Ten Year Plan: Year Seven

Sometimes it's hard to believe we've actually lived here for eight years (we started the Ten Year Plan after the first year).

This year we didn't make much progress on the plan, but that's because we got so much done in previous years (and we still have the foundation permit closure hanging over our heads). Many of the jobs on this list are the lower priorities for us, and as we get closer to thinking about when we can afford to do the big renovation (keeping in mind that this plan was made when we had no idea how bad the economy would be right now), we find more reasons to put them off because they are things that would be easier to wrap in with other work.

There's a whole school of study on the subject of far-advance planning; you really can't make a reasonable business plan for five years out, so I'm not feeling too bad about how much of this we've gotten done versus how much we've shelved along the way. This is a pretty flexible plan in itself, and it's stood up well under pressure. A lot of pressure.

(If it's stricken without comment, we finished it in a previous year.)

1. Paint exterior of house
2. Finish living rooms
3. Foundation replacement (Yes, we're still closing the permit, but the foundation is solid)
4. Remove Fright Box under house, redo plumbing
5. Redo upstairs bath and add half bath under stairs
   I know I say this every year, but this is the year we want to start this project. I am so tired of walking the length of the house to get a drink of water at night.
6. Remove chimney, replace furnace thing
7. Install gas fireplace in living room, upstairs
   Still not a high priority, but this still might get done sooner than expected if we have an influx of cash. The big cost is getting gas lines run.
8. Re-roof (Alternative approach taken)
9. Insulate crawlspace and attic
   The closer we get to doing a big renovation, the less I want to mess with this; we're going to be doing a lot of insulation then, anyway, so maybe it's better to do it all at once. Certainly it is cheaper.
10. Remove fake wooden panelling, stabilize plaster, and repaint all rooms
    We made some progress with this, but not much. I finished plaster repair in the back bedroom after only about five years, and I made a valiant if ultimately feeble start on the hallway. This year for certain. After all, I'm not getting any younger.
11. Block air infiltration around various doors (as done as it can get)
12. Replace window sashes (Moved off the 10-year plan because of logistics)
13. Strip ugly pink paint from as much woodwork as possible
    As previously mentioned, we're going to try hiring some of this out this winter.
14. Remove linoleum from floors/refinish wooden floors
    Hey! Progress! Well, OK, the floor in the back bedroom had industrial carpet glued on it, not floor tiles, but we did make an effort at sanding and refinishing the floor. Turned out very badly, but we will keep trying. I'd really like to see what the floor in the dining room looks like.
15. Remove the concrete driveway extension into the back yard
16. Related landscaping/gardening
17. Repair front porch/re-rebuild front steps
18. Repair side porch, remove steps, and turn into a conservatory
    We decided against removing the side steps because I have grown quite fond of the side door for bringing groceries into the kitchen. Instead we still need to repair the structure of the porch, including the terribly leaky roof, and replace the stairs.
19. Draw detailed plans for the Day of Glory
    Our real triumph this year? Maybe? We spent quite a bit of time working out how we wanted to rearrange the back of the house. I had to fix a lot of it after we re-measured and the plans changed a little, but we now have plans for how the big renovation should go. If it ever happens.

posted by ayse on 01/02/11