Mom and Dad-in-law left early Saturday morning for the 12 hour drive back home. They had been here for close to two months in less than ideal conditions. Their next planned long term visit will not be until the end of June. By then, it is possible, depending on finances, to have the guest room upstairs ready for them. They deserve to have a space that they can call their own while they are living here.
Deadlines never work
I don’t think I have ever met any deadline that I have imposed on myself when it comes to renovations so for me to make any kind of promise to the in-laws that I will have a space ready for them by June would be foolish. However, it would not be outside of the realm of possibility, provided we have the funds to accomplish this. June, after all, is well over six months away. And breaking the projects down month to month looks good on paper.
- November: finish painting and electrical.
- December: Clean basement so the hydronic heating system can finally be updated.
- January: Call in the pros– hydronic heating is updated.
- February: Install trim around windows
- March: Patch all holes in floors upstairs
- April: Install hardwood floor (spring or fall, I’ve been told, is the best time to install flooring)
- May: Install doors and trim
- June: finishing touches.
Bleak financial picture
The biggest obstacle in our way (besides my general laziness) is the cost of the projects. The heating is the biggest expense (around 5 digits). The flooring is roughly 600 square feet (figure at $5 per square foot, with taxes, that’s around $3000. Even the doors for the bedrooms and the closets will cost close to $500. And the trim….well, I haven’t even taken measurements for that yet. $15,000 is a fairly conservative estimate for completing everything upstairs, and frankly, that gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Almost ready for paint
I had a few more minor touch-ups than I realized, so after a final sanding tomorrow, the second floor will be ready for painting. At this point, (with some time off work) the painting schedule looks something like this:
- Wednesday: primer (2 coats)
- Thursday and Friday: paint all ceilings and closets (2 coats)
- Saturday and Sunday: paint all walls (2 coats)
Tuesday, we will buy the paints and supplies and I will finish cleaning up the second floor. Then, first thing on Wednesday, I can start the priming. By the time I finish the first coat, the primer should be dry so I can apply the second coat on the same day. If the primer is all that I accomplish this week, I will be happy. At least we will know that we have a functional vapour barrier upstairs.