Setting Goals

With a project as large as a full house restoration, it's useful to have goals. The obvious end goal, "A finished house", seems so far away and, at times, unattainable, that smaller achievable goals are necessary to give something to work toward.

For the past few weeks, I've been considering what it would take to make my house suitable to rent out during the 2010 Olympics. Not the whole house - just rooms. Actually, the City of Vancouver says I can't rent out more than one room, and not to more than two people, without paying a fee and taking out a license. I don't think I want to get into that. So really, it's just "a room". I do have one room that, save for a couple of closet doors, is done:



So my goal is to make the house as presentable as possible, at least in the areas where guests would travel, to make it suitable to rent. All, of course, without crossing into work that needs the permits.

I don't know whether I'll go through with a rental, but I'd like to at least have that option. I'm setting a target of this fall to get things cleaned up and ready.

The two areas most in need of attention are the front hall/stairwell, and the front of the house. See for yourself:






And of course there's also the front yard! That won't matter though, because it'll all be under a blanket of snow in February, right? :)

Even if I get the house cleaned up, I'm not sure whether I actually want to rent it out. I have dogs and cats, so I'd pretty much have to stay at the house for the entire two weeks to ensure there are no problems between the renters and pets. And then there's the cleaning service, and I guess I'd need to supply a TV and cable - since they're here for the Olympics, they're probably going to want to watch events that they don't have tickets for.

What about you? Any Vancouverites thinking about renting out? And if you're visiting, would you consider staying in someone's else house (while they're there)?