Let me tell you a secret…a home remodel is not for the faint-of-heart.
(We know this because we have yet to finish the one we started.)
Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad we’ve done it. But I’ve been a bit overwhelmed most of the time. In the beginning we had a precious friend who acted as our contractor and hired out workers for us. They did the tough stuff — walls, floors, countertops, electric, running a new gas line, scraping that nasty popcorn off the ceilings.
After that, we (meaning Larry) did the finish work; paint, molding, beadboard, backsplash, etc.
I’ve had the fun jobs…selecting colors, lighting, cabinet knobs and plumbing fixtures (basically all design).
Along the way we learned a lot of things…
…how to ignore sawdust.
…how to eat when you don’t have a working kitchen.
…how to correctly measure a refrigerator so it actually fits in its space. (There is a long story there.)
…how to shop at thrift stores for the things that were packed up that we could no longer find — like bowls, cookware lids, salt & pepper grinders and rolling pins.
At first, the remodel consumed me. It was all I could think about. In fact, more than once I would get in the car to drive to an appointment, start daydreaming (usually about paint colors) and find myself in the parking lot of Home Depot, totally unaware that I had driven there.
Eventually, when my husband’s health prevented him from working anymore, the power tools, paint cans and pieces of trim became things we walked around that we no longer saw. (That was depressing but he is well now.)
Thankfully, we are close to being finished. We can see the end in sight. And I finally feel comfortable sharing a few BEFORE pics with you.
Just in case you are considering your own remodel, here is some advice:
- No matter how quickly you think you can finish…expect it to take longer. Ours was supposed to be no more than a four to six month project. Instead, three years later, we are still here.
- No matter how well you have budgeted…there will be additional expense. It might be small, like needing a new garbage disposal, or big, like having to buy additional flooring. But it will happen. Count on it and budget a bit extra for those unforeseen challenges.
- Never close out an estate, start an antique business and tear up your house in a remodel at the same time. All those things require moving furniture and stuff…lots of little stuff. (Okay, I know normal people would not do all of those at once.) We ended up with stacks of stuff from my mom’s house, stacks of vintage dishware and furniture, and stacks of boxes that had been packed and moved from the areas we were working. We looked like an episode of hoarders!
- Leave out more kitchen items than you think you need. We packed up everything planning to eat off of paper for the few months we were doing this. Instead, I have now purchased all new-to-us dishware (actually old vintage), lids for my cookware, salt & pepper grinders, storage containers, etc.
- If possible, make sure that you leave one room for living. Initially we had every room but our bedroom torn apart or stacked with boxes. It was awful. Finishing the living area and declaring it a non-work or stack zone allowed us to have one space that gave us a sense of order.
One of these days soon I’ll show you some of the AFTER photos. (That would mean I have a room completely finished. Yippee!) I’m sure there will be a spirtual lesson or two as well. But for now, I’ll end with this one. It’s my favorite and makes me smile.
Now I’m going to watch football! (Go Sooners!)