In 2002 my husband was able to transfer back to the Renton (Seattle area) plant with Boeing, from their Spokane plant. Which meant commuting back and forth until we were able to move back to Seattle (we'd been in Spokane for 8 years by the time we left). It also meant leaving the quiet, wooded and hilly 150 acres we lived on. Lots of deer, quail, coyotes, raptors, birds, ravens, wild turkeys, chipmunks and the occasional moose, porcupine, weasel, badger, elk and pheasant. It was hard to leave such peace and quiet for the noises of suburbia, but it had to be done as the commute was getting to be too much. Plus, I had two surgeries during that time period, which wasn't the easiest with hubby in Seattle and me in Spokane.
We were able to get into a much older house in the Seattle area. The house is a real fixer-upper, to put it mildly. We left Spokane the first weekend in March and it wasn't until the end of the month that the place was decent enough to move into. During that month we worked quite hard at getting it cleaned up and halfway decent looking. Two heavy smokers lived in the house, it hadn't been maintained for probably 20 years and there were also cats living here that liked to pee all over the carpets. As one friend described the place, it was a cave, which was pretty much true. Dark carpets, dark furniture, dark wood paneling and curtains that were probably never, if ever, opened.
During that first month we spent most of it ripping out the icky carpets, painting the walls and ceiling white and installing white blinds. Hubby has also been busy installing light colored wood laminate flooring. All together, the place is looking much better than it was before, by leaps and bounds. We still need to do quite a bit of work, but each day more and more gets done. At some point we'll start working on the outside, but for now we're concentrating on working on the inside of the house.
Following are links to the updates I've been sending to various friends and relatives. Each week I've been sending out an update, keeping them informed of the progress around the house. Some of them have seen the house, while others can only rely upon their imagination. However, they don't have to any longer! I'm also including photos taken soon after we came over here, as well as some in progress photos. There aren't too many "after" photos, as there's still much to do. But you will be able to get a good idea of what all we've done around here. As work progresses, I'll be adding more photos to the appropriate sections.
If you're already getting the weekly updates, there's no reason to read those again, unless you want to refresh your memories. Otherwise, just skip to the photos section and be prepared to be grossed out by some of the before photos. It was quite depressing the first time I walked in, after the smokers had moved out. I don't think I've been that depressed for many a year. Ick.
The New Windows - lots of photos on this page!