Plans for 2012

The ten-year anniversary of my living here on Mattoon Street approaches, and the completion date for renovations moves a bit further into the future.

There’s no way I can finish everything this year, so now I’m aiming for 2017 — a fifteen-year renovation process. Sigh.

Goals for this year:

• Finish installing new storm windows ($$$$$)
• Have all windows washed
• Put a dimmer switch on the big chandelier
• Fix burned-out sconce in monkey bar
• Seal and re-paint the stoop
• Install (leopard-print) carpet in the dining room ($$$)
• Do something — anything — to make progress on big plumbing project

As always, this list seems totally reasonable and do-able. Now that I FINALLY have a stable, full-time job, perhaps I’ll really be able to achieve everything on it. If not, there’s always next year….

 

2011 Wrap-up

When I moved into this house in February 2002, my plan was to work like crazy to remodel the whole house by 2012 and then live comfortably in a fully-renovated home. Well, the best laid plans and so forth.

I started Townhouse Turnaround in December 2008 to document my home renovations (and distract myself from an awful break-up, but that’s another story), as a way to make the renovation progress evident, even though the ten-year timeline needs to be slightly extended.

So here’s what got done in 2011:

 

• Picked up a toilet, sink, and bathtub — all FREE — for the future guest bathroom
• Rewired, cleaned, lacquered, and re-installed the ginormous brass chandelier in the hallway (with help from friends Jim and Rob)
• Got a gorgeous blue velvet sofa for the library (replacing one destroyed by Skunkie, r.i.p.)
• Got a gorgeous olive leather couch and two velvet chairs for the living room (see above)
• Dyed green sofa cushion purple (in kitchen)
• Stripped and refinished the pocket doors (between living room and dining room)
• Sewed a couple of little curtains to hide open shelving (in kitchen and living room and hallway)
• Fixed up the guest room closet

So maybe not a gazillion things, but progress nonetheless. And if I hadn’t photographed and written about these things for the blog, I would have forgotten all about them and been discouraged about doing nothing.