So I’m thinking not living in the house during the whole of the renovation. For one, renovation takes longer when trying to keep the place livable. I lived through the renovation of the kitchen and that was a mess. Cooking on a hotplate, dust everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE! Also you have to make it so that the guys can do whatever it is that they are supposed to do without your crap being in the way. So I’m looking around the house and thinking of getting rid of my stuff. Well the stuff I’m not willing to put into storage.
For most of my adult life I moved every 2 years, which kept me from accumulating lots of crap. I would have to seriously wonder if I really wanted to pack X and move X and unpack X. Since I believe a renovation would take a while I’m going to have to store my things and a lot of what I have isn’t worth storing. The fiberboard dresser, the 10 year old futon, the $15 computer desk, cheap IKEA chairs, the table I found on the sidewalk…. not worth the hassle of moving and storing. They so scream Goodwill.
Oh, and as a side note, I found a structural engineer and made an appointment so he can come out and tell me how I can keep the house standing for another 100 or so years. Just because a house has been standing for over 100 years, don’t assume it’s just going to continue to do so.