The 2018 Project List

This year is a quarter over, and writing this post suddenly seems very late. However, 2018 has been a different kind of year, so far, and our finances and free time reflect that.

First, let me say that I know I have not been writing as much this year. I am trying to get back on track. I’ve been battling a couple of injuries that have prevented me from working as much as I would like. Last October, I took a fall in the first mile of my last 20-mile training run for the NYC Marathon. I landed on my left hand which was holding a small metal flashlight. Despite the fact that x-rays showed no broken bones, my middle finger has not healed completely. I have weakness and pain throughout that finger and hand. Unfortunately, I am also left-handed. My appointment with the orthopedic doctor is a couple of weeks away. I hope she will be able to offer some solutions so I can regain the full use of my hand.

Also, since October, I have been struggling with a leg injury as well.  I was confident that it was an IT band problem because runners are the WORST at self-diagnosis. Since I was not getting better, I finally turned to the professionals. Last week, I had a separate appointment with a different orthopedic doctor. Although, in my opinion, I got the best possible diagnosis, I now know that I have a stress fracture on the fibular head of my left leg.

Getting older: I don’t recommend it.

The prognosis is excellent, and I should be able to run my fall marathon. That’s all avid runners care about. We are crazy people.

Me to the doctor: I hear you saying that I have a stress fracture. How soon can I run again?

There is nothing more boring than listening to someone drone on about their health issues, but I hope this will serve as an explanation for my reduced workload. I am not falling off the face of the earth after all.

2018 Projects

Here is the 2018 basic list:

• Finish the upstairs bathroom
• Finish the guest bathroom
• Spring ORC
• Finish the front door
• Improve the landscaping
• Repair and seal the driveway
• Refinish the wood floors downstairs
• Spruce up the living room
• Finish the downstairs hall
• Get a new stair runner
• Fall ORC
• Paint the back of the house
• Assorted windows and doors

The Upstairs Bathroom – DIY & Hired Out

This project is still very much in limbo right now, and I owe you an update. Our first full-project bid came in crazy high, so I have been adjusting the timeline and project plan to make it fit our budget better. The short story is that we will have to subcontract everything and act as our own general contractor. Also, although the bathroom will be finished this year, it is not going to be a quick project. Things are going to get much worse in here before they get better.

The Guest Bathroom – DIY and Hired Out

The guest bathroom is coming right along. I will be writing more about it this week. Although I missed my soft deadline due to traveling to Missouri for my grandma’s funeral, we are making a ton of progress in this room. I cannot wait to show you what we have done so far.

Spring ORC – DIY

Can you believe that the Spring One Room Challenge™ starts next week? I know; Me neither. Due to my injuries, I have had to scale down my original project plans more than once. Initially, I had grand ideas, but my enthusiasm began to wither once I realized how long my recovery was taking.

I have settled on a sweet little project that will improve BHH immensely but will not require as much physically taxing work from me. Next week I will write all about it. I promise that it will still be a fun ORC to follow.

Finish the Front Door

Geez, Louise, I am so over this one. As God is my witness, we will complete this door and entryway in 2018. The door needs to be sanded, stained, and sealed. Also, even though we did get the original screen doors back up last fall, I think we need custom storm doors in their place. Andy and I have concluded that the front door will never be perfect no matter how hard we try. Storm doors will protect it and prevent heat loss during the winter.

Improve the Landscaping – DIY & Hired out

We made some progress in 2017. This year, I want to plant more natives and perennials. We also need to hire someone to finally get rid of the tree stumps on the side of the house. Some of you may remember when we had four huge pine trees cut down. That was almost three years ago. Where does the time go?

Repair and Seal the Driveway – Hired Out

This item has been on our to-do list since we moved into BHH in 2014, and somehow, it always gets bumped off the list at the end of the warm season. Many people who live here get their driveways sealed every single year. We haven’t done it at all, and ours is a mess.

Refinish the Wood Floors Downstairs – DIY

Downstairs, the floors are in pretty rough shape. They are scratched, and in some places, the finish has worn off entirely, especially in the front entry. Honestly, I am a little overwhelmed by this project. I am not afraid of the work. We have refinished hardwood floors before.  What I am concerned with are the prep and timing. It is going to take a lot of coordination to make this happen. There are over 2000 square feet to refinish, and it is such a dirty job.

Spruce Up the Living Room – DIY

I talked a little bit about our living room in a post that I wrote a few weeks ago. There is no definitive plan for this right now, but the idea is to make it a warmer and more inviting room. I want it to be a place where we want to spend time. Although we have made some improvements (see the photo above), right now, most of us avoid the living room.

Finish the Downstairs Hall – DIY

The downstairs entryway hall is another space that has been on my to-do list for years. Years! Most importantly, we need to rip up the vinyl flooring and refinish the hardwood underneath. There is also a bunch of moulding repair work to do. I would like to strip the doors, add picture moulding, and paint the walls in a dark, saturated color.  For this room, I do have an exact plan. I just need to make it happen.

New Stair Runner – DIY

This photo was taken directly right after we moved to BHH in 2014.

After living with this stair runner since we moved into BHH, it is time to retire it in favor of something that fits our taste. Since we are planning to refinish the floors, this summer seems like a good time for a new runner too.

Fall ORC – Unknown

I have no idea what we are doing for the fall One Room Challenge™. I only know that we want to participate for sure. Our project will be entirely dependent on funds, and we are typically scraping the bottom of the home renovation barrel during that time of year. I’m not complaining. It is just a reality of our life in this big old fixer-upper.

Paint The Back of the House – DIY

Remember the saga of the sleeping porch?  Fortunately, before winter hit it in 2017, we found someone to repair the sleeping porch. However, we did not finish everything last year. All of the shingles and new trim need to be painted.

Assorted Windows and Doors – DIY

I have several window and door restoration projects in progress. I would love to finish them and move on with life. Although I intend to host round two of the 30 Projects in 30 days challenge in September, as of right now, I am teetering dangerously close to the edge of having too many unfinished time-consuming projects for my comfort level. I feel unsettled when there is too much upheaval due to remodeling and restoration.

Before I wrote this post, I thought we scaled back this year. However, now that I see the list, the volume of work looks enormous. Ha! The difference is that, aside from the upstairs bathroom, we do not have any super high-ticket items on our renovation and restoration to-do list. The price for some things such as the driveway is unknown, but we feel comfortable ball-parking the cost of everything else.

What is on your 2018 to-do list? Are you making progress already? If you like to paint or sand floors, you are cordially invited to come to BHH this summer. I will put you to work.