"Its unoccupied" she says, "almost move in ready", she continues. "Just some paint on these white walls and in we come"! Yeah, right, okay. Its like that cheer they say up there "Are you ready?" My reply is " so, I guess I'm the painter?" And you know what her next line was...".HYDR (Hell Yeah, Damn Right)!"
FIRST TRIP:
The day of the closing, we of course got the keys. The Spousal Units Acura MDX was loaded to the max, including the rack on the back that had one of those mail order memory foam mattresses in a bag, for one of the beds. After unloading everything, it was back to Brandon to prepare for a vaca week planned nine months earlier.
SECOND TRIP:
By this time, the Spousal Unit has had time to pick out some paint colors. We make the stop at LOWES, and pick up Paint, brushes, door locks, digital thermostat, LED light bulbs, shower heads, ceiling fans, and enough stuff to fill up a cart and hear the cash register go cha-ching, ching, ching!!!
Next morning, the Spousal Unit got busy washing all the new towels and sheets that were delivered courtesy of UPS. I quickly knocked out the three new door knobs, one for the front door, one for the storage room, and one for the "owner's closet" to secure things off limits to any overnighters that use the unit. Replacing the door knobs was far easier than calling a locksmith, $50 vs a minimum of $100 just for the service call. Next, the new shower heads were installed, and ready to go. Man, that first hot shower with the rain shower head was wonderful!
Then the fun began. I took the cover off the old thermostat, only to discover that the unit was a heat pump. We swapped out one in Starkville, and it was a royal pain in the ass. Dadgumit! And I think I bought the wrong one! Next, two ceiling fans. I took down one of the light fixtures, only to discover there was only a light weight rod spanning the ceiling rafters, not nearly strong enough to support our ceiling fans, double dawg dadgumit! Off to paint!
I've been painting all my life. we went through three buckets of paint with ease, running out on Sunday, about the time we needed to pack up and head back to home base. I felt pretty good about all the work we had gotten done. The Spousal Unit even got the cable going on the TV that made the trip. Before we left, the complex manager showed up with the internet guys to install the modem. A wireless router was already in route courtesy of Amazon Prime!
THIRD TRIP:
Time for more painting. Two bedrooms are now a light shade of blue, and the living and dining are a color called "lambs ear". The cabinets in the kitchen were stained wood, which just darkened up the place. Painting these called for a trip to Sherwin Williams since LOWES doesn't carry oil based enamel paint.
After the Spousal Unit had done some research, it turns out that the new thermostat would work after all, yes! This sucker was programmable and wifi enabled, so it could be monitored remotely. Now that's what you call high tech!
The bathrooms got new curved shower rods to add more roominess to these fiberglass tubs. I also added new tub drains that you press with you foot to open and close. The cabinets got one coat of paint before I ran out. Next trip with a stop at Sherwin Williams should do the trick!
I installed a wireless doorbell so that the spousal unit could hear the door if she had company knocking while she was in the back prepping. That sucker has 35 different tone sequences, and of course we went with the first one.
The wireless router came on with no problems. It allows you to have two "logins", one for you at higher speeds, and another at a lower speed for guests. I wanted to name it the "geriatric luv shack" but the Spousal Unit overruled me! Rats!
I was then able to turn on the wifi features of the new thermostat. We can now adjust it and monitor the temperature from Brandon, or from our smart phones. We can put the unit on 80 degrees and then adjust it down on our way up there on future trips! Technology is awesome, once you figure it out!
The ceiling fans by far were the worst project of all. I put the fans together, ready to be hung. I then removed the old light fixture. There is now a four inch hole for me to work with. I pushed the small rods enough so I could pull them apart, then bent them to one side. I then installed a much bigger rod through that four inch hole. This rod is held in place by tension between the rafters. Three hours later we had two operational ceiling fans!
While working on the last one, there was a knock on the door. The upstairs neighbor had worked late last night had was having trouble sleeping with me banging in the ceiling and Oscar & Otis barking at every little odd noise. he wanted to know when we would be done with our renovation projects. That pretty much tells you that there is no insulation between floors. I started laughing, and the Spousal Unit said "what????" My comment back was "I can't wait till he has some spend the night company and the ceiling begins to talk to US!!!" I'll probably take him some cookies on the next trip as a peace offering :-).
During the trip, we also acquired a bigger TV, one of those "smart TV's". It took that sucker almost an hour to complete its search and destroy mission to load all the channels that weren't scrambled. Basic and expanded basic service along with the internet are included in our month HOA fees. We decided to wait on the digital signal upgrade "for a fee" for now.
Finally all of my "almost move in ready"chores are almost done. I only have one more coat of paint on the bathroom cabinets to go for our next trip, which will be the first home football game. The Spousal Unit takes over with adding décor and additional furnishings. We have a queen, a double, and a set of bunk beds at the ready for sleepovers. After the painting, my only chores will be grilling on the patio or driving to one of the eateries for my foodie addiction.
And she said, "its almost move in ready......."
