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Old 05-07-2017, 10:22 AM   #101
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Isn't home ownership swell? Renting a condo was fun, but I sometimes missed the tinkering.
If you ever end up with the renter lifestyle again and find yourself missing the tinkering, I have a near-endless list of opportunities around the house that you can have fun with.
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Old 05-07-2017, 10:32 AM   #102
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If you ever end up with the renter lifestyle again and find yourself missing the tinkering, I have a near-endless list of opportunities around the house that you can have fun with.
That's so interesting. I only have one thing on my "tinkering list" right now, a broken handrail. Maybe I am not searching for these opportunities enough.
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Old 05-07-2017, 10:44 AM   #103
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Thanks for keeping us updated. You and your DW have been extremely busy the last month. We had our house renovated in 2014 and it was costly. It would have been much cheaper to do it ourselves, but did not want to do it at our ages. It sure would be nice to have those dollars back in our checking account though.

Good luck with your future renovations and exploring AL. I am sure that your DMIL is happy to have you back in AL.
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Old 05-07-2017, 03:04 PM   #104
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FIREd my Friend!

Just saw your update & happy to know things are going well for you & DW.

I think that, regardless of whether you remain in AL, you will look back on this time with MIL fondly.

All the best & pls keep us updated.
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Old 05-12-2017, 01:20 PM   #105
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The hardwood floors are coming along nicely. I also cut down a couple of trees and overgrown bushes that blocked some of the light coming through the windows. Finally, I used white marble rocks to mulch the flower bed in front of the house. They reflect the sunlight back into the front rooms. Overall, the brightness in the house has vastly improved (because of the trees all around the house, the interior is darkest from late Spring through early Fall because the trees have a full canopy).
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Old 05-12-2017, 03:39 PM   #106
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The hardwood floors are coming along nicely. I also cut down a couple of trees and overgrown bushes that blocked some of the light coming through the windows. Finally, I used white marble rocks to mulch the flower bed in front of the house. They reflect the sunlight back into the front rooms. Overall, the brightness in the house has vastly improved (because of the trees all around the house, the interior is darkest from late Spring through early Fall because the trees have a full canopy).
Beautiful!!! Those floors are very attractive. I love how light and bright your house is, too.
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Old 05-12-2017, 04:21 PM   #107
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Count me in as another fan of light hardwood floors - we had natural maple in our last house and put pecan in this house (both engineered wood). Your floors look great, FIREd!
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Old 05-12-2017, 07:08 PM   #108
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Fired ,Your house looks great . I remember when you used to live in it and really enjoyed it so I hope you can enjoy it again.
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Old 06-01-2017, 11:47 AM   #109
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Update:

We have been very busy for the past 2 months with the house renovation. We are 90% done.

So far we have:
- Replaced the wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors
- Repainted the walls, ceilings, trims, doors, windows in the bedrooms, living room, den, and dining room (we decided to keep the popcorn ceiling and just repaint it bright white, it looks good enough)- We painted everything white to increase the brightness inside the house. It looks super clean.
- Removed the wall paneling and "decorative" ceiling beams in the living room (bye bye 1970's)
- Changed one storm door and repaired the hardware on another one
- Changed the countertops and backsplashes in the kitchen and bathrooms (that, we contracted out). We decided to go with quartz countertops based on suggestions earlier in this thread. It looks fantastic.
- Changed all the faucets, sinks, and garbage disposal.
- Installed custom wardrobes in the master walk-in closet

The house looks so much brighter now.

What we have left to do (after a short break because our bodies are getting really sore):
- Replace the bathtubs (we will contract that out)
- Retile the kitchens and bathrooms
- Repaint the kitchen and bathrooms (including the cabinets)
- Reinstall blinds in windows facing the street.

So far we are ahead of schedule (I had given myself until Christmas to complete the renovation!) and under budget (by doing most if the work ourselves). .
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Old 06-01-2017, 12:05 PM   #110
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Wow. After reading all the work you've done yourself I need some ibuprofen!
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Old 06-01-2017, 01:15 PM   #111
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That's a lot of work, FIREd!! Soon you will be done.
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Old 06-01-2017, 01:50 PM   #112
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It was a lot of work, but we are very happy with the results.
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Old 06-01-2017, 02:14 PM   #113
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Bet you could sell it for a nice return when you're done, as it sounds lovely!
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Old 08-20-2017, 11:59 PM   #114
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Update:

The kitchen cabinets, doors, and drawers were still in good shape (despite being 40 years old), so we decided to just repaint them, inside and out, in white. We just finished this tedious job and I am pleased with the results. We updated the cabinet hardware, changed the countertop, sink and faucet, and we purchased a new range and hood. We still need to change the flooring - we are thinking about larger rectangular tiles in grey to break the white on white look and pick up some of the grey tones in the quartz countertop. The living room update has been even more remarkable IMO (replacing the carpet with HW floors, removing the wall paneling and the ceiling beams, repainting everything except the brick fireplace, replacing the fireplace mantel). We put in a lot of sweat equity in this remodel and haven't had to spend a lot of coin so far (we bought all the materials and paid for the countertop installation).
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Old 08-21-2017, 06:06 AM   #115
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Looks great!

Had to be a ton of work!
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Old 08-21-2017, 07:32 AM   #116
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FIREd needs to be on one of the remodeling shows! Looks fantastic!
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Old 08-21-2017, 07:37 AM   #117
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Well done!

A once in a lifetime job. Time to have APosteclipse party!
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Old 08-21-2017, 07:37 AM   #118
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Looks great!

Had to be a ton of work!
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FIREd needs to be on one of the remodeling shows! Looks fantastic!
+1

Very nice choice of colors - really brightens things up.
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Old 08-21-2017, 07:46 AM   #119
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Looks great..JMO but I think the kitchen floor looks fine..are you doing that just to improve the looks?
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Old 08-21-2017, 07:49 AM   #120
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Looks great !
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