I have not made a lot of progress in the past couple weeks, but I have moved this project forward.

• The utilities are now in my name – mostly. The water bill proved to be a bit of a bother; there was a leak before I bought the property, and matching bill which I think I have managed to avoid paying. Also it was kinda hard to get the power and sewer turned on given that neither I nor the utility companies were sure which unit in the duplex was which. I think I got it straightened out, but I will have to wait and see.
• I have managed to get two plumbers to take a look at the damaged pipes this week. Neither has given me an estimate yet, but I am have a good feeling that the work will get done by the time I have a weekend free and can go to out to West Virginia (the next two weekends are booked).
• I picked out the refrigerator and microwave for the kitchen of the habitable unit. They’re available from Lowes, which offers free delivery.
• I just got back from Lowes with the paint for the habitable unit.
• And I got more paint, a new mailbox, and house numbers at Home Depot.

Yes, I know that I am getting ahead of myself with the appliances, paint, and other stuff. I still need to clean the apartment before I can have the appliances delivered or paint the walls, and the plumbing has to be working before I can clean.

I just like the idea of getting the jobs lined up and ready to go so that when I can move forward, I will have more than enough to do. (Plus I like picking paint colors – it’s fun.)