Renovating this old house has taken a very long time, but I have a good reason for that.
You see, I am not very handy whatsoever.
In fact before I bought this place to fix up I had no experience with carpentry, plumbing, or electrical systems. I basically bought this old dump with the intention of teaching myself how to fix it up. I had plenty of time, after all, so I looked at it as a long-term project. First I fixed the roof and replaced the windows, then I put in a new sink and toilet. I have been very concerned about my cooling system, but so far it has kept working. This is a real surprise to me, because the A/C was almost 20 years old when I moved in. Air conditioners don’t last forever, and I knew it could quit on me at any time. On the other hand, I didn’t need to worry about the heating system, because that old furnace was solid. I had a local HVAC contractor come out to perform a full inspection on the old system, and he confirmed what I already suspected. The furnace might work for another decade or more, because he had never seen one so strong. The air conditioning system was already shot, and would need to be replaced as soon as I could afford it. I am still weighing my options, because the cost of a new central A/C is pretty spendy, and instead I could just buy a couple of portable air conditioning units.