There are moments when life seems to be going at a normal pace and things are going smoothly (for the most part). There are the normal daily struggles but overall, it seems pretty manageable. Then there are the times when things are so chaotic and stressful that once that period of time is over, it seems like a blur and like it happened incredibly fast. You are left in a "what just happened" kind of daze. I feel like that has been our life for the last month or two. Things have been a bit quieter on the blog and my social media as a result.
It hasn't been anything major. Just sickness, end of school stuff, yard work, and finishing big projects, but it has kicked my trash. I do have good news however, I am 100% done with the second boy room and will be posting the reveal (followed by the tutorials) starting tomorrow! I am so happy with it and have spent a lot of time in there with my boys.
There are some BIG things about to happen here at our little old house. We finally have the money to finish the part of the basement that is unfinished! We have a contractor coming tomorrow to go over all the details. We will be having a contractor install the beam, cut new windows, add a wall with electrical, and do the cement work. I will then do the (fun) finish work like mudding, texturing, painting, adding trim, and the flooring. We have waited 11 years and I am looking forward to finally having it done.
Here is where it is at right now. I can't believe I am showing you these pictures! I didn't even tidy it up first...
This is the view from me standing in the entrance of the laundry room. Eventually there will be a wall separating the two spaces. We gave our dresser to the boys (boy room #1) so some of our clothes are in totes. Sleeping in a windowless room is nice for when you want to sleep past the sunrise, but that is about it. I feel like a vampire. Good thing it hasn't been for long. Soon we will move our makeshift bedroom up to my office while the work is being done.
I put up plastic because I wasn't sure if dust or dirt would fall down through the floorboards. The good news is that the tarp is as clean as when we put it up a couple of months ago.
We are also going to be getting a new roof. We have put it off for far too long and a recent windstorm showed us that was a bad mistake. It is going to have be a total gut job since under the asphalt shingles are the original wood shingles.
Other projects we will hopefully get done this summer are:
*paint the eaves and trim on the outside of the house
*staining the fence we put up last year
*planting some more things out back
*adding a sandbox
*getting our shower/bath tub liner
*a family room refresh
Summer is my most productive time of year so it is hard to keep up the blog. All I want to do is projects and play with my kids. But I will be posting at least once a week with updates and the final projects.
How is your summer going so far? Are your kids out of school yet? Do you take it easy in the summer or do you like to get your DIY on like me?
Looking forward to seeing the new boy's room tomorrow as your rooms always give me ideas for my own home. Sounds like you have a mad busy time coming up, and although I don't envy you the builder's work being done I do envy your chance to design and fill a brand new room, so exciting. You definitely deserve a beautiful room after waiting eleven years for this project to be done and I am sure you will enjoy choosing every single thing to go in it, when are you hoping to have it all finished and ready to show everyone?
Anyway I'm glad you've got through the past crazy couple of months and now have so many great things to look forward to. x
Hi Angela! I’ll have a better idea of the time frame after I meet with the contractor today. I’m trying to be patient since I know this is the busiest time of year for home renovations and he’s got a full schedule already. But the goal is to have it done by the end of the year at the latest.
Make sure you call your Insurance Company regarding your roof. Our roof had wind damage but was old. Our contractor told us to call and the Insurance Company came out and checked it. They issued a check that paid for approximately 95% of the new roof. It never hurts to ask. Good luck.
Good point! I don’t think we would get that much for it but maybe a smaller percentage. The previous owners installed it wrong and I know that in order to get it fully covered it has to be installed correctly to begin with. But you are right, it doesn’t hurt to ask!
WOW congratulations ! I am so glad you are going to be able to continue with your lengthy to do list.! what a reward for your patience and hard work. It will be great to be able to follow along via your blog.
Thank you! The new roof and new furnace are not very fun things to spend lots of money on but the basement bedroom part will be so fun to see come together. Fingers crossed we can stay on budget!
I had a similar situation with my homeowner's insurance covering most of the cost of the new roof, with no increase in in my insurance bill. It never hurts to ask.
Oh, gosh, you have been sleeping in the unfinished basement all this time? You must be ready to return to the land of the living, lol. You will be so happy with your plans and dreams coming true. I raised three sons, two shared a room, and it was always a challenge to have it clean, functional and not "girly"....
I have been waiting for spring/summer weather to do some furniture painting, deck paint, and other things better done outside or at least with the windows open- but in Upstate NY, it has either rained or been 90 degrees many days so far...patience, I know.
We have only been sleeping in there for a couple of months. We use to be in the bedroom at the bottom of the stairs (boy room makeover #1) and all the boys were in the other bedroom because it is so large. We decided to split the boys up into two rooms and turn the unfinished part of the basement in our our room. But even two months in that cave has been too long!
Hi, Stacy! I am so excited for you! Even getting the fence stained will be great! Every little thing makes a BIG difference! That's how it is in my house!!! Enjoy!!! I'll be watching! :-)
Will be great to see the new boys room and I am so excited for you.