Sunday, January 14, 2007

Remodeling, phase 1

I know I owe you all a report on the surveying trip, I just haven't had a chance to sit and write it yet. The idea to remodel the house has gripped us, and we have been concentrating on it fully.

We had bought this place at a HUD auction. The first floor is the shop, having been built commercially as a rock and mineral shop back in 1989. Upstairs is the style of house called a "raised ranch". It's a weird house, consisting of a giant 26 x 26 bedroom, a little bedroom, 1 1/2 baths, a sorta galley like kitchen and the rest of the house is one big room that serves as the living room, dining room, and Wendy's office.

You'll notice that I didn't mention a single closet. Given that situation, where does one keep our thousand or so books? Where does one keep all of my reenacting clothes, gear etc?

What we are doing is dividing up the two large rooms to create a real living room, a realistically sized bedroom for Wendy and I, a pantry, and an office that will have enough room for the kids to play in and still be supervised by Wendy.

As is par for the course, we aren't hiring a contractor to do it, yet are planning to get it done ASAP. Surprisingly, we are actually doing it in a methodical manner instead of just jumping in and going at it. The framing is up, and we are about to start painting ceilings. While Wendy paints, I'll be wiring the new walls for outlets, switches etc.

The first step, of course, is to move all of the existing stuff out of the work areas. In doing so, I've learned a few things: first, books are heavy, it is just the cost of literacy. The more books you have, the more trips you need to make carrying them. Second: exercise equipment is heavy and awkward to move. I now understand how one gets exercise with the silly things; the husband gets a workout carrying them down icy stairs, across the yard and into the shed. I'm not quite sure how this benefits the wife though...

Oh well, another thing to ponder when carrying a seemingly endless supply of books down to the shop for temporary storage until the remodeling is done.

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