Not So Fun Must Do House List for 2011

There will be no fun, pretty, before and after shots of this stuff.
It's just down and dirty must-be-done maintenance for an old ass house.
We're planning to it all ourselves except the tree tending. 
Matt and pole saw = Very Bad Idea.

• Insulation in basement and attic.
• Clean the outside of the windows (there are over 30 windows in our house.)
• Install the attic door
• Seed the lawn
• Have trees tended (they're getting more and more top heavy)
• Continue to clean out the basement
• Fill gaps in the basement foundation and walls
• Test for radon.

Fun Before and After House List for 2011

In the last few months we've been discussing the big reno, how to pay for the big reno, and what we can do now that won't seem wasteful when the big reno comes around but still will turn this house into OUR house.
Here's the plan:

• PAINT.  Paint.  And more paint.  The next room on our list is the bedroom downstairs, currently the master.  
• But we're only painting the downstairs b/c we live down there and it just doesn't make sense to waste energy and time on rooms we never see.
• Hallways, the laundry room, the breakfast area...there are plenty of rooms still left down here.
• Plant a garden.  Brown thumb and all, this year we're planting a vegetable garden.  Raised beds on the side of the house that won't be touched by any reno at all.
• It's all about the accessories kiddos.  Even though we have a millions rooms, every room has a purpose and we should change the decor to fit that purpose.

I know that doesn't seem like much of a list but it really is b/c with all that paint comes a ton of prep, putty, sanding, trim, etc.  That first bullet up there is gonna be quite a doozy!

Insulation and other Sundry Items

Here in TN, we're in the middle of Snowpacolypse 2011.
This means a few things:

1. I left work before dark.  Before all that slush on the roads was able to freeze again.
2. I was able to see my roof, during the snow, in the daylight.
3. There is nary a gallon of milk, loaf of bread, or dozen eggs to be found in this city right now.

While outside watching the dogs, run around and try to figure out what the hell this stuff is, I was able to get some pictures of our roof.
This is what it looks like now:

I am not tall enough to get a better shot unless I go across the street - NOT happening. 
Anywhoo, see all those visible shingles up there, the ones that aren't covered in snow.  Not good, not good at all.
This is what the roof should look like.
Witness my neighbor's roof:

Obviously, my yard has a better view of their roof.

Since we don't allow it to get above 40 degrees upstairs in the winter (gas heat is expensive,) I'd be willing to bet that if we did, there wouldn't a flake one up top. 

Pretty sure - this means insulation in the attic will come BEFORE the big reno and insulation in the walls (there isn't any in there either.)
I think this is one that we can handle ourselves too....Famous last words.

Shop It To Me

Shop It To Me is this fabulous website that will sends me an email when items I might like go on sale.
So far, they've been very helpful....until today.

In what world would I actually wear this and in what universe would I be able to afford it:
$669.20
I think they've lost their minds.

The Big Reno Plan

On the outside, we want to go from this:

To this:

Extend the roof line, giving us a covered deck upstairs.  We're also planning to extend the porch and the roof over the porch around each side of the house to give access to the doors that are/will be on the sides of the house.

The interior will go through a complete over haul as well.  There are too many walls in this house and we plan to knock some down.  It's a work in progress but once complete I will share.

Now we just need to save about $200k so we can make all this happen.  Top Ramen at every meal for the next 20 years should do it.

I'm so lucky - no really, I am.

I'm sitting here at the computer - right now.
Matt is on the couch playing Mario on the Wii b/c even though he beat it, he didn't find all the big coins - Heaven forbid.

Anyway, back to the point -
In between yelling obscenities like, "Sonuvadick" (yes, he really just said that,) he says to me,
"I love you Ringgy.  Do I tell you that enough?"
Love this guy:

On another note - I've set up some stuff to automatically post over the next few days so they may seem really random since I did them stream of conscious like and my conscious is not linear.
Hope it all makes sense - just ask if it doesn't.

Before and Afters

The rooms that we've completed are the living room, office, dining room, bathroom, foyer, and kitchen.
We're only documented two of those rooms here (the bathroom and foyer) and I think it's about time I changed that.
Because everyone loves a good before and after picture, here are ours.
Living Room - Before:

Curtains that aren't long enough or lined.  Yellow walls.  Spackle and putty spots all over the walls.

And After:

We kept the couches, unfortunately.  They're just too comfortable to give up right now.  We painted the walls builder beige and the ceiling a shimmery brown.  New lined curtains and pictures are on the walls.

Office - Before:

This is the day we moved in.  Nothing much to report here.  Some more trim to patch from the old HVAC and more yellow walls.  Hooray.

And After:

We painted the stripes with the same paint from the ceiling of the living room since they are adjacent to one another.  Still need a new rug and curtains but for now, we're calling it done.

Dining Room - Before:

Those damn yellow walls were everywhere plus more trim patching from old HVAC and termite damage.  This room shows the most dramatic change but was also the most work.

After:

New light fixture, new paint, added wanescotting up two thirds of the wall with a picture rail topping it off, and crown molding underneath.  Plus new curtains.  I'm not completely pleased with the curtain rod length or the tablecloth but from where we've come - this is my favorite room in the house now.

Kitchen - Before:

This room is entirely new in this photo.  Remember there was no kitchen when we moved in.  In this photo, we've already added knobs to the cabinets but our new fridge hasn't been delivered yet.

After:

We added a copper back splash, painted the walls chocolate brown, rearranged some of the counter top appliances, added shelving, and one behemoth of a fridge.  I'm still on the hunt for curtains.  

 

Now you've seen everything that's worth taking a picture of - soon (hopefully) we'll be before and aftering the bedroom.