Yesterday two guys came to the house to give us estimates on fixing the joint up.
For as long as we’ve lived here (nearly 6 years) we’ve talked about replacing the kitchen floor and countertops. We got a good deal on this house because the interior was very dated. But it appeared that most of the work required was cosmetic so we figured we would paint and change things out as we had time and money. But in the meantime we remodeled two condos, bought/furnished/sold a trailer, and then bought the beach house. Our efforts were everywhere except at home.
The current kitchen floor is white peel-n-stick tiles with a tan flower design. No, I’m not kidding. The current countertops are navy blue formica. Not kidding again. “How could two self-respecting gay men live with such hideously outdated surroundings for so long?” you may be asking. I’m wondering the same thing.
To our credit, we have done some updating. We’ve painted the living room, kitchen, two bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, and the TV room. We’ve changed out a few light fixtures, and got a stainless steel stove, microwave, and dishwasher. (Still need the fridge to match.) The more expensive stuff is what we left undone.
With the knowledge that we will be putting our house on the market in a few months we’ve decided to get busy and have some of these updates priced. We started with the kitchen floor and countertops. We want to cover the existing floor with a laminate that looks like slate, and replace the countertops with granite. Home buyers looking in our neighborhood will be expecting granite and an updated floor.
The first guy’s estimate was outrageous. When he told us, I was unable to keep my eyes from widening like saucers and saying “Wow – that’s considerably higher than we expected.” He then tried to sell us on the quality of the product and the fact that they had the materials in stock and would be able to install it the very next day. That’s all fine and good, but we don’t need the floor that soon and I certainly don’t intend to pay for that.
The second guy’s estimate was much more reasonable, and I think we are going to have him do it. He does all types of remodeling, and is able to do everything else on our list too. He was nice.
So now, instead of the question being “How could two self-respecting gay men live with such hideously outdated surroundings for so long?” the new question is “How are we going to pay for all of this?”
Questions, questions….
Drag Queen name of the day: Sharon Sharalike
1 comment:
I kinda like your kitchen. It was a comfortable reminder of my grandmother's kitchen! And I do mean that as a compliment!
Sounds like the first guys bought that stuff for someone else and then that contract was lost and they were trying to move it - using the 'they have it in stock' as a positive thing!
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