Each year we'll try to do one major improvement to keep A & J Villas as nice in the future as it is today. This page will highlight the current project with pictures and stories of our experiences.

October 22, 2001 November 5 2001 November 18, 2001 December 2, 2001 January 7, 2002 January 28, 2002 February 20, 2002 March 17, 2002 May 20, 2002

May 20, 2002
The summer season begins this coming weekend so this better be the last installment of the renovation for this year or I'm in big trouble. We began moving the furniture back into the rooms - that's progress. We also have a working kitchen sink free of leaks - another good thing. We are going to be busy cleaning but the hardest part is over! The Plush Chamber (the lighthouse apartment) has gotten quite a face lift and next year (we hope) will complete the process making it a whole new apartment.

We have also tried to do a bit to make the common area (namely the patio) a little better and so we've bought a new grill and picinic table. Next year who knows but one thing is certain we'll always think of ways to make A&J Villas better.

March 17, 2002
It's been a while since we've updated this section but we wanted to get a good chunk done so that it looked like we've been working hard. Actually we have been making steady progress and may even be ahead of schedule.

Even though we disagreed on the color, we compromised and finally painted. The two floors we tiled were easier than we thought but the real test will be if they stay glued in place. Next weekend we'll be talking with the folks who will be putting the carpet down.

We've spent a lot of time working on the new bar but we can't give everything away! Some things will just have to be a surprise. Click here to get a hint of what the new bar will look like. There will be a lot of little touches we hope you'll appreciate when we see you this summer. For now we're moving on to the kitchen then the ceiling and then we're done - for this year.

February 20, 2002
After going kind of slow for a while I think we've had a break through. All the sheetrock is done and we're going to put the last coat of spackle on this coming weekend. We've put the wonderboard down and are ready to begin installing the tile in the entrance. But first we have to paint, which we can begin as soon as the last coat of spackle goes up. This weekend we'll have to clean up from phase one then we can move on with painting. The kitchen cabinets have been ordered and will be in soon. The ceiling is the next big project and will probably begin around the middle of March. Now we're starting the finishing touches. Hope you all like it!

January 28, 2002
After taking another long break it was back to work this past weekend. Trying to figure the best way to make the changes we wanted to with the kitchen took longer than we expected but we've had a break through! The electrical is completely done which means we'll be able to finish the sheetrock as soon as the plumbing is in place. We'll be able to begin spackling the walls and also begin working on the floors.

There is a lot to do yet but I think I can see the end coming soon. Julie is going to pick out the kitchen cabinets today and we'll pick out the tile for the floors either this week or during the weekend.

January 7, 2002
After a break for the Holidays it was back to work. We set out with the goal of getting a lot done. Although we did, it didn't look like it when we were cleaning up on Sunday. We've built the new kitchen wall giving the kitchen 16 more inches so that the appliances fit better and there will be more counter space. We've also built the frame for the new bar! We also made progress on the sheetrock moving into the hallway to the bathroom. I've begun connecting the electrical again which really helps us as I can plug the drill in almost everywhere.

We're going to take another couple of weeks off for a little trip but then we'll turn our attention to the kitchen.

December 2, 2001
We're going a bit slowly but doing it right so I'm satisfied with our progress so far. Things that you thought were done have a way of coming back again and that's what happened with some of the electrical. We noticed one curcuit braker had a lot of stuff on it so we added another to take some of the burden off. This delayed our progress on the sheetrock but has definately made a better and safter place for everyone.

Just to show you that everything isn't perfect we have a couple of pictures. The first one was mine and shows what happens when I get a little frustrated when things aren't going right. The second one is Julie's and shows what happens when you measure wrong.

We hope to make great strides next week! It would be nice to completely finish the sheetrock but perhaps that's a bit too ambitious.

November 18, 2001
Now we're at the part that moves slower than we want it to. There are a lot of little details to take care of before putting up any sheetrock. We've finished all the electrical upgrades except for the kitchen so it's on to the construction phase. Since Saturday was spent tying up all the loose ends Sunday was our first day of putting up the sheetrock.

As you can tell from the second picture from that day we worked late into the evening (ok it was only 5pm but it was dark). The hardest part is leaving it behind when we're on a roll. It would be nice to be able to take some time off of work and get a lot done but I just can't see that happening.

November 5, 2001
Well we've worked hard and made great progress. After just 5 days over three weekends we finished with demolition and are ready to begin construction. We needed a dumpster to dispose of all the debris which would have taken many days and many more trips in our truck to dispose of.

The hardest part was removing the bar. As you can see from the picture above this was built in 1979 by Harry D. and when he wants something to last a long time he is serious! We've discussed several alternatives for this area but we haven't settled on anything yet. The only thing we know for sure is there will be a bar of some kind.

Next we're going to extend the kitchen wall by 16 inches. The extra 16 inches along with moving the sink into the corner will give the kitchen much more room. Ceramic tile will be installed in the kitchen and entry hall. How much of the hall is tiled depends on my ambition and Julie's nagging.

October 22, 2001
After our first successful summer season we knew that our attention had to turn to The Plush Chamber (apartment 2). After much discussion we decided to do the work ourselves. We aren't sure what we've gotten ourselves into though. All this started with the desire to install a new ceiling. If we were going to do that, however, we might as well also take care of the walls too. That led us to decide to redo the kitchen since we didn't want to have to do another major job next year. This has turned into a big job but time is on our side.

As you can see from the pictures above we've only just begun. The ceiling is down and the walls are next. As we continue to make progress we'll update this page with more pictures and stories of our successes and failures (hope there aren't many of them).

A.J. and Julie