Projects being half-finished really bug me. I like to post about completed things (or rants about things that seem destined to never get done), so when certain people* have trouble with final-touch-follow-through I go a bit batty and don’t post anything for weeks on end. Even when there is actual logic behind why things aren’t getting done,** such as the never-ending list of truly urgent tasks.
A few weeks back we almost finished a second (half) bath on the first floor. It was amazing! All working together*** it only took a week or two to get it up and running, and it looks fantastic. But it’s not done – it hasn’t been painted, there’s a bit of trim left to do, and the planned secret passage is pretty low on the current priority list.
I could sit with the whip we got for Wes’s Indiana Jones costume a few years back and make Sergiu finish,**** or, I could let him repair the small-but-crucial bit of outside wall that is currently rotting away. Rotting structure tops cosmetic detailing every time.
So this post is just a brief update on the things we’ve half-done, and the less sexy things that are currently topping the priority list. Let’s start with a truncated priority-to-do list.
Things we have to focus on:
- Septic pipe
I really, really like indoor plumbing. But recently ours backed up and started spurting out of an uncapped drain pipe in the will-one-day-be-a-kitchen. It was unpleasant. Elliot and I investigated (gross!) results were inconclusive, so the nice folks over at ProSeptic were called. Thank god it wasn’t the tank itself. Turns out the pipe between the basement and the house is saggy, which results in solid residue (gross) settling in the dip and clogging things up. They’re coming next week to replace it. Full post forthcoming (hopefully). - Windows
In addition to just really wanting the windows all and completely scraped, patched, and primed (not done, despite my earlier optimism) there are a few that actually need glass in them as well. At least one more than I knew of two days ago. - Water
I’m so sick of buying water. Way too many months later, we finally submitted our well water for testing (thanks Elliot!). 12 days and counting til the results are in. - The Porch
It’s still there. How, I don’t know, but it’s holding on. We really need to jack up that balcony and rip down that porch. Like 5 years ago. Reasons pending: cost, balcony-jacking anxiety, dumpster, giant freaking project that is almost too much to think about. - Heat
Waiting, waiting, waiting… - Dutchess County Power Outage
All saints day brought with it a massive power outage that lasted ~14 hours (for us, others are still waiting), so some of this stuff got even further backlogged… - 2nd bathroom (half)! (pics below: before, before, after!)
We turned an open space with a giant hole in the floor into a really beautiful half-bath – just in time, too, as the current septic pipe issue makes the full-bath in the attic completely off-limits. It’s been a smelly week. So close to finishing, I have a blog post waiting in the wings – just waiting for those final touches so I can post it*^ 🙂 - Playground!
This is honestly the one I’m most excited about.
I finally found an amazing used playground/swingset thing in a nearby town! Blog post to come, but it’s fantastic — though only half-put together. Things we need to do include buying new (not rotten) bolts, staining the whole thing because it’s very old, and making the “No Kids Allowed” sign so Elliot and I can claim it as our own. - Garage Roof
It needs to be replaced, but that’s not going to happen for quite a while. In the meantime, Elliot and I got to put our old roof-hopping skills to good use and hopped right on up there to patch the top. So much fun,*^^ but not in any way complete. - The lawn
Forever not done. Stupid lawn. But it’s mostly within town code now, and the new season seems to be keeping it in check for a few months. - The Fence
There’s an old wooden fence that closes in the space between the house and the garage. It’s in a varying state of disrepair. I really want to fix it up and put a gate on, but there are so many steps and we’ve barely begun. But we dug a hole, so it goes on this list.*^^^ - Solar Panels
Hopefully it’s not a scam, but the solar panels are ordered and should be installed in about a month. I was in such a rush, though, that I did not do the level of research I usually insist upon – so anxiety is high. Hopefully a not-ranty blog post coming soon…
There’s more, of course, but those are the highlights. Now onto the half-happy notes.
Half-finished! (Let’s call it “progress”)
There’s more half-finished stuff, of course (there always will be). But this post is already too long (and Oberon is about to wake up, severely limiting my ability to do anything), so we’ll cut it off at these.
All-in-all, there are some fun things happening here in Wassaic, as well as some smelly things. It will all work out in the long run, but fingers crossed it all works out smoothly (and lemon-scentedly).
*All of us. It’s all of us. But I’m going to blame Sergiu the most here.
**Logic combined with lack of motivation – it’s definitely not just logic.
***Section removed. I can’t think of anything witty to say here.
****Not true – I can’t make him do anything. Stubborn bastard.
*^Spoiler, it’s super cool (the bathroom, not the blog post)
*^^This experience led me to the conclusion that I need to become an expert roofer. That would really round-out the skill-set in this house, and would be very useful for our future real-estate-empire/historical conservationist plans.
*^^^Sort of balances out with the half-bath: the fence is only like 1/10th finished, but the half-bath is about 9/10ths done. So together, we’re about halfway there.
The Wassaic Maison 
First, the half-bath looks terrific. (I’m rather enchanted with the light fixture, must say.)
Second, plumbing issues make me insane. It’s bad enough that we are essentially animals who produce… things. But when something goes awry and our “things” are suddenly on display for the entire world? I just can’t deal.
Third, I’m also grooving on the playground, but I’m not sure that I would qualify for the “adult” status implied by the “No Kids Allowed” sign.
Fourth, our roof is nowhere near as expansive as yours, but since we’ve recently suffered through three rounds of hail damage (it’s Texas, what can I say) I finally filed a claim for my insurance to replace the roof. (That process should be fun, as most insurance companies dig their heels when they are expected to pay out instead of just letting the premium payments roll in.) Say, did you ever get roof-certified? We might need your help… 😉
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