The house was really making progress. Mostly, two walls were removed and a bank of ugly flourescent lights was taken out of the kitchen. (Which required installing an actual ceiling and 3 recessed light fixtures.)
The removal of the walls opens the entire house up. Totally different feeling in there.
The wallpaper has mostly been stripped. The living room, other than flooring is mostly done except for paint and trim.
It was getting to the point I could envision myself moving in.
Then, got hit by yet another project that I knew had to be done... I just was hoping it didn't have to be done RIGHT NOW.
Unfortunately, so far, pretty much every project I had hoped to hold off on has had to be done right away.
The only things holding out are the smelly fridge and the garage door opener (which sounds about like a cement mixer.) The rest of the house? All the "someday" projects have become "better do them right now" projects.
This project? Right over the living room that I am having redone is a big flat roof. The previous owners tried to make it a big open patio deck type thing but it's pretty much the worst deck in the world. It's got "torch down" roofing material. The wrought iron railings are flimsy. You wouldn't dare have a party there or even let kids be up there unsupervised.
Worst of all, it's a flat roof. I knew it was going to be a problem sooner or later. Flat roofs always are. Anybody who has ever had a flat roof can tell you: they're an absolute nightmare. They will leak, and when they do, it's absolutely impossible to say for certain where the leak is coming from.
I was lost as to what to do until it dawned on me. When the roof caused me problems, I'd wall in the entire area and make a nice 2nd story sunroom. It'd be 17' x 35', so it'd be darned big. Like everywhere else in my house, the view would be magnificent, especially towards the back of the house. With windows, it would be well-ventilated and could be used on all but the coldest and hottest days of the year.
It was a perfect solution... and now it needs to be implemented right now because this weekend's hard rains have shown that the roof does, indeed, have a leak.
Trying to stay positive about this. As far as additions go, this will be the least expensive possible addition. It doesn't need HVAC, plumbing or even electricity. One of the walls is already built. I don't need the interior to be finished at all. If the studs are showing, that's fine until I can afford to finish off the inside. Eventually, it'll have windows pretty much all the way around, but for the time being, I can install one large-ish window per wall and that will suffice until a future date when I can afford yet more windows.
Basically, one giant (600 sq. ft.) room with bare floors, exposed studs on the walls... it'll just be weathertight, which the current roof isn't.
I am feeling a bit beaten down by this thing, which is characteristic for a money pit owner. It's not even like I have a good handle on everything in the house, though at this point, about the only thing I don't have a plan or money for is flooring. Might be living on bare floors for a few years while my wallet stops bleeding. I really can't afford this project right now, but I can't afford not to do it, either.
Like so much with updating / remodelling a house, you're in for a penny, in for a pound. A lot of times, you can't work incrementally.
So, like I said, we'll be living on bare floors for a while. Also, the kitchen and all the bathrooms will need to be updated. They're all at least functional. Just not particularly appealing.
So, still several more years of projects ahead. By the time I re-do the kitchen and bath, it'll be time for the furnace and A/C to blow. Lordy, please let the furnace and A/C last that long.
Okay, that's the depressing side. On the bright side, my furniture arrived. The walls are knocked out. The lights are slowly but surely being modernized. Got a great Whirlpool Duet front-loading washer and dryer. Some of the upstairs windows have arrived. I assembled the two beds I bought. The wallpaper has been stripped. The house is much, much nicer to be in, now, even though it's sorta torn up and needs paint. I figure the painting might be pretty well done this week.
Not sure what my exact battle plan is for the 3 season room. I have a friend who is a GC in Ohio. I will probably see if he can recommend an architect to draw up a simple plan, have him pull the permits. I'll see if he'll let my guys do everything except maybe the roof. See if he'll let me buy the materials. I just left him a message. Will see how/when he gets back to me.
This just blows. However, I have visions of enjoying my comfy home with the awesome creek and woods view sometime in the near future. I just may be wearing tennis shoes with my pajamas because the first floor will probably be all bare floors.
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