Priorities, Priorities.

One of the hardest parts of any project is figuring out where to start.  How does this project flow from beginning to end? What are the pieces I can do, and what are the things I can hire for? What parts of the house are the most important?

The answers to this are infinite.  Truthfully, there are a variety of ways to approach every project.  But there are some things that always need to come first.  The big things start with safety and security. The very first thing I did when we closed was start pulling up the carpet in the primary bedroom and getting the nicotine smell out of everything I possibly could.  The day after we closed, I started removing the ivy from the exterior of our house.  It was growing over the top of the stucco and through the eaves into the attic. Our biggest concern was keeping critters from an inevitable break-in, and double-and-triple checking that the roof was not affected (it wasn't: although there were some flashing issues in other locations that we repaired in subsequent years).

Making sure the exterior envelope is an essential part of securing and stabilizing a structure.  It's almost always costly, and it's always worth the effort to make sure everything can be tucked in from water and critter intrusions.  Along with that, they need to be in good condition.  So one of the first major things we did with our house was have the foundation repaired.  It was stable, and luckily leak-free, but the house had shifted over its first 95 years, and everything was pretty crooked.  My husband and I were fortunate enough that his mom knew just the person -on the brink of retirement- to come assess our project and complete the work.  He gave us a commercial budget with a large contingency, and we needed it.  Our front porch was being held on by the roof and needed footings.

When we bought our house, we were uninsurable.  Our fuse-box-dryer-hot-wire situation was something no insurance company wanted to cover, so that was really where we began.  It was the biggest safety hazard, and a major sticking point for our purchase.  Our fuse box was a 60-amp box that was likely installed when the knob and tube supplies were removed, and the dryer was hot-wired into the main electrical line before the fuse box.  With that fixed, and everything cleaned thoroughly and de-carpeted, we were able to move in and slowly complete projects. 

But really, the big priorities start and end with the exterior envelope of the house: everything from the foundation to the roof.  We've replaced leaking vinyl windows, repaired the original attic window, chimney flashing, and foundation, and I know we're getting close to needing a new roof. 

Once the envelope is secure and any big hazards are gone, the rest of the systems take priority: making sure plumbing is all in working order, HVAC is cleaned and its components are maintained (we currently have a gas furnace and a AC, but our house originally had a boiler and radiators), and electrical components have enough supply and GFCI where needed.  The biggest priorities are not the beautiful finishes, but they are essential to protecting the investment.​