Old Home Project- Windows

 And... it's somehow end of May. Almost! The renovation moves at snail pace and I have a feeling that everybody got used to living on plastic foil, paper furniture coverings, stuff in boxes, stuff missing, appliances not working, and GENERAL FREAKING MESS. That includes the cats- now totally cool with the window installation crew hammering away. Well, to be honest, not all of them. Hans still disappears in the woods living off small unfortunate creatures that happened to cross his path and spring water. 

  

So, the whole window drama enters second week BUT at least everything looks good. And new windows do not leak as was proven during the recent torrential rain, so yay! The goal achieved. Sadly, this is when the main door decided it has enough of being used so heavily and leaked through flooding the new floor... Yup. Always something. Was reminded of a movie, an old one with Tom Hans, "The Money Pit", I think, about never-ending home renovation. Should have watched it before getting an idea of sinking my savings into one serious fixer-upper. Anyways... Now is too late, ha ha.  

In the video, there is one of my cats, and an old couch parked outside, and jungle and weeds taking over again. Since it is pretty much the beginning of major works, looks like life will continue in this disorganized manner for at least several weeks! Wish me luck! 

Video: 

Old Home Project- Windows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsIYb4F3J3w

Old Home Project- New Floors

So by now the floor is done but it took over a month! Seriously. This is what happens when there are shortages and "who knows what else is going on." Also, some hardwood was damaged and I had to wait for additional boxes. 

Old floor was all cracked and had holes in it, so sadly it had to go... The fireplace is fixed- old one was leaking smoke to the room as the chimney was not working properly. 

As we took the tiles out, there was... some hardwood beneath! Not expected! It had to be removed as well. Since there were all those mysterious layers there, I hoped that maybe I could find a secret safe with money hidden by other owners but no such luck. 

 

Some of the boxes with hardwood, there were 52 of them in total. 

It was difficult to live with no stove or fridge being in the middle of the living room, and then stove in the middle of the living room, but hey, the trauma is over. Actually, if I had a stove in my living room, I could cook while sitting on the couch... Tempting!

Kitchen is taking shape:

It will take time to finish the whole project, but it's okay. One day at a time. As long as roof is not leaking and no one is cold or hungry, let it progress at its own pace. :)

Old House Project- Daily chores # 1

OLD HOUSE PROJECT

February 2023!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Cannot believe the last post was about 3 years ago!

So......

In a new, almost post-pandemic world, I have embarked on a quite challenging project- an old house renovation! 

Yay and yuck at the same time.  

Yay part includes having a nice quiet place to live, practically in the woods. Yuck part, on the other hand involves tons of work, money, and time- all of which are in a short supply. But finally, I took a first step and started doing SOMETHING. Sad part is, it's going to go on and on forever, as there are material shortages. Like, the wait for the new windows in about 8 months!... Each time it rains, I am close to having a heart attack, walking around and looking for leaks. 

The work goes inside and outside of the house. Sometimes it seems like too much and I'm not sure where to start really. But two days ago, right before the rain, I went outside and trimmed some bushes near the entrance. My rooms got more light but now you can see all dirt and green algae on the window frames and walls! I am supposed to get new windows in May, so I guess the green is not the biggest of my problems. 

In this video, I walked around the house checking out the scope of the mess and trying to figure out what to do first. I guess I need to start with simple sweeping and getting rid of dead leaves, and then old pots and who-knows-what trash. Ahhhhhhhhhhh...........

Of course, today is raining, so there is no way I can do anything outside. Can't be helped. Maybe it's a sign I need to lean up some cement dust inside- not good to sit on it and get it in the lungs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTXbhzyotP0