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With no guests and our listings unlisted, my husband and I have the time and freedom to tackle projects that we can’t get to with guests coming and going. Some ideas:
We’re taking a serious look at closet organization. Up to now, each of our wide guestroom closets has been half for guests and half curtained off (inside the closet door) for linen storage that we use for that room. We want to get all storage out of the guest rooms. To do so, we have to reorganize some of our other closets and cabinets. Now we’re free to pull stuff out of other closets and generally make a mess as we figure it out.
We have paint for all the colors in the house. We plan to figure out a way to put paint in small containers that have some kind of pad on them (like I remember from liquid shoe polish of old). Then we can walk around and easily do touch-ups. Maybe something like this.
And we’ll do both those things with some great music on the whole-house stereo, which we never get to use with guests here. After that, we’re jumping in the pool.
I’ve been wanting to really get the grout on the shower floor sparkling again. I may have to remove old grout and re-grout which would be a big job for a big shutdown. I’d also like to paint the room a lighter color. I tired of greige quickly.
Aside from Airbnb one of the very best things anyone can do is take up gardening. In WWII, “victory gardens” outproduced all the commercial farmers. Growing your own food is one of the very best things you can do for the planet as well as helping to keep you in shape. And the taste of home grown is the best.
Another idea is to foster for your local rescue groups (not you Rebecca, just in general). Puppies and kittens are still being born and there is an uptick in assholes abandoning their dogs. The kill rates at shelters are going to skyrocket if trends continue. If you can’t commit longterm but would like the benefits of pet ownership (like living longer) then this is a great time to try fostering.
@RebeccaF. Funny you mentioned the music. I have been hosting for 4 years and have never once had a television on when a guest arrived. Instead I stream music from my playlists or any of the online streaming services. Almost every single guest has told me how much they love the music and many sit and chat about how much they prefer it to the droning of a TV. Music really is a universal language. And I play ALL kinds from country to classical. Never a complaint!
Probably going to actually do the work on the patio I’ve been planning in my listing. It’s’ currently an 8’x48’ patio with a 9’x50’ cover. I completely replaced the roof side of the cover in 2018, but the drywall on the ceiling and the stucco on the posts needs repair. I also want to add a 16’x48’ extension with travertine pavers and a 17’x17’ shade sail to cover part of the extension.
Shelters here are sending volunteers (cuddlers!) home and only going in to feed the animals. In my county they’re asking for fosters for a month (all bills paid, including food if needed) so the animals stay or get socialized.
I am working from home, so that keeps me busy, but I also have a lot of household projects I’d like to accomplish. I need to rake about 100 bags of leaves (exaggeration I hope), I need to weed, I need to power wash, I need to steam clean… All boring tasks sadly. I will probably spend a lot of time cooking, hot tubbing, playing tennis and walking my senior pets. If only this work stuff wasn’t in the way of my regular life… I wish I could foster but have some animals on the property and I have two old ones that need constant attention - luckily I love giving it to them.
If at all possible, find a way to order your groceries and other necessities for delivery. You may have to sign up with a store and use their website or an app to build and save a shopping list.
Have everything delivered to your front porch, with instructions for the delivery person to ring the doorbell and leave. No personal contact.
If you have time tonight—and if their website works this way—sign up and start building your shopping list. It may take a day or two for the store to confirm your account. Then, once you place an order, you’ll undoubtedly be shown dates and times that are available for delivery. Might take two days or more to get a delivery appointment, depending on how busy they are.
Fyi. Take a look at “touch up rollers”. If the original paint is applied with a roller then touch-ups are often best also applied with a roller also. Otherwise, the “nap may not match” and the light catches differently.
Personally, I like the little 4 and 6" mini rollers. IMO, those plastic containers aren’t the best - they tend to leak air and won’t keep paint as well as typical metal containers.
If only this work stuff wasn’t in the way of my regular life… I wish I could foster but have some animals on the property and I have two old ones that need constant attention - luckily I love giving it to them.