After next week, I don't want to see a paint roller for a very long time.
As readers may recall, my wife and I recently bought our first home earlier this summer. Since getting possession on Sept. 1, we have been incredibly busy as we prepare to move into our new abode later this month.
Our main task in the last week has been repainting the entire main floor and upstairs area. We entered our painting journey somewhat naively, not realizing just how much paint actually costs or how long the activity takes. Despite setting a $500 budget, we've ended up going over that amount by nearly $200.
Fortunately, some of our family members are experienced painters. Our respective parents have been extremely helpful in helping us paint the house's interior top to bottom, and teaching us how to do it properly. They were also able to source us all the materials we needed, including rollers, painter's tape, and step ladders.
I've learned that, while painting can be somewhat cathartic, it is quite physically demanding. My first two days of painting left me with sore muscles, an achy back, and a newfound respect for those who do it for a living. I don't think I'll be transitioning to a career in painting houses anytime soon.
Away from painting, we were quite frustrated by the state of the house when we received the keys. It doesn't appear the sellers made much of an effort to clean the house beforehand, and we learned upon getting possession that a few of the appliances – including the washer and dryer – were no longer working. (Despite working during the home inspection). We also had to replace the garburator in the kitchen, as well as fix up several other little things that you don't really think about when you do the final walk-through, but quickly realize will be an annoyance if you do not fix it.
On that note, I must also give a shoutout to my dad, who is basically a super hero when it comes to all things repairs and home maintenance. He not only fixed the washing machine but also installed the new garburator. His doing so likely saved us hundreds of dollars in labour costs. I've already learned quite a bit from him the last week or so.
As of my writing this, there's still a lot to work to do before we officially move into the house before the end of September. These days, if I'm not working, eating, or sleeping, I'm probably over at the house painting, cleaning, or otherwise getting it ready to move into.
And once we've moved all our furniture over, it will be time to empty out and clean our current apartment top-to-bottom, so we can hopefully receive our full damage deposit – which will be nice after spending so much on paint.
