Everything I needed to know about home renovation I learned from Anne's Almost Quintessence

Yes, it's true. She covered it all in this post from April 2005:

Gather 'Round All You Home Renovators

A key insight:

What you will find is that every single item in your old home is inextricably tied to every single other item. That roofing nail in the uppermost corner of your peak is directly in contact with the foundation walls. You want to replace one, you better be prepared to replace both.

She also focuses on the importance of beer, which is why I have made getting the kitchen in working order a top priority. Need to fire up the refrigerator to store the beer, and I need to have chairs and a table so we have somewhere to drink it.

And I am also gearing up for lead poisoning during the sanding-and-painting stage. I wonder if lead-specific respirators would be an exercise in futility?