Could we finally be getting out of the very depressing Mayvember we’ve been enjoying? Even on sunny days, there’s been a chill wind. (I don’t wanna jinx it though so no more weather talk.)
It’s the time of year when we start trying to figure out which parts of the Big Plan for the house we can address this year and which things that were not on the Big Plan will fit. Unfortunately, I think it will be another year yet before we can add the expansion to the back of the kitchen (i.e. build a dining room and a room below that will likely be Kiddo’s bedroom). Leading up to that are a few other things, some of which we may be able to get done this year.
1. Make better use of our driveway. We have a huge driveway (the realty listing said “room for RV”) and one van plus on-street parking so we really never use all the space. We debated building raised beds but decided it was a good space for a greenhouse as it gets a fair bit of afternoon sun. We may still put containers outside the greenhouse. Meanwhile, Mike scrapsourced a greenhouse and cleaned up chunks of the yard at the same time. He’s now trying to talk me into grabbing a structure that’s been sitting on the roadside free for a week now… for use as a summer produce stand… we’ll see.
2. Address the electrical issues. We need to track down a suspected junction box that has taken out two outlets, without which we are sadly under-served in the kitchen. Additionally, we will need to assess what has to be adjusted or prepared before the expansion can be wired. I would also like to buy two new light fixtures — one to replace the awful fan/dome light combo in the kitchen and a matching or complementary one for the dining-room-to-be. I want to replace the kitchen fixture ASAP!
3. Reseal the deck and weather-proof the under-deck. We are hoping to be able to use part of that space as a half-bathroom (because with a teen-in-training we need another bathroom) and the rest as storage. I told Mike I want to be away when the resealing is happening because it all makes me nervous. At the same time, we can remove the non-functioning lights from around the deck railing and reconfigure how we use the space. Likely, the BBQ will move up to the deck once it’s complete which I hope is before the fall.
4. Build a fire pit/patio. We don’t always use our back yard well (except to grow or build things!) and we’d like to add to the “hanging out with friends” area (and remove more of the grass). We have a plan… we just need some bricks. (Got bricks? Broken, junky, charred, painted or whatever, let us know…). We have a plan that will allow us to do this in two phases. It also gives me an excuse to look at the kind of furniture we might be able to add for hanging out around the fire pit.
PHEW. Obviously, there’s more on the Big Plan but I think these tasks — along with gardening — will keep us busy for the next few months!