As the contractor told me, things seem to be moving a lot faster now. Mind you, they did come every day last week and even today, Saturday, so they would move faster than they did when they didn’t come for days at a time… I think that made all the difference.

During that time, they finished the security front door – it now has a handle and trim around it.

The hole was cut for the sink. The sink is in there now, I just didn’t take a photo of it in yet.

The kitchen has a tile backsplash (using leftover tiles from the downstairs kitchen) which have been grouted as well, a new rangehood and all cabinets are placed and have shelves inside.

Here is a pre-grout photo of the kitchen layout.

The kitchen is more like a kitchenette, but it is what it is. The renters can put in a small island bench or a butcher block on wheels to give them more counter space. The entire layout is a big awkward, but its spacious with a large living room/kitchen area and a nice sized bedroom. If it wasn’t for the focal point of the fireplace it would be a lot easier to arrange furniture, but the fireplace is there so it stays there.

This is the paragraph of things left to do from last time:

So, what’s left to do? Well… tile the backsplash, tile the bathroom walls, grout all tiling, put in the bathroom fixtures, cut and place the sink in the kitchen bench, put in the cabinet with the rangehood in the kitchen, put lights in the bedroom, the entrance, the hallway and bathroom, replace the exterior banister cause its rotten and it was pointed out that it’s too low and dangerous so we need to make it higher (we should really replace the entire banister but I can’t afford that on top of it all!), finish plastering the walls, paint the whole apartment and entrance/stairwell, put a guard on the stairwell, put a divider between this apartment balcony and the next apartment, put in all plugs and light switches, remove all rubbish and sand and polish the parquet floor, replace all the little spot lights in the living room with LED spots (all 41 of them!), remove the old curtain rods cause people will apparently want to choose their own window coverings, put in the new door and frame, put handles on both bedroom and hallway door, put in the new windows, fix the little rollers under the aluminum balcony windows, put a coat rack behind the front door, paint the fire guard cause its stained (my job), put a light under the kitchen bench, service the air conditioner, clean/tidy/mend the fireplace and replace the copper engraving dad had made for the front, put in a new doorbell…

The bits crossed out have been done, the bits in the funny type are being reconsidered or being handled differently. For example, we decided to just mend/fix the banister on the balcony and not remove the curtain rods, just the curtains. That makes way more sense. And I’m not putting dad’s engraving back on the fireplace. And light globes have been ordered as they are a totally different size and shape to spots available these days…

Today the guy did the first coat of plastering (I believe its what Americans call ‘drywall’? It’s a smooth coat placed over plasterboard to prep the wall for painting.) On Monday he’ll do the second coat, then tile the bathroom walls (presumably also put in the bathroom fixtures) and prep for painting the place.

After that I’m not sure, but they’ll organise the floor guy to come and when the windows and hallway door arrive, they’ll put those in.

Meanwhile I’ll be on Paros waiting on progress updates.

Lainee, as usual, oversaw the whole process to make sure it was all done properly.

z

Well, it has progressed since the last time I was here, but not as much as I’d have hoped.

When asked, I’m told it will be finished before Easter (2 weeks), but then… we need to order the new windows and they take 3 weeks apparently. UGH.

My fault really. I’d asked my engineer to look into windows, prices etc and then I forgot to follow up. So now the contractor needs to order them, and we have to wait.

sigh.

For that I can’t blame him…

There is still a lot to be done and I’m despairing. I have no income coming in right now and I need to get it rented.

Here is what’s been done so far:

The bathroom floor has been tiled but not grouted, the shower recess has been created with a little step, the walls are being prepared for tiling, a hole awaits the new window, which is now smaller and square and no longer arched. I hate arches.

Yes. The window is in the shower. I’ve never understood that reasoning, but in Greece its very common. Makes no sense to me, but here it’s, like, everywhere! Hence the window we’re ordering will be PVC.

The arched doorway and the swinging doors are a thing of the past. Now. We hadn’t decided whether to get rid of the doors or not. Today I decided they had to go. Now we need a frame and proper door for there. Have I mentioned I hate archways?

You can see the new cupboard in the back of the little hallway (bathroom to the left). Lainee inspected it and approved.

The little hallway has the same tiles as the bathroom, waiting to be grouted.

The little bookcase to the side of the fireplace is ready, I didn’t take a photo of it after the knob was put on the door at the bottom, but you get the idea.

The ceiling in the bedroom has been plastered, covering the timber ceiling. Mainly cause there was no way to isolate the spot-lighting from the entire living room. So, a simple light fitting will go in there.

This is the living room ceiling. Dad had a passionate love affair with timber. It’s too much for me personally, but it was too beautiful to destroy.

The bedroom wardrobe has all its new handles (this pic was taken in the morning before the ceiling went up).

So, what’s left to do? Well… tile the backsplash, tile the bathroom walls, grout all tiling, put in the bathroom fixtures, cut and place the sink in the kitchen bench, put in the cabinet with the rangehood in the kitchen, put lights in the bedroom, the entrance, the hallway and bathroom, replace the exterior banister cause its rotten and it was pointed out that it’s too low and dangerous so we need to make it higher (we should really replace the entire banister but I can’t afford that on top of it all!), finish plastering the walls, paint the whole apartment and entrance/stairwell, put a guard on the stairwell, put a divider between this apartment balcony and the next apartment, put in all plugs and light switches, remove all rubbish and sand and polish the parquet floor, replace all the little spot lights in the living room with LED spots (all 41 of them!), remove the old curtain rods cause people will apparently want to choose their own window coverings, put in the new door and frame, put handles on both bedroom and hallway door, put in the new windows, fix the little rollers under the aluminum balcony windows, put a coat rack behind the front door, paint the fire guard cause its stained (my job), put a light under the kitchen bench, service the air conditioner, clean/tidy/mend the fireplace and replace the copper engraving dad had made for the front, put in a new doorbell…

I’m sure there’s more I forgot.

I’m broke.

And I have another apartment to renovate… And I’m too old for a sugar daddy…

z

I’m on Paros and the work on the apartment has stalled again.

Not that they pay much attention to me when I’m there, mind you, but once again my calls go unanswered and my messages unread.

They worked 1 or 2 days last week, then they were meant to be working today but weren’t.

sigh.

I did manage to get these photos of progress however…

The kitchen cabinets in place (we used cabinets from the old kitchen cause they’re in great shape, solid timber doors, made by Miele). We decided to leave room for an upright stove as I’m told most renters have their own. Unlike in Australia where the stove goes with the house. Here tenants have to bring their own stove, fridge and washing machine.

The kitchen its small – but will be practical. There will be room for a table or an island bench. The sink hasn’t been put in yet, neither has the cabinet with the rangehood.

There is a door on the bedroom. And a security door has replaced the old front door.

The gap between the wall and fireplace where the dumb waiter was for firewood, has been replaced by a narrow shelf unit. This is where the phone and internet lines come into the house, so its where the router will sit.

Apparently they ripped the rest of the tiles off the bathroom walls to prepare it for the new ones.

That’s it.

They tell me we’re on the home stretch now.

hmph. I gotta see it to believe it. At this stage I feel like throwing a tantrum.

The bar is still there. After weeks of talking and ‘organising’ the guy who wanted it backed out so I had to relist it. Someone is set to pick it up tomorrow (IF the crew comes to work cause they have my key and mom has taken hers with her to go stay with her sister for a week, and we need the key to get the bar down that staircase – long story…)

So, theoretically, they’ll be back working tomorrow, he’ll answer the phone or read my messages telling him what I want/need (the keys for instance), and the bar will be picked up…

I can dream, can’t I?

I’m planning to go back to Athens this weekend as mom needs me there to drive her to a doctor’s appointment. She normally does this stuff on her own, but this time she was told she needed an escort.

So, back to Athens again. This time I would like to hope the house is as close to finished as I can get it before I return so I can leave it to be cleaned and listed for rent with an agent.

sheesh.

I can’t afford all these trips back and forth.

z

The electricals have been taking forever, but I think they’ve finally sorted them out. The new electrical board for apartment 1 is almost finished and the holes in the walls are mostly filled.

The shower recess has been delineated and the window removed while we wait for a new, smaller one.

Next week I’m told they’ll start plastering walls and tiling. I hope.

Meanwhile, Lainee has been unwell. She’s been acting fine, always hungry as usual and her sweet self… but her gut hasn’t been happy. First she woke me up to go outside and poop for 3 days in a row. So I cooked boiled rice and chicken breast and she seemed to settle a bit. No more waking me up in the middle of the night… But the soft/slimy or runny poop continues days later.

So I took her to one of the local vets. They checked her over and gave me gastrointestinal diet food, some syrup to aid digestion, probiotics and antibiotics. They recommended it was time to get a heart ultrasound again and get her insides checked at the same time. That appointment is for next Tuesday. Hopefully she’ll be better by then, and hopefully its nothing more than some kind of bacterial infection.

After that I should be able to go back home for a while. The guys say they’ll keep working, and fingers crossed they will, ’cause I really want this reno finished.

z

A friend sent me that in a message… I sent it to the contractor… Think he’ll get the hint?

The last few days he’s been coming in alone for 2-3 hours a day. He’s been concreting and cementing holes in walls. I understand. All that needs to dry in order for the walls to be finished and the kitchen to be put in or the bathroom to be done. It makes sense.

At least the big stuff like isolating water and electricity is done.

Of course, hard to explain that to mom who sees one man come in at 8am and leave at 10.30am…

The photos below were taken before he began filling holes in walls.

Meanwhile, I don’t know when the cement will be dry enough for them to begin working on the bathroom or floors… I do know there is at least one more step before they begin tiling or plastering…

Next week I’m thinking. Its already Thursday and history has shown that they don’t come in on the weekends.

I’m considering going to Paros in about a week for a couple of weeks. I’ve got 2 customers waiting for grooming which, on their own, is not worth going home for. The cost of tickets won’t be covered by 2-3 grooms. But I miss my own space and my work and there is plenty to do there. Not so much left to be done here. I just want to make sure they’re on a good track towards finishing before I go… Or perhaps I should go now, before they get to the nitty gritty…

I don’t know. Indecision raises its ugly head again.

z

ps… if you read this prior to me picking up the error in the title, I have a good excuse: the g on my keyboard sticks. Sorry! If you didn’t, please ignore this.

You know what they say – when the cats away the mice will play. Or, in this case, when Zefi is away construction comes to a screeching halt.

However, a few things were done while I was away. Lets remember the hallway as it was:

And as it is now;

This section of the floor will be tiled the same as the bathroom, and a dividing wall will go up to split the house into 2 apartments. You can’t see it, but the ceiling is half pulled down too, in order to get to the electrical cables.

This will be the new electrical panel for apartment 1.

This is the bathroom before –

And this is the bathroom now…

This was the dining area before –

This is the dining area now…

At least the other side is starting to take shape with a nice big wardobe.

Here is the fireplace with a dumb waiter for firewood and the dining area to the left –

Here is is now, with room for narrow shelves to the left and the bedroom wall.

The bar was removed here, and the door to the kitchen and glass brick eyesore was blocked in to make space for a kitchen.

That’s it.

More destruction at this stage than actual construction. However, I know you have to make a mess to make something good, so I’m not worried. Not about the mess… I am worried about timing though.

And I’m constantly worried about whether I’m doing the right thing or not… is it better to invest money into this house in order to have a rental income, or would I have been better off to sell it and use the money to invest in whatever on Paros since that’s where growth is…

Too late now I guess. I’ve committed to this. I will have an income from here to take the stress of having to get a REAL job in order to survive, and I can always sell in the future if it comes to it.

z

Its moving along. Slowly but surely.

The big stuff is being tackled – we now have a bedroom in what was a huge living room. The bar has been moved aside and is looking for a new home – a huge task cause who has room for a big bar these days? Greece isn’t like Australia where men have man caves to hang out in.

The huge couch has been gifted to my cousin but now she’s having second thoughts. I’ve listed both on FB market place but no takers so far. sigh.

The walls have been wired for outlets and light switches. The kitchen layout has been designed using cabinets from the old kitchen and a new benchtop.

The executive decision was taken to not install a cooktop and oven since it would mean I need to buy an underbench oven as well. I bought the cooktop (long story*) but if I simply leave space for an upright stove, I save money.

*The cooktop story: I was originally going to just patch up the house as it was so I bought a double electric hob to replace the broken one. Then I decided to remove the double gas hob as well (since it meant carrying gas bottles up and down), so swapped the 2 burner to a 4 burner all electric hob. Now I’m not putting a stove in at all, I need to return that now and buy something else I need… or get a store credit. Or money back (unlikely). Still, thats ok. At some stage I’ll need a new laptop…

Why is it that money spent already feels like bonus money when you want to buy something else? I wonder if I want an air fryer? Or one of those glass oven thingies which Wayne used so much in Australia. The call those robot ovens here… hmmm. Or a food dehydrator… I dont NEED anything like that… but do I want it? … hmmm.

Nah. A new laptop would be the better bet! Something to take the place of this ancient tablet – more efficient, more flexible, small enough to travel with, and with the ability to connect to the large monitor I have at home.

Anyway, back to reno matters… Unlike in Australia where houses are rented WITH a stove but without a fridge and washing machine, here a renter usually brings his own stove, fridge and washing machine unless you rent a place as furnished. I do have a washing machine, an old fridge and microwave I could provide to a renter if they didn’t have their own, but most people have their own, hence… saves me a bit of money right now.

On Sunday I return to Paros for a while. I want to go home for a bit. I’ve been living in a construction site since I got here before Christmas. And soon as I leave, the only working bathroom upstairs will be demolished and rebuilt. Ideally there will be a new, working bathroom by the time I return… though, since the only furnished bedrooms will be on the other side of sealed walls… I don’t think I’ll be able to shower upstairs any more. ugh.

Renovations are such hard work.

z

I’ve been up to my earlobes in yet another renovation. Reno no.6 to be exact. This time its the upstairs house, the house we lived in as a family the longest.

To be precise the ‘house’ is a building of 3 residences currently. Originally the duplex my mother and aunt built on a piece of land they bought in the 50s. When we first returned to Greece in 1970 we lived in mom’s side of the duplex – a small two bedroom place with a tiny dark kitchen which is the place I renovated for mom last year. Given we needed more room than the little apartment, dad built a large apartment/house on top.

It was built in the 70s and we moved into it in 1978. You can guess the decor. Wallpapered throughout. Wall to wall carpet (in different colours and textures in different rooms…) and carpet in the kitchen!!!!! You heard right. Don’t ask me what dad was thinking.

I was too young to know or care about the design or layout of the house so I can’t take any blame for it. The original design was for 2 apartments but dad changed it and created one large house of 143m2. All he did basically, was turn the smaller upstairs apartment in the plans into one humongous living/dining room with a mammoth bar and fireplace.

The rest of the house is one decent sized bedroom with an ensuite with access from the hallway to double as a guest bathroom, a very big kitchen, a large bathroom and 2 small bedrooms, one not much bigger than a walk in closet. And a very long hallway.

Dad’s admiration of ‘the way things were done’ in Australia led to a suspended floor over the concrete slab, with plumbing and wiring underneath the chipboard underfloor.

He also loved wood. In all its natural stained glory. And marble. So the house is full of dark stained wood doors and wardrobe doors, mahogany wall units, oregon front door and swinging doors from the living room to the hallway and kitchen, timber ceilings, a parquet floor in the living room, and all timber kitchen cupboard doors. And a masterpiece onyx marble fireplace.

People lived differently in the 70s and 80s. At least we did. My parents had guests over for dinner and parties all the time. Mom still has place settings for 30 or more people, because they needed them then. No one I know has parties like that any more, and there’s not much call for a living/dining room of that size these days.

It was a beauty of a house in the 70s.

It did not age well.

Dad passed away in 1996 and not much was done to the house since. Small bits of maintenance. My brother lived here for a few years so he stripped wallpaper and painted the living room and one bedroom, I did another, some appliances were replaced, air conditioners were put in, but on the whole, the place is still more or less as it was when dad was still alive.

I’ve spent months stressing over what to do with the house… To keep it as one large apartment or split it into two apartments. Since 2 smaller apartments would be easier to rent given the unconventinal layout, it makes sense. However, its a lot of work, time and expense… Mom almost had me convinced to just ‘do a quick fix up job and rent it as it for now’… meaning get some money coming in, even if its under market value.

I was all set to do the slap dash job. I even got a painter to come in and paint the house – he even painted the bathtub and double sinks in the big bathroom.

A waste of money as it turns out, cause when we removed the old carpet I found that the underflooring was going to need fixing before any new flooring could be put down… and why pay to put in new flooring now, since I planned to split the house into 2 apartments eventually? It would be a bigger waste of money.

Since the underfloor needs replacing in the main part of the house, may as well do all plumbing needed while its up… and move the kitchen to a better place in the house now… well, in phase two of this reno. Just patching the underfloor and putting in new flooring only to have to rip it up at a later date when splitting the house in two would be stupid.

Maybe I’m just too fussy. I don’t know. I’m trying to do this renovation on a budget, but I keep wanting it to also be nice. I want to rent a place I’d happily live in myself. Does that make sense? Not really, as you can see by the photos how badly the house had deteriorated over the years, yet we still lived in it. I guess I just want to feel justified in asking for a decent rent.

The living/dining room is now becoming a single apartment with one bedroom, an open plan kitchen/living/dining area with the fireplace,a small bathroom which needs to be updated, and a hallway closet. I am going to re-use cabinets from the old kitchen in order to save money cause they’re in great condition. It has a large balcony that wraps around 2 sides of the house, large windows on both sides with views of the mountain, its own entrance and a parquet floor which will not need to be replaced, just refinished. It should be a nice place, despite the overkill of timber… There is more than enough to do without adding painting or replacing the ceiling.

Did I mention I quit my job so I can concentrate on grooming and art? After spending months in Athens overseeing renovations, naturally. Rental income will be VERY handy right now.

z

PS. Enjoy the photos, click to enlarge for the full horror.

So, not much is happening. The guys came to work Thursday and Friday as well but knocked off early to ‘buy buy materials’ both days… Mom said that’s bull”$*&, they could shop early in the morning.

Sure. I know that. But what can I do?

Now, this is a long weekend, so nothing will be done till next Tuesday. If they come on Tuesday, of course…

I’m keeping myself busy by trying to get some stuff checked off my list. Yesterday I tried to clean the brass plate which was on the front of our fireplace. Lemon and baking soda Dr Google suggested. It kinda worked… but not really. Next is cleaning the fireguard, but if that also fails I’m just gonna spray paint it with fireplace black. No more messing about.

Mom wants me to finish the last of the 4 chairs I re-covered for the kitchen, so gotta get onto that… A job for tomorrow.

I spent 2 afternoons sorting through Dad’s slides… Over 1000 of them! I’ve sorted them into general piles: Australia, Greece in general and Paros. And a box of slides to give away or throw away… unless I can think of a recycling project for them. Yes, I’ve done things with negatives and xrays before so I could do something with slides… but do I really want to hold onto a ton of stuff I might on day have time to do something with?

Up till recently, that was my life… Now… I’m not sure.

So, that’s my exciting life. Hope you all are having fun!

z