Boom...and another chunk of money is loose.

We finally pulled the trigger on the two major remodeling jobs (screened porch and new master bath). It has been quite an ordeal, going back and forth with plans and ideas, talking to different people, etc. Just trying to wrangle it all together and reconcile what we want with what is feasible has been incredibly difficult. I knew it would be, but man...  We've changed a lot of the details back and forth several times trying to zero in on what we think we'll be happy with, and who we'll be happiest working with. Ultimately one of the contractors stood out above the rest as someone with enthusiasm and a design aesthetic that seems consistent with our ideas. Can they execute though? That remains to be seen of course, but Liane did work with them some years ago when she worked at the architecture firm and they were always good.

We can agonize over all of this until the end of time. Must get moving (In the immortal words of my friend and former bandmate, Gene Carpenter, "Do something, even if it's wrong."). So, we spilled $16,000 of hard earned money to them for a deposit yesterday. Not a small chuck of change, but it's just the deposit to get the work started. Hopefully tens of thousands of dollars later we will be happy. We could buy a small house for what these two projects are going to cost.

That takes care of two of the jobs. There is also the kitchen remod, which is mostly about new counter tops, sink, etc., though there is also one additional cabinet going in, and we want to totally rework the area over the stove -- details (and final costs) still to be determined.

And then there is the landscaping we'll have to do to make the new deck space work with the rest of the yard, and the dock for the pond, etc. That's not going to be cheap.

Meanwhile furniture is being delivered today. Thank goodness for gainful employment!