The Budget
When we sold our former home, I wrote up a list of upgrades that we made to the house along with their costs to give potential buyers an idea of how we came up with our list price. It was a useful exercise for us because previous to that, I had no idea how much we had spent and honestly, my husband and I were shocked to see the final total of those upgrades. It was a lot! As I mentioned in an earlier post, this time around we’re sticking to a budget so that we are more intentional about spending.
But, when it comes to spending money on renovations, I am more “let’s go for it,” and my husband is more “whoa, slow your roll.” So, when we came up with a budget, it was higher than what he wanted and lower than what I wanted. That’s called a martial compromise, I suppose!
But, my birthday is next week and I had been hinting that it would be nice to work with a little more funds in my budget and my husband being the sweet guy that he is, heard me loud and clear! More money in the budget couldn’t come at a better time. I am spending sometimes 12 hours a day painting walls and ceilings. And for the record, I can’t stand painting ceilings! Having to look up for hours on end is torturous! Having to decipher whether the white that I just painted truly covered the different shade of white already on the ceiling is maddening!
So, with the budget infusion, I immediately contacted a painter. I don’t mind painting the walls, but for the love of god, if I have to paint another ceiling, I’m going to scream!
Baseboard Saga
We finally got the baseboards in on Thursday and they are beautiful and tall!
They were custom made and I was supposed to get them about three weeks ago but with delays in getting wood shipped and the overall slow nature of the wood mill, they arrived late. But, they are here and I am grateful!
The baseboards need to acclimate to the temperature inside the house for a couple days before I paint them, so I plan on painting on Monday. Melissa, my new assistant, will be helping with that so that we can get them done quickly and move onto the next project! Yay for help!
Office Plans
Our new office is not large so there’s not a ton of room for the furniture that we currently have in the space. The furniture that we do have is BIG and heavy and with the walls and trim already being dark, I want to lighten the look of the desk and eliminate the need for the filing cabinet.
So, I’m on the hunt for a desk and I really like this one.
The desk is made from teak wood which strong and durable so it should be a hardy desk. Although I’m a big fan of putting glass on the top of desks to protect the top from writing marks and will do that with any desk that we select.
One thing that it is missing is storage, but I have a plan for that too! Built-in storage using IKEA.
I’ve always wanted to build storage units using an IKEA hack and this is my chance! These builtins were made using IKEA base cabinets with Semihandmade cabinet faces. With so much storage, there’s no need for filing cabinets or a side table to hold computer components and printers. Everything can be beautifully tucked away in stylish builtins.
With my elevated budget, I can get someone to do the yucky part of renovation (painting) while my sidekick and I do fun DIY projects like these builtins. But, with this being a project that is not necessary for us to move in, it will be shelved for a while so that we can settle in first. In the meantime though, I’m scheming!
The Music Room
The music room is painted! I spent about 12 hours one day just knocking it out and if you think I’m a slow painter… I am. I’m meticulous about prepping the walls to get the smoothest finish possible, so I take my time. But, it’s done and I’m happy it’s done!
Moving in Slowly
I feel like I’m the only one in my family who wants to move in ASAP! My 18 year old son is currently camped in our large basement since our interim home only has 3 bedrooms and we had to put him somewhere. The basement is palatial compared to his new bedroom so he’s happy where he is.
My 16 year old son is always happy-go-lucky so he’s happy where he is.
My daughter is 20 and has her own place.
And my husband would rather wait until the ALL the renovations are completed (doesn’t he know who he’s married to… they will NEVER be done!). So, we are slowly moving our things in and waiting at least until the baseboards are done which is understandable. It’s not exactly what I prefer, but we’re lucky to be in a place that we can leave at our pace since we own the townhouse. So, I’m anxious to move, but I can be patient!
Next Week
The baseboards should be painted an installed next week. Because of that, I will be moved into the new house next week even if I have to live there by myself! So, next week you’ll find me enjoying the pool and hot tub at my leisure!
And, if I can find a painter, the rest of the main level should be painted. Otherwise, I’m buying a neck brace and I’ll do it myself. Really anything to get into that house is what I’ll do at this point!
