For years (even before we moved to Portugal) we have maintained lists of home improvement projects we are contemplating. We try to keep the list prioritized based on necessity, but also try to add small or weekend projects which we can easily complete ourselves.

After the initial renovations on our house were done, we had immediately started the list and it had three large projects: a kitchen remodel, terrace tile replacement, and a garage interior remodel. The garage interior (where we still store lots of things) was high on the list because there was some water leaking inside and we wanted that stopped ASAP.

Late last fall we asked the engineer who did the original work on the house to assess the garage leak, he identified the problem as being primarily related to the terraces. Over the years the tiles had been pushed askew and the caulking had worn away so water was leaking into the garage from the middle terrace and potentially into the kitchen area inside the house from the upper terrace. With that in mind we knew which major project was at the top of the list!

The engineer explained that his team would need at least a few weeks with no rain on the forecast to complete the project, which unfortunately meant it probably couldn’t happen until this summer. Thankfully we had made sure to lift everything off the garage floor and were able to limit any water damage to our property.

We also wanted two electrical outlets installed outside, a second hose fitting for a potential kitchenette on the lower terrace, and new outside light fixtures (one was currently just a bare bulb). We were given and agreed to an estimated cost after hiking across town and picking out terrace tiles. Originally we thought about getting tiles with colorful design work, but after speaking to the employees at the shop we were convinced that our focus should be on high quality anti-slip tiles. This did limit our choice to very basic color, but we also realized that too much design on those tiles could be distracting, instead we added an accent wall to our future project list.

Just after mid-May the weather was starting to clear up. We were given a day for the work to start and got very excited with the prospect of the project potentially being finished by Michelle’s birthday mid-summer! In a stroke of amazing luck the day before construction began our neighbors who had a dog that barked whenever anything happened in the neighborhood (including things like us leaving the house or sitting on our terrace) unexpectedly moved out. This was fortunate because the dog, Kika, would have barked constantly during the project.

The project started out great with demolition of the old tiles going smoothly, but just before the new tile could be laid, we got unexpected rain. Everything paused so that the terrace could dry out. Work started again in a couple weeks and we could finally start to see how everything would look once it was complete.

It was only at this point that we relooked at our main terrace and focused on the one thing that wasn’t changing – an old well access point and water tank. This contraption blocked off a 4’ by 9’ area near the front door. Even our neighbor asked why we were keeping it if we didn’t use it.

For the first time I decided to poke around inside of it. First, I realized that the water tank was actually full of brackish standing water and mosquito eggs. Gross. There was a maze of pipes going in and out of the system so I started turning things on and off. I was able to drain the water, then realized our city supplied water was set to automatically fill the basin if the well pump was turned off. Obviously I immediately turned that off next.

The old outdoor socket didn’t work, so I dragged an extension cord to the pump and tried turning it on. It seemed like it kind of worked, as water sprayed out of it onto the ground. Even if we were going to use the system we would need the pump repaired, water tested, and would have to find a reason to use the collected water.

Our engineer came around that day and I apologetically brought up the idea of removing and capping the old well. He agreed to do it, but warned us that we would have to buy some extra tiles which would have to be ordered, adding on at least a week or two to the project. It didn’t take us long to agree to this change. The workers grumbled a bit since they were looking forward to finishing, but overall things worked out since we got a few more rain showers in the days ahead.

Just like with our house, the team did an amazing job. The care taken around the tricky side bits was fantastic, replacing multiple types of old tiles into a new cohesive installment. All the paint was touched up around the work and even in some other areas where it had chipped or faded.

There was some back and forth and added time at the end because the grout residue wasn’t cleaning up easily, but that was resolved around the same time the electrician and plumber were scheduled for their final tasks.

Unfortunately the project ended up going until August 14th, past both my and Michelle’s birthdays. Because we weren’t always sure what days the workers would be coming, we ended up spending much of the summer close to home.

We love the clean look of our new terraces and all the fixtures are excellent! Thankfully we have plenty of “at home” hobbies, plus our furry menagerie, so a summer in the house wasn’t really that big of a deal and it gave me time to practice using my new grill.

Even though our cupboards are askew and we’d like some more space and a much better oven, we’ve learned to appreciate our kitchen, so a remodel is currently low on our priority list. In a year or two we may consider tackling the garage as our next big project. We have dreams of transitioning it from being almost totally storage into having a large recreation area, unless we break down and buy a car during that time.

Did you get any projects finished this year? Share with us in the comments!