The sun is shining here in Minnesota and the days are getting longer and longer. We’re on the cusp of summer and I don’t know about you, but I feel like I was just ringing in the new year. 2016 seems to be flying by – I can hardly believe we’re only a week and a half from Memorial Weekend!
It’s time to get into summer mode, which means summer projects. We have quite the ambitious list, but you wouldn’t expect anything less, right?
The Attached Garage. So we’ve gone back and forth on this about seven hundred times. When we first moved in, the plan was to put in an attached garage. Then we heard from Neighbor Ron that the last owner was told she couldn’t put in a garage since the house is on a lake (apparently the DNR said no). Brett was quickly able to find out that we can indeed do a garage, but after a little research we thought it might be better to save up and put the money and time into a pole barn. So, until Sunday, that was our game plan. Since we are on a lake, we have to be a certain distance from the water. The pole barn would start at 100 feet and we need to be 150 feet away. In order to do the barn, we’d need to get a special variance from the city. After talking it out, we’ve decided to go back to plan A and build the attached garage. There is A LOT that needs to be done to get the space ready for the garage – move the electrical boxes, dig a new line for the propane, level the ground…and on and on and on). With that said, we’ll have an attached garage and have our biggest project under our belt. This one is going to be quite the learning process and I am sure we’ll have plenty of learning tips and ‘what no to do’ to share with you.
Duct Work & Plumbing. We would like to move to completely forced air. Currently, there are two different electrical heating systems in the house and some half-assed duct work. We’re going to get rid of the electrical heat and move over to completely forced air. We lucked out in that our basement ceiling is completely exposed, so this shouldn’t be too much of a headache (knock on wood). We’re also going to re-pipe all the plumbing in the house and move the washer and dryer upstairs.
The Mud Room, Guest Bedroom & Office. Last month, we knocked down a few more walls, switched the guest bedroom and mudroom and added a closet to the office. As of this past weekend, everything is framed. It is so exciting to see the rooms coming together! Next up is electrical and sheet rock. Hopefully by the end of the month we can have that completed.
We’re going to have a very busy summer, but a productive one. I can only imagine the additional projects and to-dos that will stem from this current list, because that always happens. On the plus side, we’ve got great family and friends to bounce ideas off of and to ask for help. If this summer is anything like the first four months of the year, it’s going to be over before we know it.
All our best,
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