Getting Organized

So. Many. Ideas.

I'd been completely unfocused the first couple days of this project. Ideas kept popping into my head. Inspiration is everywhere. I wasn't able to sleep (nothing new, but at least now I wasn't sleeping for a good reason.) Marcia and I were sitting at dinner and she'd just start throwing stuff out there and our ideas would build on each other. We were thinking of things we definitely needed to do (gut kitchen), things we hoped we could do (move basement stairs), and wild, crazy ideas (finish basement for an income property). I was driving my daughter to school and passed by a house with a front porch that I thought would be a great addition to our house. I had to make a mental note to show Marcia. We went out on Friday looking for tile and got sidetracked by vanities. Truth be told, I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed about this renovation and we haven't even closed on the house yet.

So I bought a notebook.  It has 3 sections (and I created 2 more) and pockets for me to store receipts, samples, and pictures.  I labled the sections To Do, How To, Shopping, Measurements, and Random Ideas.  (Anyone care to guess what my 2 favorite sections are?)  EVERYTHING goes into the notebook.

I've started a list of what needs to be done to each room.  Some are simple, like the living room.  Its list says rip up carpet, paint, and replace the surround on the fireplace. A Random Idea for the living room is to maybe put an overhead light fixture up, in which case we will need to have an electrician wire for it.  But I'm not sure we will do it, so it's just an Idea and not a To Do for now. Some rooms are a little more involved, like the 3rd bedroom. Its list says remove closet door and trim, patch up closet opening, build new closet in different location, move outlet, paint, replace light fixture, add dimmer switch, and window treatments (blinds or shade.) Some rooms, like the main bath, have such an extensive list that I'm not going to even try to put it all here.  Let's just say the only thing that is staying untouched is the bathtub.  My To Do section includes lists that I've started for an electrician (breaker box in bathroom and GFI outlets in kitchen and bathrooms) and plumber to do (nothing yet, but we may need to have a toilet moved), as well as my general To Do list (check out the process for building permits in Mt. Lebanon, start researching sub-contractors, buy a pocket tape measure that I can keep in my purse, schedule home inspection - done!) I've also started my lists of tools I need to buy, tools I need to rent or borrow, and supplies I need to get.

Next is my How To section.  I've done minor home improvements, but am a novice at heavy home renovation, so I have a lot to learn.  There are some tasks that I know how to do, kinda, but wouldn't necessarily think about the proper way to go about it.  Ripping up carpet, for example. Marcia sent me an email making sure I would remember to go over the floors with fine steel wool to remove any glue and then wash them with Murphy's Oil Soap. Now, that's not rocket science, but I don't know that I would have thought to do those last 2 steps after pulling all of the carpet out. It all goes into the notebook.

My Shopping section is the fun section. I've listed anything we've seen that we thing we might want to use in the house, where we've seen it, and the price and dimensions, if applicable.  I've also taken to snapping pictures on my phone of these items for future reference. I've got it organized by room, so we can see where we still have some shopping to do.  It's nice to have the information handy for comparison shopping. We priced out sinks and faucets at Lowe's one day and were pleasantly surprised to see that Busy Beaver was significantly cheaper. The selection isn't as great, but they certainly had enough things that we liked and won't have any problem picking out something.

Tomorrow when I am with the home inspector, I will walk around and make drawings of the rooms and take measurements of everything.... where outlets are located, height of windowsills, width and wall placement of doors, etc.  This will help me know if some of the Random Ideas we come up with are even doable, not to be mention be critical information when I am Shopping.  Marcia and I have been losing sleep over the steps to the basement.  It is critical in our place to lay out the kitchen better and create more space.  We have to make sure we can move the washer and dryer down the new doorway we will be creating out of an existing nook in the dining room.  Heck, we don't even know if they'll fit down the existing stairway.  Moving the laundry from the current mudroom is crucial to our plan for expanding the current powder room. This becomes my Measurements Section.

The last section in my notebook is Random Ideas.  This is my favorite.  I have it organized by room, including a page for the outside.  Anything and everything goes in here, no matter how crazy or cost-prohibitive.  I saw a picture of a chandelier hanging in a kitchen instead of a typical light fixture. I thought that was a really cool ideal and put it in the notebook. I've also started putting down potential paint colors for each room... incendentally, the only area of this whole project so far where Marcia and I have had some disagreement. Also in here, I've listed names of potential contractors that I've gathered, and websites to keep in mind for inspiration.

Marcia headed back to Boston late yesterday afternoon and has already emailed or texted me half a dozen times since then with thoughts and ideas.  It all goes into the notebook.  Excessive List Making... maybe it will be the next big Olympic Sport!

Actually, it's just the Project Manager in me coming out.