If Someone Had Told Me This Would Take So Long...

Wow, it's autumn 2012, and the cottage is still undone. I would've never believed that I'd still be unfinished in every single room, 1.5 years later. No way. But such is life when you're working on a summer shack 90 miles away from where you live. I will never underestimate the general rule that house renovations always take 2-3 times the time you would've expected. Despite all the projects ahead, it's still fun; I don't have buyer's remorse (yet). :)

Living Room Issues

Well, the living room isn't exactly screwed, but there are craploads of problems: For one, the subfloor (which has been stripped to its essence) is sloping and dipping due to lack of joist support. "Buzz" had someone go in the crawlspace and rig it with concrete block last year, but that's just a little too 'hood for my taste, so I'm calling in the big shots from DryZone for a permanent titanium support system. We'll see. I need more than a 1/4-inch subfloor unless I want to find myself and couch crashing into the spidery crawlspace. I happen to dig some of the nifty economic ideas for cheap flooring solutions like plywood planks cut, painted, and applied to look like hardwoods. If they last and look good, no brainer there. However, by the time I'd get the energy to d.i.y., I'd probably have spent twice as much money/time as just getting someone to install some ready-made click-in place floors. But who wants to pay $3K + for 800 sq. feet of flooring for a weekend shack? Uneven walls--Imperfection works well in a shabby cottage like this, but joint compound was applied with uneven abandon. It's so bad on one wall I don't know how I'll be able to add baseboards without sanding off a 3-inch slope. Unfinished ceiling, gaps, and holes--The critters are having a field day with all the holes and gaps. Help!!!

Spotlight on the Main Bedroom

With the exception of me stripping off most all the chair rail moldings, the main (and tiny) bedroom has been untouched since purchase--same coral-colored walls and left-behind bed. Despite the lack of character, it's a doable room with south-facing light. I'm thinking white or cream will expand the space and nudge it back to simplicity. What else--nixing the brown carpet; changing brass door fixtures to silver; dumping the window unit (there's central a/c); and adding sisal rugs, nautical art, and white roman blinds. Thoughts for wall color? Stick with white/cream? Ice blue? Pale aqua?

Back to Work

May/mid-June progress trickles, but it's a start nonetheless: The jungle was finally cut back after months of no cut, and last week I finally got a weak & diseased tree cut down and the "outback" civilized. Thanks to Vijay for help! Yay. Step two: Nothing exciting or worthy of a post. I'll be doing mundane stuff like (1) patching interior/exterior holes that are allowing drafts, wolf spiders, and stink bugs inside; (2) prepping for interior painting; and (3) electrical stuff. Due to weather, I'll probably be less than active through the summer. However, that doesn't stop me from hiring someone. More to come...