End game?

It's often said the last mile is the hardest mile. That is definitely how it feels in the case of construction. If you saw the house when arrived at the beginning of January and then saw it again now, you'd struggle to notice any difference. Actually, lets perform a little experiment. There are a series of photos below. One is from end December/beginning January, and one is from today. Which is which? Answers at the bottom of the page....

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10

So having seen that you probably think I've been sitting around with the workmen just enjoying the Kenyan summer for the last four weeks. Wrong! Actually a hell of a lot of work has happened in that time. But they have been minor things; but the kind of thing that if it isn't done, you will notice at some point. Examples? Repair and varnishing of skirting, curtain boxes, doors, door frames and wardrobe fronts; painting of windows and gates; repair and painting of wardrobe interiors; cleaning up of fireplaces; installation of mirrors and doorstops; straightening of lights; fixing of cupboard handles; putting up towel rails and toilet roll holders; and so on. They may sound minor and quick jobs, but they are actually fiddly and take a lot longer than you'd expect.

But the end is in sight in more ways than one. We are hoping to finish the interior before I leave on Sunday, which will just leave some exterior works to do. And most importantly, the end game is being reached; there is a seriously interested tenant who wants to move in March.

A house is meant to be lived in by a happy family. And so the end game has always been to have a happy family rent the place. Look after it and allow us to recoup the investment. It appears that we are closing in on that goal. 

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Answers: if the floor is shiny, it is from late December / early January, if it is dirty looking it is from today! And the bathroom one should be pretty obvious - painted walls. So that is 1, 4, 5 7 and 9 that are from today. Bet the shiny floor tricked you at least once! Secret is to look past it and at the little things; painted walls, repaired skirting, curtain boxes, painted windows etc. Should also say that some of the late December / Early January pics were carefully taken with a funky wide-angle lens and used in the advertisement for marketing the property. As photos are everything when marketing properties - think about which ads you replied to last time you moved flat/house!