Pile of Shingles

I've done a lot of things in my life. I've swam with dolphins, made bread from scratch, negotiated lower mechanic bills and briefly visited North Korea. Also, other things that qualify me to be a working professional in an office. But, let me tell you... starting a house project is like trying to organize a pile of spaghetti. In my opinion at least. There is no clear way to start, every pile is different. And there is no manual for how to get started because ... they are all different. This problem held me up for quite a bit actually. I was really overwhelmed by where to begin. I knew what some of the major things were that needed to be fixed (septic, electrical, plumbing) - but I felt like I was missing the first real step. ...

Photo by Vivid Interior Design - Danielle Loven - Search transitional laundry room pictures Space isn't infinite in a house. Especially one that was originally built in 1910... and I don't want to expand the footprint. Changing the footprint means needing to ask for permission and I'd like to avoid talking to anyone about permission if possible. Let's limit the headaches. In the interest of space and functionality, it might make sense to combine the "laundry room" and "mud room". This potentially makes sense for a bunch of reasons. ...

Like any big project, I've been delaying the things that are hard and nebulous. But the way to tackle things that are big are to make them smaller. In this specific case, I'm going to make a case for the things that I care about the most... and then slowly work my way through them. In the meantime, here are my goals: Restore the house to a place that is happy and healthy If you were to drive by, you would still recognize the house Add amenities that make it a place for a family Keep it a place that one person can still be comfortable Goals help establish what makes sense and keep the project on track. In my job right now, the primary philosophy is to do the simplest thing first. By this virtue, you only plan for what you know you need right now. Not thinking about what you might need in ten years. A house is not exactly the right place to bring this philosophy into practice - unless you have UNLIMITED money and all the contractors in the world at your disposal. ...