Pre-Closing 'To-Do' list

We have been 'over the top' busy the last few days. One thing we have learned from our past experiences is that you can never 'over-prepare' for any renovation. As a result, we are spending a lot of time prepping before our closing happens. (Also,  I am insanely impatient and don't want to live in a construction zone too long)

1. Tweaked our budget. We REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to stay on budget because we do not have a lot of flexibility. Therefore, we also need to account for every last penny spent (even for the nails!)

2. Rob researched and ordered most of our tools and the materials for the first few tasks we will be doing. Rob discovered that Amazon has better deals on a lot of the tools, and the shipping cost is better than most places. We also ordered our supplies for the demo, framing and drywall, so that we can save some money on delivery.  (Most big box stores charge one fixed charge for each trip, so we bulked up the order. We also used Rob's 10% military discount)

3. Created drawings for our demo plan, electric, plumbing and HVAC plans. Thanks to Rob's skills with Visio, we are skipping the architect. P.S. Visio 2010 is being tested, so you can download the Beta for free here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ee390821.aspx. Can you tell that I love FREE!

4. Created work plans for our renovation with timelines etc. One can WISH that we will be on time with everything yeah!

5. Scheduled an energy audit with DC (Because it is FREE! Well, I am sure my crazy property taxes need to count for something). They give you a really great report that will give us good ideas on how to organize our renovating. You can apply here for an energy audit here: http://www.ddoe.dc.gov/ddoe/cwp/view,a,1209,q,492761.asp

6. We spent the day yesterday covering up our lovely floors with builder's paper, so that they don't get too worn from Demo and renovations. We also cleaned out one bathroom that we can use. That took a lot of elbow grease- because it was GROSS! But, we need a functioning bathroom during reno.

7. And finally, we have been watching WAY TOO MUCH Do It Yourself Network.
http://www.diynetwork.com/

That's the update... for now!

p.s. We have been able to get so many resources from other bloggers who have been willing to share, and have developed some good systems for planning our renovation. If you would like to get a copy of some of our spreadsheets/planning tools/budget sheets etc- shoot me an e-mail. We will be happy to share.