Monday, July 30, 2012

Designed to sell

No, we're not selling our house.  
But there was a day not too long ago where we discussed the possibility.  And then we panicked, thinking about all the things we would have to fix before we could put the house on the market.  And believe me, when you are on the couch nursing and watching HGTV (daytime summer television = WTF) all day long, you think a lot about projects that need to be done.  So, here are all the things we hate about our house.  Enjoy!
The house numbers and mailbox need to be replaced or redone.  I'm just too lazy to figure out what to do.  We need to re-cement the flagstone porch and walkway.  Again.  
We still have several windows that need to be painted, and a couple (like this one) that don't open because some brilliant soul painted them shut a million times.  Based on the awful color, it was BOOZY SUZY.  Funny side note, I always imagined this color looked like baby poop, and now I can CONFIRM that it does.    
We have not replaced all the quarter round in the upstairs hallway or stair landings, since we redid the floors in....2010.  The trim is sitting in the hallways patiently waiting and annoying us every time we walk by it.  And it would probably only take us an afternoon to install it.  Yay us.  
The upstairs bathroom needs to be completely ripped out and redone, but we are not going to do that while we live here.  It would be fine with some basic fixes.  One is the vanity, it is dingy and needs to be repainted.  
We also need a new countertop, this lovely laminate one used to extend over the toilet and was dirty white.  You couldn't even get into the toilet tank...what the heck??
(2008)
I sprayed it with black rustoleum four years ago and it lasted for a few years, now it looks like garbage again.  A new black counter with undermount sink would be great, and I already have a new Kohler faucet for it.  
The tub is gross.  I did take a magic eraser to it a few days before I had Ashford, and it cleaned up ok...like the 'half and half' shot?  I still think Ash will be unimpressed when we plop his adorable little butt into this tub someday.  
This side door is on the south side of the house, on the driveway.  We took care of the missing walkway when we did the new driveway last fall....
But obviously the door is all askew in the opening and needs to be replaced with a solid entry door with deadbolt and a screen door that works.  Oh, and add 'replace porch light' to the list...we bought a new light 4 years ago and it sits in the basement by the cat boxes.  A classic case of 'out of sight out of mind' since we don't use this door. 
The basement stairs.  You can obviously see what the problem is here.  Ok then.  
This is our basement.  I do believe Shaun will kill me for showing this, but I don't care.  There is two layers of drywall on the ceiling, paneling, some sort of weird foam board on the walls, and awful adhesive all over the floor from removing the outdoor carpet down here.  There is 7 foot ceilings, a fireplace behind the treadmill, and built in cabinets, so it has potential to be a nice space.  Until then, it's cluttered and smelly.  
The house is starting to peel.  We need to paint the spots that are bad as well as the dining room porch.  Oh, and the garage doors and deck railings above the garage.  
We have to address our window wells, this one is an over-achiever and has sprouted some pretty ivy.  I love how I didn't even notice it was growing over that window.  Fail.  
And of course there are little things, like painting some doors and trim, cleaning grout and re-caulking in the bathrooms, etc.  So, there's all the problems that still need to be 'Russet Street Renoed'....does anyone want to fund our renovations??  Just shoot me an email if you do.  Thanks.      

16 comments:

  1. You could not possibly move .. you just put that fabulous kitchen in ... all those floors .. the bookshelves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This post makes me VERY excited for our arrival... :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. All in good time! You guys are young yet, and what you have done is in excellent taste. Enjoy your peanut :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Baby steps...you just had a baby. Priorities! Take time for Ashford and you will get it done. Maybe make a plan to do some simple things. All in good time.

    Once it is all finished you will want to move and then you will begin again!

    I say, grab a glass of vino....and Breathe.

    Oh, did I mention, your. Any is so sweet and adorable...but I know you know that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hate the self corrector....Ashford is sweet. Damn iPad!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Omg how did you find time to a) take those pics and b) blog?!

    Agreed on how crappy daytime tv is in the summer. I've been watching a lot of Netflix which says a lot since Canadian netflix pretty much sucks!!

    Hope you are doing well!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Never ending, but you have already done so many good things to this house. I can totally see you fixing the rest of it up, over time. Labor of love?

    ReplyDelete
  8. We took up shag pink carpet, removed matching verticals, knocked out a dropped ceiling, and dealt with numerous hideous, horrible, malodorous, WTF-were-they-thinking projects until Sammy was born. Does he remember that his room had mismatched furniture? Nope. Does he remember epic croquet matches and scooter races? Yep. Do what you can, then find a plump belly and blow some zerberts.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Haven't you heard, mama....after you have a baby, a little magical fairy comes and cleans and fixes things up for you! Although... I am still waiting on mine to arrive! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really hope you find someone to fund your renovation. That would be awesome all those prjoects can really get out of hand, can'tbthy? Our porch was a major thing on our designed to sell list. We are getting close to being able to cross it off the list. If this darn baby wasn't do needy, maybe it'd be finished. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm just jealous of all you yankees that have basements!

    I know how it seems that you always have a project. My house was built in 1993 (or 1995..?) so while I don't have extensive projects, I do always have something. But you know, if I had a new build, I fear everything would go all at once since everything would be the same age. :b So I'm fine where I am. You should be too. Your house has a lot of character...which new builds lack these days!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love this post. So many times I read blogs and I feel like a DIY failure. I still have quarter round that needs to be installed from *ahem cough cough 7 years ago.

    I love your honesty. Enjoy that baby. I have no baby and still have a zillion "unfinished" things to do. My goal was to get the house ready as if we were going to sell by then end of the year. ha!

    ReplyDelete
  13. yeah, we have a similar list... it's always something. we need to fix our roof (either repair or replace), get the front of the house tuckpointed ($$$... i don't even want to know), and have all of the exterior trim repainted. and those are just the big projects that we need to hire out...

    it's way more fun to focus on finishing interior rooms and kitchens :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm glad to know its not just our household that has unfinished projects. Your trim picture/comment made me giggle because we have exactly the same issue! We also have doors that need to be hung that are just leaning against a wall.

    Oh dear...

    http://peachypains.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love watching Designed to Sell. :) Your house is so beautiful! I think we all have those projects we want/need to get done, but just can't muster the energy, haha.

    ReplyDelete
  16. For your tub you have to try this. Warm a cup of vinegar and then add a cup of original blue Dawn dish soap. Spray mixture in tub and let sit for about 15 minutes, then wipe clean. I was skeptical the first time I tried it but it really did get ride of stains. Stains that even the magic eraser wouldn't touch.

    Very nice blog. This is my first visit but not the last. Congrats on your baby, he's adorable.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for reading....your comments mean a lot to me!
Sara