This month brought drywall and with it a little light at the end of the tunnel. After many months of planning, things are starting to take shape. We bought this place last August after a disastrous attempt at a custom build with the goal of renovating it in time to get the kids settled before the start of school this fall. It is going to be a race to the end, and we may very well be moving in without any cabinets in the house, but we officially have a July move-in date!
Projected move-in date: July 11th! We went back and forth about when to make the move. Our rental lease technically goes through September so we could stay longer, but paying both rent and mortgage is expensive. Our cabinets may not be in by this time (a possibility that seems more likely by the day), but our kids are dying to get back to a yard. Our appliances are not arriving until November (stove) and February 2023 (fridges) anyways, so no use in waiting until then. Floors, tile, shower plumbing, windows, doors and will be in. Will it be easy to live without cabinets? No. No storage. No sinks. Trades still coming and going. But at least the kids will have a yard, we will be able to keep a closer eye on the remaining work, we’ll be in before the kids start school, and no double house payment!
Progress this month(ish): The fireplaces are in and drywall is up, which is so amazing to see! Every spare second Ryne and I have is spent ordering all of the things. This month we ordered every little bit of tile for the house, a water softener, more light fixtures, and some of the trim (crown molding, baseboards, window/door casing). We also signed the order for our kitchen cabinets and master bathroom cabinets.
Up next: It’s going to take a few weeks to smooth out the drywall. We still need to order a whole-house air purifier, a dozen light fixtures, all of the cabinet hardware, furniture for two bedrooms, a new kitchen table, and new outdoor furniture. Since we need cabinets in the whole house and it takes forever to finalize each space, we are ordering the cabinets for one space at a time so that the craftsmen can get to work on one space while we draft up another. It’s a slow process and I am seriously worried we won’t have all the cabinets in the house this year.
Major setback of the month: We had to re-order the transoms to be one inch smaller after another miscommunication with our designer. As we were framing, we were told the walkway opening associated with each transom was intended to be 36″ finished. When we received the dimensioned drawings, we realized that 36″ was supposed to include the door casing and the actual opening was only supposed to be 29″. Unfortunately, due to code we could not reduce the walkway to less than 36″. It’s hard to explain why we had to order new transoms, but it had to do with the drywall awkwardly covering one side of each transom. So we had to order new ones. So fun.
Currently eyeing:
General feelings about the project: It feels so good to see the drywall go up. It’s amazing how much different the space looks. In that sense, I feel relief. On the other hand, a project like this requires so much effort and time. I miss my husband. I miss my children. I miss having spare time. And I am SO ready to be done with this project forever.
