Last swings of the hammer…
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…
August 25th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I understand your pain. Also bought at the height of the real estate boom expect I can’t sell. I have acquired an amazing list of DIY skills since the former owner of the house was a drug dealer.
1. Don’t freak out when the ceiling fan above you drops out of the ceiling while still spinning above your head (the wiring kept it up).
2. Don’t be alarmed when the A/C repairmen will not tell you what disgusting crap he has found in the ductwork throughout the house but suggests to replace it all “unless you want to be high for the next few years”.
3. Rip our all the old carpet and discover that you are lightly high from a mix of narcotics embedded in the carpet.
I could go on but I actually did lay laminate floowing throughtout the house, replace the front door & frame, destroy the old decvk and build a new one, and more.