Tracey and I have been back and forth, back and forth, on when to get started on taking care of some major upgrades on the house that have been long overdue, and today we decided to take the dive. A few months ago we had gotten a quote of $12K from a company called Western States Flooring, but they didn’t seem all that interested in us, and, I was pretty lukewarm about the whole thing. Then, during my Vegas weekend a few weeks ago (it already seems like a year!), one of my Goodboys friends, Doggy Duval, told me he thought I could do better than that, so we decided to table the discussion for a while.

This week, however, one of Tracey’s co-workers gave her a “wow!” recommendation for a company called Grizzle Flooring, so we decided to give them a call. From their visit and ‘design session” today, it was clear these were the kind of guys we could work with. Not only did they display extensive experience working with our particular layout, but they were very accommodating and willing to guide us with ideas as to what would work within our present arrangement and budget, and what wouldn’t.

So, after going over all the options we decided to take the leap. For 9K, not only are we going to have all the floors re-done with a combination of porcelain tile and wood laminate, but all the furniture, appliance, and toilet moves are included, as well as disposal of all the old carpet and ceramic tile material. In addition, we’re also having the side of our kitchen island that faces the living room, presently just painted in a boring beige, covered with a really exciting glass tile coating.

We’re pretty excited about getting this work done. Not only does this mean the end of the cheap gray carpet, which was ugly before the rabbits (especially The Little Bitch) began to systematically tear it apart, but it also gives us a chance to truly remake this house into our own identity. With the house now nearly twenty years old (we’ve been here over six), it’s long past time for an upgrade. And with real estate values being what they are, you have to keep up with the Joneses, and this will be a positive first step.

And another thing: as it turns out, the Grizzles also do bathroom restorations, and since our master bath was to be next on the to-do list, we also got some great ideas about what to do there. Rather than trying to push a hugely expensive complete re-do, Jeff Grizzle offered up some ideas about how best to work with what we already have and incorprate that into a new tiled shower design. This will ultimately save us more $ in the long run, $ that will ultimately go to replacing all the counter tops, kitchen appliances, the back slider, and all the windows.

There’s a lot of work to be done, but at least we’ve decided to get off the schnide and take the first step forward. Work is scheduled to begin in 2-3 weeks, so watch this spot for exciting before-and-after photos. It ought to be interesting.