Saturday, February 4, 2017

Project update

Poor little Chester, he had 11 teeth pulled.  It's over now and he will feel much better.  He had a dental cleaning around 4 years ago when I adopted him but I don't think it was very thorough.  I went to a different discount vet this time and it cost $325 including pain meds and antibiotics.  I'm glad that's over.


I got the quotes back for the projects that I want to do. 

Move laundry space: $900

Update kitchen (install cabinets and countertops, move some switches and lights, build small pantry, install dishwasher and garbage disposal, build wall behind fridge): $1,000

Carport conversion to AZ room: $8,000  This is just for enclosing the space with insulation, drywall, and raising the concrete floor above driveway level.  Electrical, doors, windows, paint and flooring are extra.  

Fix roof edge: $200 

It's all very reasonable but I will need to use home equity depending on my timeframe.  I'm still emptying my laundry water by bucket because I haven't fixed the leak in the wall which is where the "Move laundry space" item comes from.  The trash can water collection system holds exactly two loads of dirty water.  I know this because I didn't empty the can after I ran a load and then my nephew did a load and I thought, uh-oh, was there a flood?  The water was up to the very tippy top. Whew.

Fixing the laundry drain is first on the list along with fixing the roof but... my sister and her kids are visiting this week so there won't be any construction happening for a while.  In the meantime, January's extra mortgage payment is still in my savings account waiting for me to decide.  And yesterday I noticed that the mesquite tree growing over the driveway is in desperate need of a trim.  I cut off one low branch but I need a professional.  That tree is a monster and needs to be thinned or I am afraid it will fall over and take my driveway with it.

So many projects for a home-owner.  It keeps me busy.  I would get so bored in an apartment with nothing to fix.  

8 comments:

Lizzie@her MFW Homeworld said...

Aww, poor little doggy. That cant be nice.
What is an AZ room. I was thinking that it means to build a carport but i think now to convert it to a proper room? Big money though, anyway

Daizy said...

Yes, it is a carport converted to a proper room, usually used as an office or playroom. It's what people do when they don't have the money or space to add a whole new room to the house.

Anonymous said...

oh no, can poor little chester eat anymore or will he have to gum everything?

Daizy said...

He still has enough to chew, mostly the back ones. I've been giving him soft food but he has been wanting all of the same food as the other dogs.

Dave said...

All of those projects are extracting money from your bank account the way that oral surgeon is extracting teeth from your doggie. OUCH to both prospects!

Done By Forty said...

It's always hard to know whether to keep aggressively paying off debt or to allow use of those funds for other sort of repairs/upgrades. Tough call, but generally speaking I think mortgage debt is low enough interest that you're getting the money pretty cheap.

Sorry to hear about your pup's teeth, but I bet he'll appreciate having the work done.

Daizy said...

I like to think that I am just accomplishing my to-do list a little out of order since I had planned to do most of this anyway. I might be fooling myself.

Daizy said...

Yes! Things break and wear out and demand attention. I'm paying off the house while it crumbles around me. I need to find some balance.