Wednesday, September 12, 2007

The Night Before -- Dealing with the Butterflies in My Stomach

(written last night, but only posted today since I wasn't able to get back online)

So the "wedding" is tomorrow [today], at 3 p.m.. This is it, we have chosen "the one" and there's no turning back -- no wonder we're a bit nervous :)

Not too much, of course, but there are a few things I haven't thought much about since I have been hesitant to claim this house as ours before it's a done deal. In the few conversations about the house K and I have been able to have in the past weeks (any meaningful conversations are hard to come by lately, as you can imagine), K said, using my metaphor, that one can only see and think of the bad things in one's "intended" partner before being married to him/her because after the marriage one should stop concentrating on the bad things and focus on the good ones. So now is the time to highlight these issues:

- the house doesn't have central air conditioning

- the heating is baseboard and oil

[these two things were the very ones that my husband didn't want in a house AT ALL!]

- the water is from a private well (it's been tested and it's fine, but K doesn't like that too much -- I don't mind)

- we have to replace the damaged stucco siding right away:
- the roof will need to be replaced soon

- there are many, extensive (expensive too) renovations to be done, like removing the hideous carpet, wall paper, borders, wood paneling, and... what do you think about that lamp on the left in the wood paneled family room? (not to mention the light fixtures in the dining room and kitchen) (click to enlarge):












- repainting everything, like the pink master bedroom with dark pink ceiling (yuck!) and replacing the brown doors:
- redoing the whole kitchen: - and redoing all three bathrooms, downstairs (L), master bathroom (R):












Tracy, doesn't the hall bathroom tie with your formerly ugly bathroom as "the ugliest bathroom in history?" Just look at that sink cabinet!












To add insult to injury, the baseboard heater in this bathroom is also hideously rusty and the tub looks yucky:












(deep sigh -- where to we even begin? -- did you notice that these upstairs bathrooms are carpeted? and underneath there is the yuckiest, stickiest vinyl imaginable)


In sum, this house is definitely a "fixer upper," a nice one, that's for sure, but this is a bit scary!

Besides, K has been telling everyone he talks about the house with that we're buying this house because I liked it... and well, I don't like to bear the full responsibility of this choice, you know? ;)

Well, from now on I want to focus on the positive things as well as enjoy and share with you the transformations the will slowly ensue. Wish us luck in all these endeavors! I'll keep you posted.

P.S.1 Sandra, thanks for your lovely comment, but I think my extensive blogging about the move has more to do with addiction to blogging than "true dedication";) BTW, I should be better about initiating conversations in the comment section, responding to your comments there, but I often forget, so I do usually it inside the subsequent posts.

P.S. 2 I'm waiting to get the photos from the memory stick in my camcorder so I can do the photo blog of the move, OK? So I've offered you photos of the house instead :)

5 comments:

Prisca said...

But there is SOOOO much potential! I can't wait to see all you do.

I think the bathroom vanity DOES rival Tracy's. ;)

Any news on Kelvin's school transition? I've been thinking about you.

Left-handed Trees... said...

Good luck, good luck, good luck!
Love,
D.

Tracy said...

Oh my, Lilian!

Yes, your bathroom does now officially qualify as the Ugliest Bathroom in History. That vanity is simply awful. I say, head to Lowe's and get a 60" replacement immediately!

There's a lot of potential here, Lilian. It will be an adventure for you and your family to fix this place up -- but oh how great it will be when it's done!

Keiko said...

é Lilian, boa sorte pq banheiro carpetado ninguém merece mesmo,
mas pense positivo, logo logo vai ser lar doce lar...

beijinho,
keiko

Space Mom said...

Your house has a great deal of potential.

We had our baseboard heated house (w/natural gas) retrofitted for a/c. We now have central air with a puron system. It wasn't that much more than adding central air to forced hot air system.

The bathrooms can be redone, paint can be added. Doors are fairly easy to hang. We replaced almost all of the slab doors in our house with beautiful 6 panel doors that we stained and hung ourselves.