Homeowner To-Do List: August 2012

(It’s been a busy month, but here’s August’s post, finally!)

Matt and I have a five year plan for various renovations, additions, and purchases we want to make for the house. Every month, we’ll be posting what our to-do list is for the upcoming months. As the months go on, we’ll hopefully be crossing things off and adding things on.

Here are the current goals on our to-do list:

1. Get quotes on tree removal for dying tree in backyard
   1. Have tree removed
2. Replace older boards in deck
3. Add new handrail to stairs going to second floor
4. Adjust kitchen layout to accommodate new appliances
5. Get quotes on upgrading electric
6. Investigate getting new dryer
7. Purchase small shed
8. Look into getting UPSes for office and for living room
9. Get quotes on gas-powered generator installation
10. Purchase new curtains for living room
11. Fix coat hook in kitchen
12. Purchase or make a table for grilling preparation
13. Get gutters cleared and repaired
14. Kill grass/weeds growing through patio blocks
15. Book hotel for cousin’s wedding weekend in July
16. Reassemble shed
17. Clean up branches in backyard
18. Update living room ceiling
19. Move in new couch set

July felt so busy, yet we only have a few things crossed off the list. One of them was a biggie, though: we got rid of the one dead tree in the backyard and removed the dying one next to it. The one downside, though, was that the day we had the trees removed was the day it went from being 105 degrees during the first half the day, only to transition into a major storm with lightning, heavy rain, and hail. The workers were actually willing to work through it (?!), but we made them come in once it got really bad. They still had some branches to clean up, but since the storm wasn’t looking like it was going anywhere, we told them to not worry about it and go home. …And here we are, three weeks later, and we still need to get around to doing something with those branches. Oops! (We’ll probably use them for our firepit, but we’re looking for a non-rainy day to do that.)

Also, the plastic shed we had next to the trees had to be disassembled, and yeah, that’s still sitting there after three weeks, along with the things that were in it (the lawnmower, the snow-blower, the weed-whacker, etc…). Mind you, ever since the day it was disassembled, we have had crazy storms, hail, microbursts, and tornadoes in the area almost every single day. So, I’d just like to apologize to the entire New York metro area for our lack of appeasing the storm gods with a built shed.

We went to Matt’s cousin’s wedding in July and had a fabulous time. They wound up having a hotel block at the country club where the wedding took place, so all of the bridal party wound up staying on the second floor together. I have some of the best in-laws ever, so it was a fun ride the whole weekend.

While we were at the rehearsal dinner, the cousins were talking about where they were going to hold Thanksgiving this year, and we realized that Matt and I have the most spacious house out of the bunch, so it looks like we may be hosting dinner this year. We hope it works out that way, but that means some of the interior repairs we’ve been meaning to do are more imperative now. For example, I’ve added the living room ceiling to the list, which is something I had planned to get fixed in a year or two; however, now with the possibility of the whole clan being here, we need to at least paint over where we scrapped off the old paint. (What we really want is these paintable tiles, but that’s going to be a pricey investment—about $1500. Another time.)

Oh, and the new bed did come in, the same day we had the trees removed. We got this adorable sleigh bed which matches the rest of the room nicely. It was already at a good price, and with the Fourth of July sale on top of it, we knew we couldn’t pass it up.

Once the weather starts to let up more frequently, we’ll be able to take care of the outdoor things on our list. I’m holding off on any expensive purchases till after I get my raise at work this October. I want to get my savings equal to what it was before paying for the tree removal because I’m a big believer in having a savings account with at least three months worth of expenses saved up at all times. By the time October roles around, I should be in a good place again.

Also, it’s going to start to get harder to get things done starting this September because I’ll be starting grad school. Super excited to be working on my masters degree, but I’m already dreading the lack of free time I’ll have during the semester. I’m hoping that August will be a productive time for us.