The Big To-Do List

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Structural Work

• Work in the foundation is basically finished, but we have unresolved issues concerning the re-siding of the house.
• The rotting front steps were replaced. I still need to paint these.
• The railings on the back stairs were replaced, in order to meet code.

Paint

• All loose paint has been scraped from the exterior and interior walls.
  
• All scraped areas were primed.
  
• Robb and I removed wallpaper from both bedrooms, and painted walls and ceilings.
  
• Living room and entry hall walls were painted.
  
• Entry ceiling was painted.
• Living room ceiling LIGHTLY was textured, in order to unify old, rough surface with recent repairs.
  
• The dining room is about half-way textured. I need daylight to do this job.
  

Garage

• Had the falling-over garage straightened and re-roofed.
• On our fiasco moving day, the movers ignored the labels on our boxes, shoved half our stuff in the garage, and didn't leave us any paths with which to access our belongings.
  
• We still need to organize, insulate and put up walls in the garage. (Not a big priority.)
• We would like to install a back door in our garage, leading into the garden.
  

Electricity

• We did a modest upgrade. We still have "knob and tube" wiring, but now our house has circuit breakers, and a few more electrical outlets.
  
• The local utility company still hasn't installed our electrical meter, and apparently this house has never had a gas meter. I'm irrationally convinced that PG & E is going to find a way of saying that this is all our fault, and charge us lots of money for all the time we didn't have a meter. (We've been paying "estimated" bills since we got here.)
• While the contractors were working on the roof, they managed to destroy the electrical connection to the garage. That system wasn't up to code, anyway. We're on hold with having power in the garage.

Floors

• Had the wooden floors re-finished.
  
• Some day (no time soon) we'll deal with the kitchen and bathrooms.

Doors and windows

• Robb installed our security system.
• He also fixed our front door locks.
  
• We found and installed a salvaged screen door.
• We still need an actual door knob on the back door.
• We need to replace about half a dozen windows.

Garden

• Lisa removed vines and dead brush and falling-down fences, and created gigantic kindling and compost piles.
• We wired up a blackberry trellis, and pruned and tied up our bramble bushes.
• Lisa divided some of the overgrown colonies of bulbs, and moved others out of the way of the foundation work.
  
• Native plants bought and planted. (What on earth did I do with that bag of native bulbs???)
  
• There are many birds coming to the feeders in out yard.
• We're trying to earn the trust of our local feral cats, and to keep the so well fed that they don't eat the wildlife. Someone other than us has had them "fixed." We can tell, because they've had their ears notched.
  
• Lisa is slowly teaching herself about the pruning of fruit trees.
• Robb is building a fire wood rack.
• We hope to start keeping bees in the spring.
  

Odds and Ends

• Robb built a splendid shower for our clawfoot tub.
• As soon as the rain stops, and permits are approved, work will commence on our fireplace.
• Robb been valiantly cleaning years of grime.
• We're not fully unpacked, but that's by choice. We're going to finish unpacking after Lisa finishes painting.
• We bought an energy efficient washing machine, and are enjoying the use of our old-lady clothes line.
  
• Robb bought a low-profile, energy-efficient wall-mounted space heater for the bedroom.
• We're officially Old Home Renovators, thanks to our encounters with dead dried mummified rats.