Monday Morning

So we were finally able to show the apartment this weekend. It isn't 100% finished but we are close. We'll be listing it in the paper this week.

Still need to do:
Clear coat the floor (requires a trip to store, I only have oil based poly)
hang mini blinds I bought yesterday
clean larger mini blinds
hang shower curtain
clean tub
touch up bedroom ceiling
install stove & washer
clean fridge
finish clearing out our tools & leftovers

Then we'll be done, for now atleast. If anything we learned how much we need to put insulation in the attic & rewire the upstairs on our project lists. Each apartment has it's own sub panel, but they run into our panel as one, except of course for the circuits not run into the sub panels... Make sense to you? Didn't to me either!

I put frosted window film on the lower part of the bathroom window. My plan was to eliminate any window covering, allowing more light in. It worked, the film looks great & I don't see a reason to turn on the lights unless it's dark out. Before the window had a blue mini blind covering it & the lights got left on all day & night (did I mention I pay the electric bill...) I also hung the roller shades half way instead of all the way at the top of the windows in the main living areas. I will also be moving the kitchen blinds. I figure privacy isn't an issue, but the more light we can let in the lower my electric bill will be!

I wish I had that option downstairs. Our kitchen is so dark the only 2 windows look onto a covered & screened in side porch. I have to have lights on all day, as long as we are in the room. I had the main light converted to CF light bulbs, but they went upstairs with the old fan. My new fan is too pretty to put the ugly twisty CF bulbs in. SO next time we are at the home store we'll pick up 4 of the prettier ones!

I hope it gets rented soon, the longer it sits empty the more I want to keep it that way! I really don't want anyone messing up all the work I just did...

Our weekend

I think my life is far too focused on these darn repairs... I'll post our $ totals once I know what they are. I'm sure it will depress me, but I'll get over it. It'll just be one more notch to my side of the not wanting to re-rent it argument! There is nothing frugal about this, but we are trying to do our best, using things we already have, replacing with energy conservation in mind...

We spent Friday at Lowes. Pretty much all day, I don't recommend it if you are trying to NOT spend $ ! I did get lunch out of the deal (and dinner & lunch the next day thanks to leftovers!), we used a couple gift cards we ordered with our tax refund.

In trying to decide on a light fixture for the kitchen upstairs we spotted a ceiling fan that I instanly fell in love with! So we ordered it for our kitchen & we are going to move our current fan upstairs (I don't like it, too white!). So ours will be going upstairs as soon as that ceiling gets painted (today). Woohoo! I love that somehow in all this I am getting things I want too!!!

Still have to do:
Finish painting bathroom cabinet door fronts then done!
3rd coat of gloss white on waiscotting
paint upper walls in bath
paint over spackle in closet/pantry
replace 13 plugs & 2 light switches
paint 1 wall
paint bedroom ceiling, I still have a couple spots to touch up, but it's mostly done.
paint kitchen ceiling
New light fixtures
Fix window replaced with new plexi & glued & strapped frame, it'll hold just won't be able to use it (of course it's one of the curved ones...)
caulk kitchen counter
paint upper cabinet & rehang It is mostly painted (1 more coat)then I need to finish once it's hung...
wash blinds & rehang
clean carpet
clean rooms
hang shower curtain
hang curtain hardware
install digital thermometer
caulk & paint kitchen floor *Started caulking yesterday
bring stove upstairs
replace back apartment stove
install washer
I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of anything yet!!!

Of course our home is starting to look abandoned! I managed to get the dishes almost caught up yesterday & a couple loads of laundry folded & the kids stuff is put away... I will have my bedroom back by the end of the month or there will be mutiny here! I have to cook something that really qualifys as food for dinner & we need to vacuum, but I need to get that apartment rented ASAP!!! Priorities, I know...

Update on me!

I know like you care!!! We have been so busy with repairing the apartment that I have fallen behind where I wanted to be in posts & surfing (networking sounds better!). I recently was approved for loudlaunch here so I'll be giving that a try. Anything to help pay a few bills around here! I am waiting another 3 days for this blog to be over 90 days for the Pay Per Post approval. I'll let you know how that is going as well, after I begin at least!

I did submit a tip to daytipper.com (ok 4 so far, but only 1 was accepted) but it hasn't been published yet, so I haven't been paid. I submitted my blog to www.money4blogs.com & received $15 for putting a link in the side bar for the year, not bad & it's just a text link.

I didn't start this blog to make me a million dollars, but making a little here & there is a nicety. I don't think I am entertaining or knowledgeable enough to put up a "tip jar" so browse, click & enjoy.

I need to go start dinner, so I'd better wrap things up here!

The Prince seems to be feeling better, so maybe he'll go to school tomorrow & then we can go to the store & pick up the stuff we need to finish the apartment (gotta get it ready to rent before the 15th). We still have to paint a couple ceilings, one wall, the bathroom & the kitchen floor. Then we need to pick up a washer, cover a pass through door, & clean. We'd like to put a new entry door in but it's not gonna happen yet, since we technically need 2 & the one directly into the apartment will have to be fitted, I doubt we'll find a reasonable 84" x 31" prehung.

I did change the locks & we have already done:

Removed the paneling on almost all the walls
Repaired the plaster
Painted the walls (3 coats)
Painted the bathroom vanity
changed out ugly window blinds for nicer roller shades
removed a window & measured (now we need to find 3 matching cheap HA)
repaired the kitchen ceiling (we have a minor roof leak & materials to fix when the weather is 65+ degrees it can be fixed)
Removed icky boards under washer & dryer
Had heater motor rebuilt
inspected attic
insulated the weird old window holes we found behind the paneling
removed all old curtain hardware (boy can the years & number of tenants add up in that regard)
broken dryer hose removed

Still have to do:
Finish painting bathroom cabinet
3rd coat of gloss white on waiscotting
paint upper walls in bath
paint over spackle in closet/pantry
replace 13 plugs & 2 light switches
paint 1 wall
paint bedroom ceiling
paint kitchen ceiling
caulk kitchen counter
paint upper cabinet & rehang
clean carpet
clean rooms
hang shower curtain
hang curtain hardware
install digital thermometer
caulk & paint kitchen floor
bring stove upstairs
install washer
I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of anything yet!!!

Still in home repair hell...

Floor scratches where someone tried to kick in door, snaping dead bolt in half...cracked the door & casings.

We have managed to get half of the ceiling repaired. Now we have decided that we need to refinish the floor upstairs & probably down.

We decided to paint up in the apartment, dh had to see what was behind the ugly paneling, so we took most of it down. filled in the holes & have painted. We left the paneling up on some of the walls simply because they were covering weird holes in the wall (we are thinking old windows...they were just filled in with a little insulation & plywood but still inset, weird) we filled in with more insulation & stopped all the drafts we could feel & put the paneling back up. We are painting over it, so it won't look dumb. Eventually we will drywall those walls just not now!

We have to replace 2 windows, one that has cracked glass & the other just fell apart(obviously they tried to open it against our instructions). We knew we'd have to replace about 12 windows when we bought the house but we were hoping to do it all at once & not for a couple more years.

But, the heater was saved by having the motor rebuilt, so we saved a ton of $ there. The bill was $163 verses $1000 for a new heater (we couldn't find anyone to sell us one, had to go through a contractor).

So Items we have completed:
Apartment:
Clean up of water mess
removal of paneling
insulating drafts in walls
fill in holes
sand spackle
paint living room
repair heater
changed locks


Our Room
Clean up of water mess
Removed old ceiling tiles
replaced insulation
took out awkward closet with broken bi-fold door (creating a wall of closet :D)
dry wall 1/2 of ceiling
mud & tape what is up
bought paint for ceiling & walls

Bathroom downstairs
removed old moldy ceiling
put up "new" ceiling with recycled tiles from bedroom

Still left to do
Upstairs
buy washer
sand floor
paint or varnish floor
hang shelves in kitchen
paint "dining room"
paint front door trim
clean carpets
paint bathroom
CLEAN EVERYTHING
paint bath vanity, because finish is worn off (only 1 1/2 years old grrr)
move new stove upstairs & convert back to gas from propane

Downstairs
Finish ceiling
refinish floors (while we have sander we will pull up more carpet to expose our hardwoods)
paint
celebrate when I can finally hang my clothes back up!!!