the rest of the house. Some of this will be cleaned up by ripping down the wood paneling. We're also going to spring for some darker hand-scraped wood to complement the rest of the house a little better.

Temporary Dog Run       

The dogs need their own little area off of the patio. It'll keep them from squeezing through the gaps in the chain link fence, and will keep me from going insane trying to corral them!

                  Garden

 

This garden will be huge, it will be awesome, and it will be DIY! Thinking about my garden has gotten me through a really lame growing season this year.