Epistemographer

Among the most nerve-wracking implications of recent life changes was the need for us to figure out what to do with our condo. Thankfully, after an attempt at a word-of-mouth FSBO and then a formal listing with a realtor, we were offered a contract over the weekend. While the offer wasn’t everything we wanted, we find solace in the fact that we bought at the height of the market and are selling less than two years later at a price that lets us at least limp away with all limbs intact. The movers come on Friday, and by the end of the weekend we’ll be happily getting our bearings in a new apartment in Brooklyn.

For those of you who’ve seen me through the past two years of home ownership, it’ll come as little surprise that I spent our last Sunday afternoon in DC spread out on our patch of outdoor space, toolbox open and tools scattered about, sawing and hammering away. The particular project at hand was the making of window screens (a requirement of our buyer), and so I managed to pick up one last bit of DIY knowledge, adding to what in hindsight is a pretty substantial list. Two years ago, I didn’t know how to:

• Hang sheetrock
• Pull up carpet
• Lay hardwood plank flooring
• Refinish stair treads
• Put up glass tile
• Caulk a bathtub
• Mud a drywall corner
• Move an electrical socket
• Install butcher block
• Replace a kitchen garbage disposal
• Build a built-in bookcase
• Sink cabinets into a wall
• Install built-in wardrobes
• Replace a bathroom ceiling fan
• Grow a tomato plant

• Build a wall

It’s been a good run…how we’re going to go back the world of renting (where even painting a wall might require a landlord’s permission) is beyond me…