I Am Now A Renovator - HELP!

I just became a renovator. Maybe I watched too many DIY shows on the TV. You know the ones? The ones that look horrible in the before picture and then magically turn into something spectacular in the 30 minutes the show was on. How hard can this be?

I purchased a "fixer upper" for an investment, since the stock market tanked and I wanted something else to try to make some money. I took my money clutched in my hands, and put it down on a semi detached in small town Ontario.

With the nightmare of going back and forth with offers, and then finally agreeing on a price, I got the keys last week, drove madly to the house, opened the door, and breathed in that "stale dead something rotting" smell you get from old carpets, and had a panic attack.

The thrill of the hunt and becoming a renovator were exciting, and I got what I wanted and paid what I thought was a fair price, and now as I stood inside the door and looked at every room that needs "something". I got my pad of paper to start a list, and I literally didn't know where to start!

It was cleared out, it had not been lived in for awhile. It was a "power of sale" and the previous owners, dealing with their own losses, just didn't have the heart to keep the property up anymore. I looked at the living room ceiling at the large hole, that had been cut at one time to repair and replace some plumbing under the upstairs bathroom, and the back patio door held closed with a stick.

The water had been shut off and drained (it is on town water) so was curious why, when I realized the bank that took ownership wanted little expense, and so turned the heat down to 50 degrees, so guess they figured the water pipes just might be affected, so drained them.

After I checked out each room, I forgot to write things down on my list and just kept staring at each room. My creative side was in "overload"

I went outside and crossed the street so I could see the roof. This house was built in 1972, and so was most of the neighborhood. A few neighbors were watching me, and the older one down the street, living in a similar cookie cutter house, tells me the furnace in there is 37 years old, and keeps on trucking! Amazing, I thought. I took my list and crossed off the cans of paint and wrote "FURNACE".

So, my life as a renovator has just begun, and today, with the help of my family, have started demolition. It is actually hard to come up with a list for all the eager helpers, without everyone bumping into each other. We started with the carpets OUT, (dressed like spacemen of course, did not want to breathe anything foreign) and moved on to stripping stick on tile, which is on top of more stick on tile, which is upon linoleum!

I hope they remain this energetic!. I myself, as the official renovator, am on shopping duty. (It is a hard job but someone has to do it!) armed with my lists, I am spending money, but trying not too spend too much, it is a fine line! I am now eating sleeping and thinking about my renovation project. I am getting a headache, maybe I should look at the stock market again!.