Tying up loose ends

In preparation for our move this summer, we still have to go through the procedures of selling the house. That means, even though we have a buyer, we still need to have an appraisal done of the property and an inspection. This means any items still on our "to do" list, that an inspector or appraiser might object to, we have to correct before they come through. 

This entailed getting a new roof on the garage.  Luckily that was already on my summer to do list and had a guy scheduled to do it even before we knew we would be moving.  He got it done in two days.  This would have been a good opportunity for me to learn a new skill, but I honestly didn't have the time.  I took pictures through the window because the dog would flip out if he saw them or if I went out there while they were working.  

Next I needed to power wash the garage and deck, so I could paint and reseal them.  We couldn't have any peeling paint on the property before the inspection.  Once again, this was on my summer to do list, it just got moved up by a couple months.  

As you can see, M put the first coat of paint on the garage, and J, who will be buying the house came over to help.  In addition to the paint, I put trim around the bottom of the garage.  

Also on the to do list was to replace the cracked, non-functioning basement windows.  J also did this repair and I tried to assist where I could.  

Are you exhausted yet?  We also began landscaping and re-doing the side yard.  This entailed digging up overgrown shrubs from the ornamental garden we started years ago, and moving the now mature plants to a bed up next to the house.  After the removal of those bushes, plus buying and planting a couple more, we also needed to plant young plants back in the ornamental garden to replace what we'd dug up.  I spent days digging up and sawing off old roots, and was properly sore for days afterwards.  I also finally installed window boxes to add more visual interest to the side of the house.

The other project I'd been wanting to try, was to build a brick path in front of the basement door on the side of the house.  I dug out, covered, sanded, and leveled, then had to rush the finish because a storm was moving in.  So after all that work, I have an uneven rise in the walk and will needed to go back and level it.  

We also had to begin cleaning up the yard waste piles scattered around the property, hauling stuff to the dump, and cleaning up the inside of the house.  Once the inspection is done I can begin the task of going through the house and purging things we don't need to move with us.  I'm not looking forward to all that.  So this is why I haven't been posting for a while.