Fixing up the house made my list of retirement activities. As I have no desire to move again, this is my forever home. A year of social isolation and way too much HGTV have inspired a desire to make better use of the space and how it works for me.

I spend the majority of my waking hours in my recliner or at the coffee table on the footstool Toodles uses to jump onto the couch. The coffee table is my desk, dining area, and financial center. The dining room is home to my orchids and seed-starting operation. I use the office as a walk-in closet.

Phase 1 (in process) is to renovate the master bath. Deciding to go from two sinks to one evoked a warning about the impact on resale from the general contractor. I need the counter space and, as I intend to die here, resale is not an issue. The counter will be four inches taller too.

The claustrophobic prefab shower/tub is being replaced by a spacious walk-in shower. Doing away with the tub added some width. Switching to a pocket door freed up space to widen the shower even more. New lighting, extra ventilation, and a comfort potty round out the job. Before and after pics coming soon.

Keeping walls the same color throughout the house is a design choice, inspired in part by the jarring color palette present when I bought the place eight years ago. I went with harvest wheat back then. The choices I made for the bathroom pointed to a switch to an agreeable gray. Once everything is painted, new carpet in all three bedrooms will wrap up Phase 1 — by the end of February if all goes well.

Phase 2 revolves around new living room furniture and a nice desk and comfortable chair for the office. Two of seven pieces of my sectional are tattered and torn while the other five look good as new. It’s too big and only fits in the room one way. Two or three smaller pieces make more sense and would enable me to rearrange when the mood strikes.

I’m waiting for all the Phase 1 bills to come in before launching Phase 2. Finishing Phase 2 by the end of the year is may be more wishful thinking than a goal. I’ve been looking at furniture, but haven’t made up my mind about what I want enough to price anything.

Redoing the eat-in kitchen is the third and final phase. Everything but the hardwood floors need to go. Replacing what I have won’t be cheap, and I want upgrades and stuff I don’t have now. To really make the space work for me, I need lights under cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling, more counter space, additional storage, and a greenhouse window.

When Phase 3 will begin remains to be seen. I’m hoping to get it done in the next three to five years. We shall see. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. One phase at a time. Count on me to keep you posted.