I’ve spent quite a few hours in the last couple of weeks interviewing contractors. To date: 3 for kitchen renovations, 3 for floors, 2 for exterior painting, waiting on a call from a 3rd. That’s not counting the foundation issue…we called 2 contractors on that a while back (one of whom showed up), and a 2nd meeting with the structural engineer.
And I wonder why it’s so hard to put in a 45 hour week.
It’s interesting, confounding, frustrating, and will ultimately be expensive and disruptive. But if at the end of it I have a home that doesn’t make me wince every time I get out of my car, a bedroom whose carpet doesn’t make me sneeze, with a door I can close against the cats and the sound of the television downstairs, it will be well worth it.
One of the things I’ve learned about myself through this and my previous home: I’m not a DIY person. I’ll paint. I like to paint well enough. After that, I’d rather spend a weekend cursing at the computer trying to install a Joomla testing server in the hopes of making more money so I can pay someone else to do the work, than to do the work myself.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Joseph H. Vilas // Mar 14, 2008 at 9:13 am
If you’ve got allergies, one of the best things you can do for yourself is rip out every piece of carpet in the house. If you have to have something other than wood, tile, or linoleum floors, use throw rugs you can throw in the washer and wash, or at least area rugs that can be cleaned.
2 claire // Mar 14, 2008 at 9:44 am
That’s the plan exactly. We have throw rugs downstairs; all but two are small enough to toss in the washing machine. And I’m pretty adamant about vacuuming regularly with a HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner. After we replace the one wall-to-wall carpet, my next plan is to replace all the mini-blinds with shades and machine-washable drapes.
Keeping the cats out of the bedroom is key, too. The knuckleheads keep sneaking back up even after we ping their little noses and throw slippers at them.
Ah, the joys of allergies! (sniff)
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