About 15 years ago before my sons went to college, my husband and I sat down and created a fix-it list for our house. Then we hired a skilled builder to come and make the many repairs. After the work, we were very happy with our home--it looked great and was updated with new windows, freshly painted rooms, and needed repairs. Now, about 15 years later, it's time to sit down and make another list. As a recently retired teacher, I've been spending my days catching up on needed house chores--chores set aside to make space to teach and care for our family. Now without the daily school routine, I have time to start chopping away at this household repair punch list.
Where will we start?
We were catapulted into the start when I ruptured the garage door spring when moving a large piece of furniture. It was a happy mistake since that revealed that our garage doors were in great need of repair. Hence, the first big and somewhat costly job. Thankfully it happened at the end of my garage clean-up task so the repairman as space to work. The next jobs include cleaning out lots and lots of closets, cupboards and storage spaces in the house--these catch-all spaces reveal all kinds of forgotten objects, family stories, and some surprises too. Who would know what you can find when cleaning a space inhabited by three teenage boys for a very long time?
A place for everything, and everything in its place
As a teacher in a relatively small classroom inhabited by many students, teachers, and teaching books and materials, I was always replanning and remaking my space to fit the latest educational ideas and pursuits. It was a time consuming effort that occurred regularly throughout my career. Now as a somewhat old fashion homemaker, I'm doing the same at home. As I work, my mother-in-law's words, "Everything in its place, and a place for everything," push me forward. My mother-in-law's house was always neat, clean, and welcoming--a wonderful model to follow.
Just as I did at school, it's important to keep a few empty drawers or closets for the unexpected, and to get rid of almost anything you haven't used in a year unless it is a very special object. That's a good rule to follow as you clean, sort, and organize. It's also important to stay out of the stores and not buy too many objects--less things, more time and more wonderful experiences.
Finances and safety
Of course if I had all the money in the world, I could simply hire people to do all the jobs on my list, but since we're living on a somewhat tight budget, we have to think carefully about what we do and when we do it--every dollar matters. So the fix-it list also is organized by when jobs are financially feasible and which jobs are the most important. The rule here is to start with anything that's potentially dangerous to us or the house. For example, the garage door problem resulted in a garage door that was more like a guillotine than a garage door--it could literally have killed someone if left untended.
The long term view: our forever home
All the jobs have to be made with our long term vision in mind. How long will we live in this home? What do we want our life here to be like? I always thought that I might move to a different location in retirement, but the last few months have made me rethink this decision. I'm realizing that this house has a lot to be thankful for including good light, nice spaces, good ventilation, conservation land, privacy, good neighbors, and close proximity to most services and shops we need. Of course, there are elements about the house that are not my favorite--it's not my favorite style house and the area is a bit too crowded with regard to an ideal setting, but all in all, as I virtually shop for houses, this house has a lot to enjoy. That's probably why there is very little turnover on the street--people stay here.
So this might actually be my forever-home which is hard to believe, because when we bought this house almost thirty years ago with a $5,000 downpayment, I didn't think we would live here that long, but way led onto way, and here we are. I thought we might move to a smaller house near a beautiful amenity, but now I'm thinking that we can save up and rent a home like that for a vacation instead now and then. So, as our forever home, what do we need to do to make the home livable and welcoming for us and those we love.
The punch list
So here's the list of what we'll do in the days ahead:
- Fix the garage doors
- Have the furnace cleaned and reviewed
- Roof review
- Clean out drawers, closets and cabinets
- Create a "Grandmother's Shelf" of favorite books, old toys and games that I want to keep
- Plant an indoor hydroponics herb garden
- Get rid of all the extra stuff--things we don't need.
- Paint and repair to prepare the house for the cold weather months
- Plan, prepare for, and plant a spring garden
- Consider a new deck or patio, and garden spaces in the yard
- Consider creating a guest room in 1/2 of the garage that leads to the outdoors