Quite a few projects are in line for the house, money being the deciding factor on when/if they get done. These aren't in any specific order but generally go from most-to-least urgent. The more detailed items are the ones we've spent the most time talking about and are on the "to do" list rather than the "to do eventually" list.
1) Found out the electrical in the "core" rooms of the house is old. OLD old. For those who know home electrical this will probably bear more significance, but the only wires going to any switch or outlet are a hot wire coming in and a load wire going out. No ground. No neutral. It's a miracle the place hasn't burned down. This was discovered when I tried to install a new ceiling lamp in the dining room and couldn't find a polarity on the unmarked wires.
With any luck I'll be able to simply "attach" new romex to the existing wire and pull through into each outlet/switch until it's all rewired. This is actually a blessing in disguise as what breakers control what outlets is kind of messed up. Because the original house has had about four major additions there are literally three single breakers that control various parts of up to five different rooms. The biggest irk is a 15 amp breaker that controls over 10 lights and outlets across all five rooms. Electrical is my "thing" and this has been driving me nuts.
2) "Main" bathroom is arranged in an "offset cross" configuration and is far too small for the crappy claw foot tub that nobody likes anyway. Ironically, there's a 10x8 walk-in closet next to it. Probably going to push back the wall adjacent to the closet and get a built-in tub/shower unit, some cabinets, and a non-pedestal sink. After that, bathroom gets "landscape painted" as a cherry orchard. There's a cool archway in there leading to a recess that only exists because there's a window there.
3) Bedrooms and kitchen need to be repainted.
4) Kitchen and both bathrooms get the vinyl flooring pulled up and get vinyl tiling instead.
5) Area around front door gets tiled.
6) We've got 10-foot ceilings in the original parts of the house and the older additions. Cabinets are going above the stairs to the second floor and above the basement stairs (accessible via the kitchen) in order to use some of the wasted space. All in all getting 20-40 cubic feet of storage space and still maintaining a 7'6" clearance above the stairs.
7) Uneven floors get leveled out.
8. ALL brass items get changed to chrome and brushed nickel.
9) New kitchen cabinets, stainless steel sink, and garbage disposal.
10) Built-in stove top and appliances get replaced with brushed nickel units.
11) Wrap-around porch.
12) "Stilted" Roofing over 1/2 of the driveway & porch.
13) Pave driveway (currently gravel).
14) Dig out "the dungeon" and create a wine cellar.
15) Replace double windows in master bedroom with French doors and turn top of front porch into balcony.
16) Restore all original (interior) crystal doorknobs and mechanics [they're all there but have been painted over and neglected]. Restore all original woodwork, doors, and baseboards. Replace eventually.
17) Various landscaping projects.
18. Fire pit.
19) Build three season/laundry room off of kitchen.
20) Build dog kennel and "tree house."
In my next post I'll probably mention what's already been done and how doing a lot of those things inspired many of the projects listed above. I've found that without television and the internets I've got a lot of free time and have been doing small things like planning new projects, fixing squeaky things, etc. I wish it were warmer so I could do more work on the garage, which is going to have no less than a couch, TV, stereo, fridge, freezer, and microwave, Wii, and PS2. Probably going to put a wood stove in it so I can actually work in it next winter.
I've become more and more interested in getting a hobby and may pick up a guitar since my garage is going to be an excellent area to jam out once I've go everything set up and arranged. Plus, then I don't have to say that I'm the white Jimi Hendrix without any musical ability.
