I have been in the midst on renovating a house I bought this year and it has been a fun experience, having August off has really helped it getting things done. I have been my own general contractor and using my skills from building sites and online projects has been invaluable and saved me a boatload. Negotiating with contractors over timing and cost was second nature and all the decisions that need to be made from cabinet color to faucet style.
The story starts with a house in my summer community that was empty since 1986. It is small but enough and it is on the water, a beautiful tidal creek, Corey Creek. The house had no human occupant since 86 but a number of raccoons made it home for years, how many I am not sure but calculating the amount of raccoon poop in the house I would guess 3. On the first day I was given a tyvek suit as a joke and realized when opening the door for the first time it wasn't a joke but a necessity. Raccoons like to poop in sinks and on soft surfaces like beds and furniture. More about this later...the photos will show you where I started and what it looks like today all in 10 weeks.
