I wanted to do good by the house, so I firstly dealt with the chimney. Great guy. He adored the teeny tiny kitten (our neighbourhood house warming gift) and even tightened a few loose door hinges for me. I had a liner insert put into one chimney and two caps put onto both chimneys. In my last home, we had frequent feathered visitors inside the home. I wanted to keep the birds and bats OUTSIDE this time.
Next up was insulation. Another local who has been in business for 20+ years and lived in the neighbourhood, which made him an expert insulating these 100 year old colonials. He also cared for the elderly, spoke highly of his competition and was passionate about the history of these homes. I was sold, no need for competitive bids. I had the ceilings and overhangs insulated. He also made me a temporary foam horizontal attic door, to keep the heat from escaping up. Will call him another time to do the walls.
Then I thought it deserved a pick me up in the decor department and I called up my handyman plumber guy...there is not much written about it here as I started this blog after. Maybe I will update it some day.
Goals for the house renvation:
1) rid it of all vinyl (bathroom floor, closets, kitchen, landing),
2) seal it up a bit (fix broken windows, replace broken windows),
3) update with energy saving appliances (eco-conserve maytag, gas cooktop,
4) update water guzzling toilets to something more eco-minded (dual flush),
5) update very, very outdated kitchen and bathroom,
6) access outdoors via kitchen or dining room
7) AND enjoy it with my growing family.
8) And hopefully get this all done before my work contract ends, which then would require me to move back to my homeland country.
The List
call local utility company about an energy audit - FREE.
DOORS
seal under doorways:
side door - currently sealed shut
Bedroom closet door
* shave off bottom so it opens freely
* change doors to sliding doors, creating more visibiliy when looking in closet and allowing more furniture placement flexibility in bedroom
Exterior basement door frame:
* new frame (currently rotted)
* rot can be fixed but door has been cut to fit in; only way to fix is to have a special ordered door
Exterior side door: currently not in use and bolted shut,
*
* remove screen door, damaged by wind.
* replace with quaint, wooden screen door
* replace lock
Exterior Front door:
*
* needs sealing
FLOORING
remove vinyl from all flooring
Vestibule completed:
Side door area: peel off vinyl replace with ??
Kitchen floor / half bath completed
Upstairs bathroom floor completed.
MAIN BATHROOM renovation
new contractors:
product:
KITCHEN WIP
gutted 2/2011
planning period
ELECTRICAL temporary
replace dining room light fixture.
Rewire kitchen: Jan 2012 work in process
ELECTRICAL big job
10.2011 - Electrician advises not to rewire entire house. The wiring is good right now, it is not necessary to ground everything. BUT all outlets should be changed to update proper wiring (i.e. house is full of three prong outlets which are not grounded.) WIP.
Re-wire kitchen.
10.2011 -
ROOF
more work required as of 4/2011 (several shingles scattered around my lawn from winter storms and wind)
WINDOWS
fix all broken glass windows
upstairs sunroom replace windows
replace windows - perhaps - secondary - not urgent -updated: do not like the vinyl window, will have to fix other windows, rather then replace.
FRENCH DOORS
DONE:
sand and polish doors:
1) french doors to dining room;
2) porch door
CARPET upstairs - small room aka Orange Rug Room
varnish floors. half done, white junk from painting room, got stuck in crevasses. stopped. redo some other time
PAINT small room DONE
INTERIOR DOORS upstairs (5):
replace 2 doors (one has fiber glass in half of it, the other has missing bottom panel???)
FRONT PORCH
hand rail and spindles
ATTIC
CHIMNEY
MISCELLANEOUS: WIP
~Mortar work: replace cracked and broken walkway around right side of house ~Stepping stone and little stone walkway left side of house / french drain
~add Lilac bush to back entrance
~Parking spot and inside garage: pavers
~Kitchen counters; cupboards; walls: WIP 2012
~New stove and fan
~dishwasher
LANDSCAPE/BACKYARD: WIP
replace fence w/ with post and rail fencing
plant cedar tree fence line to hide neighbour parking lot
build deck and install french doors off dining room; add slide, fort, rope ladder and climbers. build a pea gravel patio for time being.
veggie garden along north fence: started summer 2010
flower garden along south border: started fall 2009
LANDSCAPE/FRONTYARD
planted: red blood maple & renaissance shrub 1-May/2010
fix garden: in process
CHAZ CLOSET
build shelves inside closet opening / board and plumbing pipes
add another top shelf
hang curtain: have material, need rod.
PAINTING
bedroom "nursery"
bathroom:
Orange rug room:
kid room: DONE
living room: wip
BIG, HUGE, & NOT SO FUN Projects:
~re-cement basement floor, groan
~take out / replace two concrete and seriously cracked stairs that lead to basement, along with oodles of water when it rains. ($3400 estimate whoa 8/2011)
~gutters, yawn
~re-shingle roof: seems the roof is older then its guesstimate of 10 years. found some blown off shingles this spring '11.
~and I am sure there is more
