196

Seriously. Our house is 175 years old and hadn't had much work done to it since the last major renovation in the 1920s. People ask me if I renovated it myself. I laugh and explain that no, a crew of full time professional carpenters, roofers, masons, demo experts, plumbers, electricians, plasterers, and painters spent over a year on it. I just don't think anyone has any concept of how much work is involved in real renovation.

Fortunately interest rates stated low enough that I could keep borrowing more and more and more money to pay all those people. But now I'm trapped and can never sell.