Houses

Oh, in case you're wondering, yes, I'm still pooped from last week. Or maybe it was the not going to bed early. Or the getting up early to try to get my time in my Bible and prayer and exercise done early. Either way. Still pooped. It's the new me. Oh, wait. I've always been pooped.

Moving on.

Houses. Finally this week the Window-Replacing-Guy is here. No new windows yet, since they started with the roof repair and other such things. But the windows are in the garage, quietly waiting, and I have a little incentive to make sure our bedroom and the little boys room stays clean each day.

I'm most excited about the new windows because it means soon thereafter we can move on to new paint. New paint is more exciting than new windows because it's a real change. Our house will look different. The windows are nice, too, because they will open and shut, things our current windows either don't do, or only with much effort. And nice because they will keep more cool in (in the summer) and more warm in (in the winter), theoretically. The only sad thing about the new windows is we wanted the kinds with the little grilles in top half, but we COMPLETELY FORGOT to tell the Window Guy that. Until the windows were here. Totally our error. Now, if we decide we want grilles, we will need to get that clippy-on-the-insidey kind. I guess we'll see how it looks without. Our current windows didn't have them, either, so we aren't losing grilles, just not gaining them.

We're only doing some of the windows, because windows are expensive. And, for the most part, you end up with the same thing you had before, only slightly more energy efficient and functional. Likewise, roof repair is important, but you don't really get a big "wow, we've improved things!" boost out of them. You just get a roof that works like it was supposed to.

And yesterday when it poured sheets and buckets of rain, I remembered that, at some point, we'll need to do something about our dampy leaky basement. Which, again, will probably cost a lot of money and result in a basement that isn't nice and improved and decorated, just not leaky. Don't misunderstand, not leaky is good. But wouldn't it be nice if all our home costs could go towards improving, rather than just keeping things working the way they should in the first place?

Some things like painting I figure I should just eventually learn to do myself. Well, I do know how to paint, I just don't make time for it. But littler things, like replacing doors. Maybe I could learn to do that. Then I could make some improvements but maybe they would cost less. Unless you factor in the cost of effort and the stress of learning to do something new. I'm not so good at those things.

I did take a before picture of my house, so that when it has new windows and new paint you can tell me how improved it looks. I'll remind you to do so at that time. :-)