Projects to Complete- Big Repairs and What's Left to Do

If you didn't know it already, rehabilitation and renovations take time. The only thing it may take more of is money. Projects start with a plan and your plan can be ruined at step 2 or step 8/8. There are so many unpredictable scenarios that can happen even with the best of plans. My home has been no different. It took 1 year for the kitchen to be complete, and now at 2 years, the dining room and living room are ALMOST done. There were several hiccups that I didn't plan for, some starting on day 1. In the kitchen for example, behind the plaster was termite damage.

Termite damage throughout the entry to the pantry and inside the pantry. This entire area had to be reframed.

Thankfully, the damage was old and the wood was dry but it could be squeezed like a sponge. I thought the entire pantry would fall away from the house. I wouldn't have found out about this issue if I had not seen behind the plaster because the repair had already occurred under the house and there was no evidence of this damage anywhere else.

There was also dry rot in several of the floor beams/joists that had to be addressed as well. Sometimes squeaky floors mean broken joists. An entirely new subfloor had to be installed before any flooring went in.

If you didn't know it already, rehabilitation and renovations take time. The only thing it may take more of is money. Projects start with a plan and your plan can be ruined at step 2 or step 8/8. There are so many unpredictable scenarios that can happen even with the best of plans. My home has been no different. It took 1 year for the kitchen to be complete, and now at 2 years, the dining room and living room are ALMOST done. There were several hiccups that I didn't plan for, some starting on day 1.

Once that project is complete, I'll be doubling back to the bedroom to finish the space that includes one of the smallest closets I've ever seen. Honestly, based on the year this home was built, the size of the closet makes sense. In any case, I will need to build in some creative storage solutions that fit the 10x12 room.

Next, I'll be tackling the stairs, which happen to still be covered in the carpet that was here when I moved in. Sounds gross, sure. But I could only tackle the downstairs carpet initially. That was plenty of fun on its own. See the stairs here.

Once the stairs are complete, I'll get to work on the larger space upstairs that will serve as an office/lounge area and 2nd bedroom. Upstairs will need insulation, new drywall to close off the roof from the closets and so much more. Thankfully, there are hardwood floors upstairs and I'm hoping to keep the windows that are there because they have so much character. Once that space is complete, I'll focus on making the outside look great. I'll likely have to address some outside issues sooner than later though so that water can go away from the house more when it rains.

The current plan of action is to complete the living room first which needs 2 windows, wall trim, baseboard, touch up on drywall, paint, and decor. Thankfully, I am furnishing using it a sofa and loveseat that I already have, some new pieces from Ikea, and a custom build or two to complete the look.

Cheers to projects past, present, and future!