hello, home improvement

So, since the last update, nothing much has changed; no wonderful new cottage; no moving (saving for the wedding) and fully immersed into making the best of the not so best circumstances. All that to say, we should have left be what was. It wasn't until we started peeling away the layers (literally) that we found out that there were a plethora of problems. All I have to say is thank goodness for Mark. Not only is he allowing me to totally gut his house (that he's been perfectly happy living in for a year until I got here), but he's in constant good spirits and not at all phased by the amount of work I'm making him do (ummm... mix and pour concrete to build a shed base in the below freezing rain? No problem. Tear out a brick wall and demolish a kitchen? not even a blink of an eye).

Unfortunately, as we (or, he) tore out the kitchen, we only found more issues that the previous owner / shady builder covered up. Granted, this house is 150 years (give or take) old... so there was bound to be some essential updates that we had to do (central heating, anyone?) but i think the dishtowel-stuffed holes in the wall, and expanding foam over the electrical is a modern day quick-fix. So now, it's not just the new kitchen we planned to install ourselves, but it's the filling of holes (to the OUTSIDE of the house-- mystery as to why it's so cold in this house solved) and replastering of virtually every wall of the house (well, the walls that aren't shared, since it's a 'terraced,' aka town-house-- for you New Yorkers). Oh joy. I won't even get into the horribly old and smelly wall-to-wall carpet and vinyl without any underlay... that's getting fixed (wood floors!!) on Thursday...

But, for those who want to join in on the renovation fun, I've decided to post before and afters. I mean, it's all about schadenfreude, isn't it?? Uggghhhhh....