"Dig a hole in the backyard, put a bunch of cash in a bag and bury it. It save you a lot of heartache later on."
They aren't sure whether it is about how much money they will lose on working on the house or the amount that they will need to work on the house. It doesn't really matter now does it. Every trip to Home Depot, Lowe's, the nursery, anyplace that has anything to do with doing something to the house is usually as good as a trip to the ATM.
We have a few projects that we would like to take care of in the near future. I use the term near future to mean anytime between now and before we die in the house. We have some real projects, you know the non-glamourous work that has to be done in order to maintain a real working home. These are things like the water heater (which I'm sure is 20+ years old) and the furnace (no A/C here--thanks a bunch for that beach living) which I know is the original (40 years old. These are not eye popping, just necessary. These are things that I know I need to hire a professional to take care of. Good news is I know enough people who are in construction that will be able to help out. The bad news is I have no idea when the cash will show up to get this done.
The other projects are simply cosmetic. Painting the exterior, repainting the kids rooms, getting the closets done, doing something with the interior doors, and the like. These are items that really can take up a lot of time, energy and money. Things I don't really have. I've become pretty good at painting but some of the other things smell of a specialist.
The really big project is our Master Bathroom. I can use those terms loosely because I can actually hurt myself in our shower because it is so small. It was designed by someone who had no idea what they were doing. It is the sore thumb of the entire house. The rest of the house they got right (well maybe the atrium is a stretch) but this room was an afterthought. It is arranged as elegantly as the bathroom in a RV. It is all function that falls upon itself in order to work at all. We know that this is something that someone else will have to take care of. We know that this is something that we will not get to for sometime.
I survived our kitchen remodel. In the end it has turned out to be one of the best investments I think we could have made. I love my house. I have done the work on both of my yards on my own. I have learned what I am capable of and what I am certainly not.
We went to Lowe's today. I didn't spend a dime. Came out with a paint sample and some ideas. It was one of the best trips I have ever made to a home improvement center.
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