Just because...

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I am not sure what the new health issues fully entail. So I can think about things a bit, if nothing else to get my mind off of the elephant in the room. While a complete kitchen renovation is out, almost no matter what happens due to time and money in even the most optimistic of scenarios, I can imagine doing some things to my home. Of course, even that is a bit tempered. Why invest money and time into a home I will not live in long enough to build wealth enough to receive a return, as things were once considered? Then again, if I will be here for even a few more years, why not do an improvement I would immensely enjoy so long as the upgrade doesn't impinge on my family. I need to make sure I save enough that travel and my final costs are taken care of with my money.

One of the things I keep considering is a kitchen island. No, not just a flat surface upon which to cut meat and vegetables, if that is also a large part of it. What I have in mind is an area with a gas stove top (easily attached, since the kitchen is right above the furnace, though that work would have to be subcontracted), a sink, and maybe a dining area, all in one chunk of island. Sure, a little fancy, but it would make the kitchen I have so much more functional and enjoyable. As is, part of my problem with keeping up with the kitchen cleaning is that I have to fight for every square inch of work space, and many of the design features are not relevant to my style of cooking (or cleaning).

The problem with this project, and of course there are always problems, is that the flooring is both old and uneven. I would have to consider stripping the current flooring down to the subflooring, looking that over and possibly doing some rebuilding, using one of several leveling products, then building a new level top flooring surface. While definitely a price consideration, with a little bit of ingenuity, elbow grease, and a little prudence in materials, I believe that could be done. Further, it would add to the kitchen with regards to function and pleasure of use in my own time, should my time be more than a few years. As to adding to value... by now, we should all know that little will add to the actual value (or should I say price?) of a home, save using solid gold and silver construction materials. Prices, everywhere, will either stay level or decrease for the foreseeable future, with rare exceptions. No, this is about adding something for myself and perhaps the next owners. Any improvements are a net loss, as is mere maintenance. But like home ownership itself, for me, it is not an economic consideration mostly (if ownership does save by being less than rent).

This might all be a pipe-dream, for all I know I have a very short time. And yet, I can't help but dream a little dream. Looking at diy sites, reviewing materials, techniques, and ideas, viewing pictures of completed projects, just to say I am doing something else beside simply considering health. I now have many, if not quite all, of the tools needed. I even have some limited experience and successful ones at that. Actually, I spend only what time is required regarding health, and then on peripherally. The crux of the problem seems to be a problem without a solution, so it is difficult to engage. He said, she said, while I drown in lung juice. Bah! Well, on to more research.