Floor installs

My partner Kevin and I moved into the guesthouse on his parents’ property on February 26th of this year, 2024. It has two bedrooms and a large living area in between the two bedrooms, with a small kitchen and bathroom. When we moved in, the floor was unfinished and all of this wood laminate flooring was in one of the rooms. Kevin’s parents used to have a man that worked for them (this man also used to live in this guesthouse) and he “owes them”. So part of paying them back would be to come and install this flooring. A few months ago, he installed the flooring in only the living room but left the two bedrooms unfinished. 

A couple weeks ago, my 17 year old daughter told me that she wants to live with me again once she turns 18. She will be 18 in June of 2025, 8 months away from now. My daughter went to live with her father shortly after I moved back in with my parents in 2019. I moved back home due to the financial devastation that finishing my degree caused (I have huge college regret).  My daughter was not used to the way my parents handled the most minor conflicts imaginable- by yelling, screaming and cursing. She wanted to go and live with her dad, and I didn’t object. Living with my parents is like living in a war zone. My daughter not only misses the pre-college degree, pre-panic attacks me, but she is also ecstatic that I found love and is over the moon seeing me happy. She blurted out a couple weeks ago that she really likes

Kevin, and that she likes me with him. I didn’t even have to ask!  And with her turning 18 in June, she is free to do as she wishes and she wants to come and live here when she is not staying in her dorm in college. 

For that reason, Kevin and I really want to finish the flooring in our house. The man that used to work for his parents hasn’t been able to come. So we tried to hire a man we found on the Nextdoor app. But he never showed up!  That was disappointing. I actually think he was under the influence the day he was supposed to come over. We then got kind of busy with the inventory service, and by the time the busy spurt was done, Kevin decided he wanted to try the flooring himself. 

Below is the room that is going to be my daughter’s room, with the stack of wood laminate tile:

Here’s the other bedroom, me and Kevin’s room, before we started laying the tile: 

 

Our cat Mitchell chilling on some foam left on the table:

Kevin installing the floor tiles while I assisted:

Working on our bedroom first gives us the opportunity to clear out as much tile as it takes from the other bedroom before we start on the other bedroom floor. From here on out, every other paycheck of mine is going to go to something the room needs in order to make it suitable to live in- first of all being an AC unit. My daughter’s birthday is June 11th, and if she doesn’t leave for college for at least a couple months, then those are the most miserable months. I’m also buying us a replacement AC unit for our bedroom. Towards the end of the summer, it seemed to be struggling. 

I also want to look for antique furniture for her, and her own little mini fridge which will be stocked with her favorite drinks and snacks on her birthday.  Not to mention a nice room rug. 

It’s going to be a process, but I’m looking forward. I can’t wait to “get my baby back”. Someday I’ll blog more about how the decision to go back to school and get my degree actually caused me to lose everything instead of giving me “a better life” like everyone said it would. I’ve been fixing my life on my terms my own way, though.  I don’t take advice very easily anymore. I’m very conscious about what will work for me and what won’t.