When I use the term ‘grind’ I do mean in a hustling nature, but it is mostly about saving for the renovation of my house as much as possible. There is so much work to be done, and a house is a blackhole money pit haha. I finally understand what everyone is talking about. 

Challenges

1. The house is so old that when experts inspect it, they have to call other experts to ask what certain things are, because they are so outdated haha. This means we might have to replace most of the house which is what we are doing.
2. We are not only fixing a house, but also a farm with acres of land. This entails rebuilding two barns, turning one into a stable for our horses, purchasing all the equipment, tending animals, taking care of our forest, ponds, hay, etc.

In a past vlog — I think it was still back when I was living in Hollywood Hills — I learnt and shared how it is much more daunting a task to renovate than it is to build a house entirely bespoke from scratch. We are doing both. However, we are fixing what we have now, so we can have not only a guest house, but a comfortable place to live as we build our dream palace.

Why renovations are harder to deal with than building a house from scratch:

Erecting a structure with all your dream plans costs less in money, time, and effort, because you can do what you want as long as you level the land and prep the ground.

Renovations are more difficult, because you are working around someone else’s dream, resources, and supplies. To elaborate, you cannot simply tear down a wall, you have to see what it is made of, what it is connected to, if it is imperative to the composition. 

For example, I cannot install new kitchen cabinets, because the floor and walls are uneven. The wood is spectacularly old and warped. Carpenters who we know say it is not an easy job. There are so many situations like this in this house alone. 

Then, you have to be careful about wiring and then having multiple services of electricity, carpentry, roofing, septic, plumbing, air, and all the mechanic specialities that make a house livable. Scheduling all of these technicians out is something we have been doing nonstop since moving haha. 

Here is what I am currently dealing with. There is obviously more to come, but this is what I have to face so far:

1. Electrical wiring $8,000
2. Redoing the bathroom $11,276 (without external services costs)
3. Kitchen demolition & decoration $25,580 
4. Septic & water $15,000-$20,000
5. HVAC, Heat, geo thermal heating – TBD
6. Living room – TBD
7. Bedroom + en suite closet – TBD

This is only the downstairs. I do not even want to mention the upstairs yet. That is a headache Mr. Dixon will handle for now haha. Our main worries as of late are fixing the rooms we use the most, share the most, and where want to be spending time alone.

When we first moved in, it was so dusty and dirty, that we could not breathe. We have a 500 square foot air purifier now, but I am purchasing another one for the other side of the house, because it is not enough. Remember that dust is dead skin, so this is someone else’s smell of over fifty years of what looks like they were not cleaning that regularly, if at all. 

I am taking care of all the costs for the house itself, while I am pushing Mr. Dixon to do all the farming and take care of the land. He got that started. The land is actually more harrowing in my opinion, because he has to consult a similar amount of experts in deforestation, airplanes runway builders, all sorts of farmers, barn builders, carpenters, solar panel specialists, agronomists, and so forth.

I handle all the aesthetics and anything having to do with the house, because I will be the most bothered about it haha. Otherwise, Mr. Dixon says he would live in the house pretty much the way it is if it were not for me. Mostly. I know that is not true, because he wants a dishwasher. He would need to rewire the entire house to put one in anyway, so he would do this if I were not here.

In addition, there is a piece of furniture wired into the house which is not crazy. I assumed the previous owner was planning on living here forever, but could not afford it. We need an electrician to cut that piece of furniture out and close the line in case our cat gets fried or we burn down the house on accident. This place is a hazard, and the cause of all my grey hairs. 

Every day I feel like we are taking one step forward and two steps back. It really puts you in your place, when you are renovating a house. I have an entirely new perspective of life. 

Because of this, I am going to make sure everything happens within one year and three months. That is accounting for hiccups, mistakes, and all the things that could potentially go wrong. I cannot wait until this is done. The before and after will look great, but most of all, all the hard work we put into it will be terribly enjoyable.

Thank you so much for taking time to read the end of this post. I hope you find some inspiration in this and feel free to share with your friends as a free way to help my blog grow. Your support is endlessly appreciated. 

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