For those friends who know our whiteboard from Christmas games of Pictionary it has become much more of a business tool of late. It sits at the center of our planning for the first tasks that we need to start the renovation. The size of the challenge was never in doubt or underestimated by ourselves but committing those first tasks to paper makes it all the more real. The week has been a heady mix of excitement at what lies ahead, telling friends of our news and starting to take the practical first steps to the project (mixed with small amounts of fear and trepidation).
So the first stage of the plan is one of exploration, a week off work has been booked and we’re looking forward to some physical activity. Stripping the house back to bare walls and floorboards will be the first objective – carpets obscure the condition of the floors beneath but I am hopeful that they can be restored. Likewise we know that there are problems within the walls, a likely source of water ingress being burst pipes. The drainage is also on the list of items to understand better and to that end a survey is booked.
Even with the condition of the property and many hurdles to overcome we are enthused to be starting the adventure a proper. It has been a long road to the start and whilst the negotiation was both long and necessary it didn’t make for good writing material. It remains to be seen whether the hunt for and revival of a septic tank provides good copy….
Next week will tell us how fit we are and how good our estimates are to what we can do ourselves. The photo attached to the top of the post is there to remind us of the beauty and potential we are saw on one of our first early morning visits to our new home. I will hold this image in my head next week when ripping out carpet and searching for the septic tank. Say a little prayer that it isn’t blocked and the bright start I envisage materializes.
Middle Age Musings 