I guess I could be doing more housekeeping, but the large clouds of dust and dirt that go with renovations are very discouraging. Particularly to someone who hates housework as much as I do!
I could be getting rid of stuff, but I want Craig to be involved. He is busy with the repairs and not ready to start going thru things yet. He assures me it will not be a problem, it's just not time yet.
Most of this summer I kept wishing there was a project that I could be working on that would contribute significantly to the improvement of the house.
I guess I got my wish. Sanding and staining the deck railings is very much MY project.
Craig will, and has, helped with some of the sanding. He is using his new belt sander for the top surface of the rails, but I am doing the picky stuff. We found that the staining works best when we do it together. Craig on one side and I on the other. That way we can catch the drips and missed places. We work well together.
We finished the first section of fifty-five uprights today. The color will fade to a more golden color with time.
I have also gotten part of the next fifty-plus partially sanded. I'm using two small hand sanders. It's slow, but not difficult. These are among the easier sections because I can get at both sides in comfort. I used the eight foot step ladder for one side of the first section, but it was easy to move, and I'm quite used to step ladders. I just can't go up high on the extension ladder. Craig will have to do some of the outsides of the upper deck rail.
I try not to think about the whole job. I'm working on one upright at a time, one section at a time.
This is how they look before I sand. They have been power washed and need the oil staining to protect them from the sun and rain.
In my last post, I mentioned I thought the rain we were getting was the end of the wild fire season. I was quite wrong. That rain did very little to dampen the grasses and brush.
The weather has been wonderfully warm all week, but last night we started getting some pretty gusty winds. That increases the fire danger.
As much as I love the warm temperatures, and want to get on with my project, rain will be most welcome.
I do so envy all you houseless people out there. Especially those without decks!
Someday ...
one post and deck at a time is all you can do..we can so relate to the waiting and wishing..some days it seems to far in the future that it will never happen but we just go about our day and try really hard to be thankful for what we have..
ReplyDeleteThe light is there at the end of the tunnel..it just may be a bit dim for some of us..
I am sure that at some point in your lives, you enjoyed the house and all of the decks. Each day of work will get you closer to your dreams.
ReplyDeleteWax on, wax off. Er, I mean, sand right, sand left, sand up, sand down.
ReplyDeleteKind of zen, don't you think.
Like you, I am all right with step ladders but I do not do shaky extension ladders any more, Every time I see pics of all the work you have to do I get exhausted & have to go sit down.......
ReplyDeleteYou are getting there! It looks really good...Sometimes I wish I had a deck!
ReplyDeleteThe finished portion of the deck looks very nice.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were getting the house ready to sell and purging stuff, the purging was the biggest and most time consuming. I understand you need Craig to help you, but the more you do now,the easier it will be later. Believe me, that stuff just seems to multiply...at least if you have as much stuff as we did!
The whole process sounds agonizing. I'm sure there are many other things you would rather be doing. Can you set a room or large area aside in the house and just start placing piles of stuff you want to donate/sell/trash? Then Craig can come behind and veto or not. We only had a 1400 sq. ft. house and consider ourselves true minimalists but purging seemed to take forever.
ReplyDeleteAnother question. Does so much improvement need to be done before you sell? Have you gone over all this with a realtor? I'm asking because we just assumed we would have tons of repairs and improvements to do before listing the house but the realtor said "Nah, just sell as is. You won't get your money back by doing ________ (fill in the blank). We were so relieved. And she was right!
Had to laugh at Travel Bug's comment!! Looks like a lot of work but look what you have accomplished so far. Good job.
ReplyDeleteNice work. Kimbopolo has a good point - sometimes it just doesn't pay to do the work. But if you have a hard-to-sell property it likely makes more sense to get everything done.
ReplyDeleteWhat a huge job that is! You're right though, you just have to think of it as one section at a time. Have you thought about downloading some library books on tape to an MP3 and listening to some good books while you're working? That would make the time go faster for me.
ReplyDeleteYour finished rails are beautiful. And just think of all the extra money, and/or the quicker sale, you'll have when all the work is complete. It will be worth it.
Your deck is so pretty though, and all the hard work will pay off in the long run. I'm sure you both will be glad to have it done.
ReplyDelete