I would install the drywall tape and she would sand during the day, each progressive layer of spackle as we had time to do it. Those days and nights were also used to install an entirely new plumbing and electrical system, one room at a time. This took some very careful planning to make sure the wiring home runs to the main electrical panel were always left long enough; plumbing ends were left for the baseboard heat in the proper place for the next room to connect and so on.

Rooms that were going to get major changes like door or window Small Wood Stove Guys were left to the end as much as possible. That first year we tried to get as many window panes replaced as we could before winter set it or so we thought. With 54 windows and many of the wind panes smashed this was no small chore. We started replacing the old wood sash with new vinyl windows but this too was quite expensive so that work progressed as our budget allowed.

Thanksgiving weekend was coming up real fast and we had been in the house only since late August. We decided to try and get some rooms ready for my in laws to be able to stay over that four day weekend. Both my father in law and brother in law were hunters and deer season opens the week before Thanksgiving. They would come and hunt in the early mornings and then help with some of the bigger tasks during the day. Great idea.

My wife did all she could do to make some bedrooms ready. None had heat but they all had plenty of blankets. That Thanksgiving, only the kitchen, one living room and the dining room had heat from the wood stove. With the ovens going all day long, the rooms were nice and toasty. Thanksgiving Day came and we had a great one, Turkey, all the trimmings, in-laws and the kids. We had made quite a bit of progress on the inside of the house and in our spare time we had managed to make a decent parking area and clear a good sized area around the house. These areas would at a later date become all lawn areas. We played cards with sweaters on (some of the ladies also had blankets as well) until late that night but all in all everyone had a great time.