Two steps forward, one step back- The last three months in review

 February 2nd, 2024

Well we have been living here for 3 months and owned the property for four months as of tomorrow. And I look around and I know we have so much work to do. But it also feels like it's all coming together. And yes, it has cost us way more money to repair than we thought it would. ( I thought factoring in a 10% overage was enough. How 2018 of me!) 

The stairway now has some pictures. I will have to take them all down when I take off the wallpaper but that is months and months away so why not look at some art!

For example, my husband very nicely installed a new light fixture in my art space so that I would have light, but when he opened the box to do the wiring to attach the light fixture he noticed there were way too many wires in there for a box that size and that means he's going to have to get a bigger box and replace it. (That means going in the attic. Yuck!) The new light switch that he installed to go with the new light is wonderful, but to install it he ripped down wallpaper and and the box for the switch was not actually attached to any joist. It sort of hangs on the plaster lathe. So that is another repair to do. Two steps forward, one step back.

The light in here was so dim! Since I do fine detail work on occasion I wanted very bright lights.

I will now have to remove this wallpaper, something I was trying to avoid. Oh well. Just another task on my list!

My husband calls this the money pit and he's not wrong. To get done what we want in this house means that we'll have to do a lot of the labour ourselves. And that seems daunting sometimes.

But when I look back since we bought this place October 3rd and moved in October 30th, we have come so far. We refurbished the old well as per the bank's demand. Yes, I may have to redrill my well when I put in my septic tank but that's a summer problem (I hope.) We got our original Pedlar tin roof sprayed with Noxor so we are not worried about leaks. The house has been jacked and while that means almost every single wall in this house now has a crack, the house is stable and the floors are more level (but will never be fully level). The two pieces of wire that where identified by our inspector as being aluminum turned out to be copper (good) but he found we did have an aluminum wire running to our sump pump so we have had that removed, a proper outdoor plug put in place and now our electrical panel is to code.

Painted roof and windows.

We had the Energuide people in and got a pretty awful energy guide reading of  664 kilojoules (way, way, way above average!) So we have applied for the Canada Greener Energy program (our house qualified- anything we do is considered a win.) We removed the condemned oil tank and the old oil furnace and now have a brand new Daiken heat pump and propane furnace with a programmable thermostat. We have replaced all of the windows except the one in the attic and the two small ones in the bathroom upstairs. The main floor windows and storms will be repurposed somewhere else on the property. The upstairs windows were a loss. The steel doors have been ordered and will be installed hopefully this month. I love the old entry doors we have, so I will repurpose them somewhere else on the property. We still haven't dealt with the ductwork in the house but that is a spring issue. 

Heat Pump with new windows above!

Putting in one of the dining room windows.

Putting in one of the living room windows.

Second floor bedroom window from my bedroom window.

We bought brand new appliances which are not installed except for the fridge, but when we start to design the kitchen I will know where and how I will want them installed. We have a new sump pump. While I am slowly getting used to the sound of it going off quite regularly at least I know my basement is not flooding. We gutted the upstairs bathroom, removing the steel receptor tub, cast iron sink and the toilet wedged into the corner. There was nothing that we wanted to salvage. We got the plumbers in to remove the cast iron soil stack and replace it with PVC piping that fixed the stench of sewer gas. Chris insulated both the well (after it froze) and the homemade wood door leading from the outdoor cellar door (also homemade and requires a winch to open it-Chris has a plan to replace already thought out)  into the basement to help keep the house warm (It has remained warm enough down there to hatch mosquitos, sigh.) 

The bathroom is progressing! The well stuff works (have to get rid of the old stuff) and at the bottom my braying, mournful sump pump.

I just got some quotes for putting gutters on and new fascia that was quite reasonable so that means sometime this spring we will make further strides in managing the water flow on this property and get it out of our basement.

We are still unpacking, still organizing all our stuff but in the midst of all this chaos Chris created a space for me where I can do my artwork, dream about my garden and still do my volunteer work. I have spent a week with my mother at her home in January and I will be spending another week with her this month. We've managed to hang up our clothes in our new wardrobes, we've just received 10 new bookcases (because yes we have that many books and will need more) and I have ordered more seeds for the summer garden. 

Brandywine tomatoes are up!

Wardrobe #2

Wardrobe #1

Not sure when I will be able to host my grandchildren or the rest of the family as we are living in a construction zone and this place is not yet safe for them. Hopefully, we will have room for some visitors in 2024 (especially if you are handy with tools and mudding!) But I am dreaming that sometime in 2024 I will walk with my mother and my grandchildren through the gardens and down to the water's edge.