Pausing to catch my breath a bit...

I'm sort of thinking a bit on the work ahead for me.  Still several things I need to get done around the house.  I've gotten my roof fixed (it was 16+ years old and in pretty sad shape), though my brother and his partner in the job still have to come put in the new skylight that was part of that job.  That was the biggest task that had to be accomplished, besides the HVAC system issues that also needed to be resolved.  That issue is still one that burns my butt and makes me want to sue the bejeezus out of the knuckleheads that were servicing my HVAC system.  That they missed the fact that my ductwork wasn't sealed up as it should have been and was basically falling apart below my home is beyond maddening.  I paid good money to a duct-monkey to get down there and check it out and see why there was no air flow through my ducts and he supposedly crawled around all over under there.  Except, well, he obviously didn't.  Now about 7 months later, I've paid someone else good money to get under the home and fix it and it does -- knock on wood and pray to the gods of luck -- seem to be fixed.

So, what's left to get done?  I've gotta replace a shower stall in my bathroom.  It had been replaced several years back (5 - 7 years?) but sadly the floor of it cracked much like the tub that was there and had to be replaced.  My wife was not a small lady.  As I would have joked, it took a big woman to have a heart that big.  She was a skinny girl when I married her, but she put on weight over the years (as did I) and those extra pounds added stress to the floors and such in the home.  Anyway, the current shower stall needs to be replaced and while I'm at it I'll be reinforcing the floor under it (which is also part of the reason that the floor of the tub and shower stalls had cracked).  While doing that work, I'm also hoping to put new flooring down in that bathroom.  By the time I'm done I'll wind up with one floor over the other which should also help insulate that floor nicely.

After that work is done, I also have to work on putting in new counter tops in my kitchen.  The ones that are there are not in horrible shape, but there are some gaps along the wall behind my sink and that wall is horrible, having soaked up grease and water over the years (the kitchen wall covering in my home is cheap paper over drywall... because it's a mobile home they seemed to have used that material as it helps in fire resistance).  I'm gonna put on a good layer of Killz and then cover the top of the surface with a metal panel of some sort (I think) that would be wipeable and wouldn't soak up the grease.  With the walls painted and covered, and the counters replaced, it'll be time to turn my attention to the flooring in that area.  Again, I'm looking to reinforce that flooring and then cover it with something nice that should again help insulate the home.

Besides those items, I need to put down new flooring in my living room/dining room and in my Florida room.  The Florida room will be done last, but the living room/dining room needs something new soon.  I think it'll get the same treatment as the kitchen and bathroom should be getting.

With those things done, I think the home should be pretty nice again, but then I'm reminded that I also have to get the ceiling texture work redone/touched up.  Bleh.

I'm also trying to figure out how to add on a screened porch/patio.  If it's not terribly expensive, I'm gonna get it done.  A 3-seasons room is the goal.  Perhaps a year round room if I run some electricity out there, though it would likely be more expensive than I want to spend.  I guess I have to see what a contractor can do for me there.

My daughter would love for that room to get done soon though as I've said that if we get a room like that she could have a cat since the cat could stay "outside" while still being well sheltered.  Really, I'd love a cat myself, but until my son is out of the home we can't have one around because his allergies wouldn't tolerate it long term.  I'm hopeful that perhaps the use of air freshening fans would help there, and may yet proceed with cats that way, but we'll have to see.

Oh well, I need to turn my attention to some training that I should be working on soon.  Myself and a co-worker are going to work through some together.  Hopefully that will go well, but this is just the beginning, so I could use some luck there too.