Friends. Things are HAPPENING here at No. 77.
Just this last week, I realized we were halfway through our six weeks of allotted pre-move reno time, and we were nowhere NEAR our target schedule. Emotionally, physically, mentally, I was reaching a breaking point. I think maybe it had something to do with the 18th or 19th time I had to sand the. same. darn. wall. before I could even caulk or tape or prime.
I turned to Jordan and said, “Honey. I need help.”
And he delivered! We phoned up two of our friends are in transition right now and asked them to come work for us for a couple days.
And MAN that’s when things started to happen! It’s amazing how quickly things get done when they are getting done without you.
Charlotte and I got the bedroom and office taped, primed, and painted.
Dan pulled up the carpet in both the bedroom and the office.
Between us, Jordan and I finally got to put down the underlayer of our kitchen floor! Let me tell you, there is something deliciously SATISFYING about laying down a 4 x 4 inch grid of wood screws with a power drill.
I also primed and painted the kitchen window trim (see how pretty and shiny it is?!)
We got so much done this week look what started happening last night:
And this is now the state of our kitchen-in-progress:
Mister J. is just now out on a run to the hardware store to get a new blade for the sawz-all so we can cut holes in the under-sink cabinet and hang it on the wall.
And this morning, I got the living room painted! (This photo is terrible but I’ll try to post a new one tomorrow with the morning light so you can see the colour better.)
Top photo is in-progress painting and bottom is finished painting!
This weekend, we’re focusing on getting the kitchen installed because the people are coming on Wednesday to measure for our countertops.
And, once all the carpet is up, we’ll be able to refinish our floors. I’m thinking of a super-glossy, golden, caramelly-honey colour to reflect the light. What do you think?
But I did make Jordan promise me at least one afternoon of work in our backyard this week so we can get our veggies into the ground. I’m hoping we’re close enough to May 24 to avoid any more frosts!
I can’t believe we’re finally at this point. I can *almost* imagine Moving Day. While we still have a lot to do, it finally, finally seems manageable and acheiveable, especially with our amazing helpers. Here’s what’s left before we can move in!
* Finish kitchen install
* Get countertops measured and installed
* Install tile on kitchen floor
* Pull up carpets in living and dining room
* Prime and paint dining room
* Refinish wood floors (patch, putty, sand, stain, lacquer, sand, polish!)
Those are the most essential things. Of course there are a million little things that would be nice to get done before we move in, most of them can wait until we are in the house.
UP NEXT: Learning to refinish floors!
It’s amazing to me how much you learn, how much you HAVE to learn when you’re doing renos on your own house. It’s pretty amazing, the set of skills we are amassing during this time. Jordan and I have new nicknames, because of how much we felt we’d mastered these new skills. I have been dubbed the “Putty Princess” and J. is the “Caulk King.”
I know. We’ll do anything to add to the joy of this process.
And I’m especially glad and grateful to have you all following our progress and cheering us along. So many of you have mentioned that you’re thinking of us, and let me tell you, every thought helps.
So THANK YOU.