My plans have evolved over the months, and no longer am I determined to get those french doors in the kitchen ASAP. Instead, other priorities have made themselves known.
The first, and most important: the previous owners obviously had cats, as evidenced by the intractable smell of kitty litter box in one of the three rooms with carpeting. And they definitely had a small dog with some incontinence issues, as evidenced first by the calendars with tiny yippy dog pin-ups, and by the innumerable tiny dog pee stains which show under my black light.
This explains why no amounts of vinegar and enzymatic cleaner have solved what I thought was the houndie grrrl’s still-getting house-broken issues – because it was never her at all.
I would love to know what they did to eliminate the odor when the house was on the market, but no matter. I am simply going to have to buck up and replace the carpeting.
So, replacing the carpeting in 3 rooms has become a priority.
The second: I have to get an electrician in here to replace several outlets, including the one that connects the sump pump for the french drains. I haven’t made this the number one priority because no one around here will give me the name of a good electrician, and I can think of nothing worse than hiring a lousy electrician – except maybe an incompetent plumber.
Which brings me to …
The third priority: I have got to get a vent in the bathroom. I simply must do this, as I am totally mildew phobic.
The fourth: Not absolutely crucial, but there is a gigantic built-in air conditioning unit in the future sunroom that is ancient. It’s gotta go. It’s an energy hog and ugly to boot.
The french doors have dropped to priority five, next to installing a microhood, refacing kitchen cabinets and replacing the hideous electric stove.
But not until I install tile on the kitchen floor that matches the tile in the entry way leading into the kitchen, which is one of the many strange, yet understandable, things the previous owners did. Not sure why they thought a two and a half – three foot foot wide strip of ceramic tile leading to the front door to the kitchen was so necessary, but it’ll work if I get the same tile in the kitchen.
4 Comments
The good news is, with the sale of your other place, you should have a little wherewithal for the improvements.
Poor houndie grrl, falsely accused and all. Unfortunately I know exactly who is to blame for the carpet that needs replacing in my house. :: looks severely at most adorable puppies who are now house-trained but didn’t come that way ::
Exactly. Part of that money will go to replenishing savings, part will pay off a student loan, part will pad my mortgage payment, and the rest: home maintenance!!
Have you thought that perhaps your new around-the-block organic gardening neighbor may know a good electrician? Since she purchased a house of about the same vintage as yours, she may have had to address similar problems?
She moved from where I moved. She had an organic farm out there, but she and her husband are separating, so they’re selling it.
Iow, she’s in the same boat I’m in. Which is a fun boat, but …
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