As many of you know, Kyle and I are working on moving into a duplex that his parents own. The duplex has been in need of some work so the past month has been spent trying to get things fixed and livable. Kyle and I are clueless when it comes to home repairs and the like so as we started on this endeavor we quickly realized how frustrating these things can become. It takes a lot of time, money, and trial and error. Time is something we don't have much of, money is available but limited, and trial and error is just discouraging. There have been two major things on our list to do as well as some minor necessities and "pretty things."
New Flooring - It comes in very handy to have in-laws who own a flooring store! We got new floors throughout the entire house! At first the kitchen floors weren't going to be replaced but Kyle decided he wanted new floors in there too. I was indifferent but once the new flooring was put down it looked so good and really improved the look of the kitchen.
The Driveway - The driveway had a big pothole on our side. This was a concern for multiple reasons. One, our tiny cars probably wouldn't have survived the drive over it. Two, someone could get hurt if they weren't being careful. And three, it was just unattractive. Thanks to God's provision, our tax refund was able to help us pay for a new driveway. It looks great and Kyle says he's never been so excited about a piece of concrete. :)
The Fence - There is a fence in our backyard but it's old and falling over. There's no gate between our house and the neighbor's fence which renders the fence pretty much pointless. We have a dog so there would be no way of keeping her in and strangers out. Also, the backdoor is in our bedroom so there is also a bit of a safety/privacy issue. Thus, a new fence is a must! Thankfully, the installation of a new fence begins tomorrow at a very reasonable price.
The Kitchen Sink - Something was grossly wrong with the kitchen sink. It was very rusted, I think...I'm not sure what it was because I didn't want to get very close. It looked disgusting and it took forever for water to drain. The disposal didn't work either. So, a new sink and disposal was installed over the weekend thanks to a friend and Kyle's hard work! It was slow going and, because men don't read instructions, wasn't entirely properly installed the first time. . .I guess I should have been supervising more closely. But, it did get finished and now we have a usable, much nicer looking sink!
The Bathtub Trim - The trim (spout, handles, face plate, and shower head) were in very bad shape. The face plate was especially disgusting. Maybe I'm just a snob but there was no way in hell I was going to shower myself in that tub, let alone my baby! So new trim was a must. We thought it was going to be fairly easy. I mean, everything pretty much screws off and on. It's just a matter of getting the right trim, taking off the old, and putting on the new. Well, what was suppose to be an easy project has turned into a pain in the butt.
Last night Kyle and I started putting on the new trim. We started with the handles and it was easy enough. We were feeling pretty good. But then I noticed that one of the parts in the new package was missing! So we were only able to do two of the handles and had to return the other and get another one with all the parts. Kyle did the face plate next and that went okay, though we found out that part of the linkage is broken. Just another part to buy and replace! The spout required plumber's tape, which we didn't have, so we had to put that off too. The shower head, we discovered, isn't made like all the other shower heads we've encountered so we're going to have to look into that some more. Things just kept popping up that we weren't expecting which can get frustrating and discouraging. To make it worse, when Kyle went over there today to put the spout on it wouldn't screw in! There are only two possible sizes for a spout and he had both and neither would screw in. What the heck?! It turns out that the thread on the pipe was so corroded and disgusting that the spout had nothing to screw onto. So, we had to go to the store and buy CLR and then spend about an hour or so scrubbing away. We ran out of time before we could finish cleaning it but we did make some headway!
The Bathroom Sink - We weren't planning on replacing the bathroom sink. It is a bit rusty and broken yet still usable so we were just going to live with it for the time being. Well, last night Kyle touched the worst part of it and it crumbled so we decided we'd better replace it now. Yet another thing to add to the list but I think we'll be glad we did it when it's all said and done.
New Blinds - The blinds that were originally in the windows were very old, dirty, and torn up. The previous tenant smoked quite a bit so you can imagine what that did to them. I wanted the faux wood blinds so we bought some from Lowes. After much dealings with that, we got them installed and they look great! It's amazing what nice blinds will do to the look and feel of a room!
A New Stove & Dishwasher - The stove that was already there was old and didn't completely work. I actually didn't know this until AFTER we got a new one so I'm especially glad we did end up getting a new one! And though there was a place for a dishwasher to be hooked up, there wasn't a dishwasher, so we went ahead and got one of those too. God really blessed us when it came to these appliances. We had gone to Lowes on Thursday and found the stove and dishwasher we wanted. We weren't able to buy them though because we ran out of time and had to leave to make an appointment. Kyle went back the next day to get them and he noticed a stove that had a little sign on it that said that this particular floor model was for sale. He was interested to see what kind of discount would be applied so he asked the sales associate. This stove was originally over $1000 and was not in our price range at all. It turns out that it was marked down to $606! That's about $150 LESS than the stove we were intending to buy! Wow! So Kyle bought that one and, with the money we saved, was able to get a better dishwasher as well. It was such a huge blessing!
Electrical Work - What started out as, "We just need to change a few plugs" became "Oh no, there's something wrong with the wiring." Thankfully, Kyle's friend Michael is an electrician and he was there doing the work for us. Though it took forever (we were there until 1:30am) he eventually did figure out the problem and was able to fix it. Michael has been another huge blessing; we're very thankful for his willingness to help. He's really gone the extra mile for us.
Install New Fans - Kyle mentioned that, at the very least, he wanted to replace the fan in Grayson's room. It's not in good shape and is caked in smoke crap, dust, and who knows what else. We also decided to replace and upgrade the one in the living room. Thankfully, Michael is going to install those for us too.
The Tree in the Backyard - The tree is apparently in amongst a bunch of cables. Kyle, David, and Michael worked out cutting some of the branches that were wrapped around some of cables but the long term solution is cutting the tree down.
I think that about sums it up. We have gotten a lot done and just need to finish some things up this weekend. It's been tiring and frustrating along the way though because things just keep popping up that we weren't expecting. And like I said, Kyle and I are clueless when it comes to stuff like this so we're having to learn as we go. At this point, as we see a light at the end of the tunnel, we are very ready to be done with all of the repairs and get moved in. We still have a baby to prepare for!
I realize some people wouldn't have a problem with dirty parts, old appliances, and would be happy with just making do. And in some circumstances there isn't anything wrong with that but there have been multiple motivations behind getting these things done.
1) Kyle and I do have certain standards and a level of comfortableness. Things don't necessarily have to be in pristine condition but they do need to be clean, safe to use, and durable.
2) We want things to be safe and healthy for a new baby.
3) There is a sense of stewardship, of taking care of what has been given to us. We like to find long term solutions and not just slap some duct tape on it and claim it as being good enough for now.
4) We want to bring up the value of the rental property so that when we move out it can be rented out at a higher value.
These have been our goals and I'm thankful that everything is working out, even though it has taken more time and work than we intended. Hopefully, if everything goes as we plan, we should be able to move in by the end of the month. It will be very nice to finally be able to live there comfortably and start preparing for Grayson's birth. After we get settled in I plan on getting started on washing all of his clothes, bedding, and blankets, and getting everything in his room and closet arranged. It will be so good for me and my nesting urges to get things ready for him! :) It will also be nice to have some alone time with Kyle before we have an ever present baby in need of our attention. Our lives are about to change in big ways which is both scary and exciting but I'm confident that we can do it by relying on each other and on the Lord. It's going to be hard but also fun and I honestly can't think of anyone better to share the journey with. Kyle has been working really hard and I am very proud of him. We both look forward to our near future and bringing our son home!
New Flooring - It comes in very handy to have in-laws who own a flooring store! We got new floors throughout the entire house! At first the kitchen floors weren't going to be replaced but Kyle decided he wanted new floors in there too. I was indifferent but once the new flooring was put down it looked so good and really improved the look of the kitchen.
The Driveway - The driveway had a big pothole on our side. This was a concern for multiple reasons. One, our tiny cars probably wouldn't have survived the drive over it. Two, someone could get hurt if they weren't being careful. And three, it was just unattractive. Thanks to God's provision, our tax refund was able to help us pay for a new driveway. It looks great and Kyle says he's never been so excited about a piece of concrete. :)
The Fence - There is a fence in our backyard but it's old and falling over. There's no gate between our house and the neighbor's fence which renders the fence pretty much pointless. We have a dog so there would be no way of keeping her in and strangers out. Also, the backdoor is in our bedroom so there is also a bit of a safety/privacy issue. Thus, a new fence is a must! Thankfully, the installation of a new fence begins tomorrow at a very reasonable price.
The Kitchen Sink - Something was grossly wrong with the kitchen sink. It was very rusted, I think...I'm not sure what it was because I didn't want to get very close. It looked disgusting and it took forever for water to drain. The disposal didn't work either. So, a new sink and disposal was installed over the weekend thanks to a friend and Kyle's hard work! It was slow going and, because men don't read instructions, wasn't entirely properly installed the first time. . .I guess I should have been supervising more closely. But, it did get finished and now we have a usable, much nicer looking sink!
The Bathtub Trim - The trim (spout, handles, face plate, and shower head) were in very bad shape. The face plate was especially disgusting. Maybe I'm just a snob but there was no way in hell I was going to shower myself in that tub, let alone my baby! So new trim was a must. We thought it was going to be fairly easy. I mean, everything pretty much screws off and on. It's just a matter of getting the right trim, taking off the old, and putting on the new. Well, what was suppose to be an easy project has turned into a pain in the butt.
Last night Kyle and I started putting on the new trim. We started with the handles and it was easy enough. We were feeling pretty good. But then I noticed that one of the parts in the new package was missing! So we were only able to do two of the handles and had to return the other and get another one with all the parts. Kyle did the face plate next and that went okay, though we found out that part of the linkage is broken. Just another part to buy and replace! The spout required plumber's tape, which we didn't have, so we had to put that off too. The shower head, we discovered, isn't made like all the other shower heads we've encountered so we're going to have to look into that some more. Things just kept popping up that we weren't expecting which can get frustrating and discouraging. To make it worse, when Kyle went over there today to put the spout on it wouldn't screw in! There are only two possible sizes for a spout and he had both and neither would screw in. What the heck?! It turns out that the thread on the pipe was so corroded and disgusting that the spout had nothing to screw onto. So, we had to go to the store and buy CLR and then spend about an hour or so scrubbing away. We ran out of time before we could finish cleaning it but we did make some headway!
The Bathroom Sink - We weren't planning on replacing the bathroom sink. It is a bit rusty and broken yet still usable so we were just going to live with it for the time being. Well, last night Kyle touched the worst part of it and it crumbled so we decided we'd better replace it now. Yet another thing to add to the list but I think we'll be glad we did it when it's all said and done.
New Blinds - The blinds that were originally in the windows were very old, dirty, and torn up. The previous tenant smoked quite a bit so you can imagine what that did to them. I wanted the faux wood blinds so we bought some from Lowes. After much dealings with that, we got them installed and they look great! It's amazing what nice blinds will do to the look and feel of a room!
A New Stove & Dishwasher - The stove that was already there was old and didn't completely work. I actually didn't know this until AFTER we got a new one so I'm especially glad we did end up getting a new one! And though there was a place for a dishwasher to be hooked up, there wasn't a dishwasher, so we went ahead and got one of those too. God really blessed us when it came to these appliances. We had gone to Lowes on Thursday and found the stove and dishwasher we wanted. We weren't able to buy them though because we ran out of time and had to leave to make an appointment. Kyle went back the next day to get them and he noticed a stove that had a little sign on it that said that this particular floor model was for sale. He was interested to see what kind of discount would be applied so he asked the sales associate. This stove was originally over $1000 and was not in our price range at all. It turns out that it was marked down to $606! That's about $150 LESS than the stove we were intending to buy! Wow! So Kyle bought that one and, with the money we saved, was able to get a better dishwasher as well. It was such a huge blessing!
Electrical Work - What started out as, "We just need to change a few plugs" became "Oh no, there's something wrong with the wiring." Thankfully, Kyle's friend Michael is an electrician and he was there doing the work for us. Though it took forever (we were there until 1:30am) he eventually did figure out the problem and was able to fix it. Michael has been another huge blessing; we're very thankful for his willingness to help. He's really gone the extra mile for us.
Install New Fans - Kyle mentioned that, at the very least, he wanted to replace the fan in Grayson's room. It's not in good shape and is caked in smoke crap, dust, and who knows what else. We also decided to replace and upgrade the one in the living room. Thankfully, Michael is going to install those for us too.
The Tree in the Backyard - The tree is apparently in amongst a bunch of cables. Kyle, David, and Michael worked out cutting some of the branches that were wrapped around some of cables but the long term solution is cutting the tree down.
I think that about sums it up. We have gotten a lot done and just need to finish some things up this weekend. It's been tiring and frustrating along the way though because things just keep popping up that we weren't expecting. And like I said, Kyle and I are clueless when it comes to stuff like this so we're having to learn as we go. At this point, as we see a light at the end of the tunnel, we are very ready to be done with all of the repairs and get moved in. We still have a baby to prepare for!
I realize some people wouldn't have a problem with dirty parts, old appliances, and would be happy with just making do. And in some circumstances there isn't anything wrong with that but there have been multiple motivations behind getting these things done.
1) Kyle and I do have certain standards and a level of comfortableness. Things don't necessarily have to be in pristine condition but they do need to be clean, safe to use, and durable.
2) We want things to be safe and healthy for a new baby.
3) There is a sense of stewardship, of taking care of what has been given to us. We like to find long term solutions and not just slap some duct tape on it and claim it as being good enough for now.
4) We want to bring up the value of the rental property so that when we move out it can be rented out at a higher value.
These have been our goals and I'm thankful that everything is working out, even though it has taken more time and work than we intended. Hopefully, if everything goes as we plan, we should be able to move in by the end of the month. It will be very nice to finally be able to live there comfortably and start preparing for Grayson's birth. After we get settled in I plan on getting started on washing all of his clothes, bedding, and blankets, and getting everything in his room and closet arranged. It will be so good for me and my nesting urges to get things ready for him! :) It will also be nice to have some alone time with Kyle before we have an ever present baby in need of our attention. Our lives are about to change in big ways which is both scary and exciting but I'm confident that we can do it by relying on each other and on the Lord. It's going to be hard but also fun and I honestly can't think of anyone better to share the journey with. Kyle has been working really hard and I am very proud of him. We both look forward to our near future and bringing our son home!
Happy for you two. Proud of both of you!
ReplyDeletemom
Great post! You guys have accomplished so much! I am so excited for yall. I'm really glad you were able to replace so much stuff. It really needed to be done. As one who saw the duplex before I completely agree with your reasoning. The house needs to be a safe place for Grayson and now it is. So proud of Kyle! Can't wait to come visit you in your new home and help you move in.
ReplyDeleteAnd the whole nesting thing is so true! It's really hard when you want to have everything ready but aren't able to do so. That's where I'm at. I so badly want to go out and just buy everything but I am trying to be patient and wait for the showers. Lol. Hopefully between moving in and your baby shower coming up you'll be able to get a good chunk out of the way.
Love you guys!
Wonderful! Thank you for the extensive update. :) So glad that the Lord is walking you all through the entire process. Praying it continues to go well!
ReplyDelete