Big Changes in 2023

Deepest apologies for the sound of crickets on this blog for the last six months. A quick catch-up: We sold our motorhome just after the New Year, and then immediately put an offer on a home in NJ. This is a house that is very close to daughter Catherine, being only 1 mile away. She initially toured the house while we FaceTimed with her, and then she returned with daughter Kristen a week later on another video call with us so we’d have another opinion.

Ugly kitchen during FaceTime tour

While it’s on a busy road, the layout really works for us; a large open kitchen/living area, two bathrooms, a large main BR with en suite (something I’ve never had), a bonus/guest room, and a huge craft room. It also has a nice sized garage to serve as Bob’s woodworking shop and a large shed for garden tools. The house itself is not too big, only about 1724 square feet, but it will suit us well. 

I had forgotten how drawn-out the process of buying a home is. The seller had to jump through quite a few hoops before the town would sign off on the certificate of occupancy. We arrived in NJ the first week of April, expecting to pass papers a few days later. It actually took a month before all the ends were tied up and we could see the house in person for the first time. Nothing really surprised us when we did our walk-through. Before we bought it we knew the house was smelly (incontinent dog, smoking owner) and dirty, the kitchen cobbled together with scrounged materials. So now the work to make this house ours has begun.

Everything has been scrubbed down, and smelly bits have been removed. Mold has been remediated. Walls and ceilings have been painted on the first floor. The downstairs floors have been torn up and are being replaced with a lovely LVP floor that will wear well and tie the rooms together. Our kitchen has arrived and we are beginning to assemble everything. Three dead trees have been removed from the backyard and another tree has gotten a long-overdue trimming. Tomorrow the ducts will be cleaned and the appliances will arrive. Strapping on the foundation will be installed within the next week or so, ensuring a safe and sturdy base for this house for many many years to come.

Our realtor, Mary Ann, has been invaluable in all of this, offering us names of contractors who are reputable in the area. 

Our plan is to complete the downstairs (kitchen/living room, guest room) this year, and then take a break. Next year, if the Lord is willing, we will tackle the main bedroom and bathroom, and then the following year my craft room will get a makeover. Sometime during the next two years the downstairs bath will get new floors and updated vanity. Patience, patience!

I’ll post some “after” photos as rooms are finished.