I felt like I was stalling out on the overall project, so I enlisted the help of my friend DB and asked him to tell me what he would do. He reiterated recommendations he had made when I bought the place: Remove the top cabinents above the island in the kitchen and the metal arches just outside the kitchen which obstruct the view with pointless ugliness. I was frustrated with myself that I hadn't taken the advice from the outset, but it was hugely satisfying to get those things out of there.
April and May, 2026
The bathroom remodel is now about 70% complete, up to and including wiring, drywall, mud. This pic is from about 40% complete. DB was a huge help with the sewage line plumbing (moving the toilet), the pex plumbing for the new shower, setting the shower pan, and the first pieces of the new drywall. I learned a lot by working under him. I self-taught on the rest, framing the new wall and the pre-hung door, finishing the drywall. It's all going pretty slow, but still I'm enjoying the process...for the most part.
I repaired the rotting portion of the porch. I'd been putting it off, thinking that I should take the time to replace the entire surface, but after scrubbing the moss off the carpet, it felt good enough to just replace the rotting portions, at least for the foreseable future, and this only took about a day.
I finished cleaning out the garage and started moving into it stuff from the house that's better kept there.
The yard is a riot of spring. I've been barely keeping up with the weeding outside: blackberry, dandelion, and ivy. I've surrendered to Stinky Bob, for the time being.
All in all, progress is still slow and sporadic, especially as I'm carving out more time spent at Frankenberry and Cedarhurst as the weather gets more irresistible.