When you can't move...renovate!

So, we almost bought an apartment in a high-rise condominium. We made an excellent offer but were beaten out by another buyer who didn't have to unload an existing dwelling as part of the deal. The condo was pretty much exactly what we wanted, about 1300 sq. feet with a wrap-around balcony. It was light and airy and had a great view of our new downtown theatre. So, some sadness. But not quite as much as you might expect. We made the offer before finding out from our loan officer exactly how much our monthly payments would have been. I'm not saying we couldn't afford another $1,000 a month of payments and maintenance charges, but it would have been a bit of a lifestyle change for us.

Anyway, the upshot of all this, is that we have decided to spend our money on upgrading our current townhouse. We are putting in hardwood floors first, which is most likely going to be the major expense. By all rights, the kitchen should be the most expensive part, but we are seriously considering painting our existing melamine cabinets with a faux finish. We are going to practice on the bathroom cabinet to make sure it's not too labour intensive. (Trust me, when I say that I have learned it is occasionally better to spend money on a project that would otherwise lead to marital conflict.) Then we will use ceramic tile for the counters and backsplash instead of Corian or the like. I actually prefer ceramic and have some beautiful Talavera tiles to accent with, so both cheaper and prettier.

Those two projects (or three if you count the cabinets and tiles as two) will complete the main floor. Then we will start on the extra bedrooms and the basement. But that is a post for another day.