We knew it was going to take time to get our downsized home remodeled. After we walked through it the first time, we talked about changes we wanted to make. We talked about remodeling different rooms and replacing the back porch.
We made Pinterest boards filled with ideas for different rooms. We made a board for front porches, back porches, laundry rooms, bathrooms and more. We had LOTS of ideas and we knew it would take time to do everything we wanted.
We have been here almost 16 months and we are still working on the house. Some of our ideas have gone by the wayside. Some new projects have been added. And some days, it gets depressing to see what we still have to do. The days that frustrations about what we WANT to work on versus what we SHOULD work on surface. The days a multi-year project stares at us.
The days that I (Peggy) see the unfinished parts of the house and get mad. Mad at myself for not working on the stuff I can. And mad at Andy for not working on the parts I can’t. Parts I WANT done.
I could list off all the parts of the house that are not yet how we planned. Rooms that we finished just enough to use, but are not completely done. Or talk about the basement and the garage and how boxes are still piled up there. Or the whiteboard in our home office with the list of top priority projects that got bypassed for something else that we wanted to work on instead.
But I won’t.
Instead I will share how frustrating it is to live in a house full of unfinished projects. We have never been in a situation quite like this one. And it’s our fault. We realize it takes time to do this much remodeling in a house, especially when we are doing it ourselves. We are only hiring out what we absolutely must. Though the temptation to hire out more does happen. There are days we just don’t want to do it. Days we snap at each other.
We don’t have all day, every day to work on the house and the projects. Andy works full-time. I have a part-time job and also watch grandkids one day a week.
If we could work full-time on the remodeling, we probably wouldn’t. We would probably take more time off than we currently do. Now, when we don’t want to work on the house, we do yard therapy. That is when those nasty vines get yanked out of the trees and dead trees get dragged out of woods with the help of the truck. But it is still work.
The current project is a patio. Last fall, after the sun porch was built, we had a mess outside the backdoor and, instead of finishing off the inside of the porch, we decided to build a patio first. We just didn’t realize how long it was going to take and how much work it would be. Andy works on it almost every day after work and most weekends.
When we spend all our spare time working, we start to drift away from what we really want. We want to build a HOME, not a house. We want to build relationships with our neighbors. We want to be involved in the community. We want a place that is welcoming to family and friends. Which circles back to needing to finish the projects first. But we can do those things without finishing all our projects. We just need to convince ourselves.
The frustrating, snap at each other days are the days we need to get out of the house and the yard. The days we need to go for a long walk with our dogs. Or, better yet, take out the RV and get away to a campground for a long weekend. Take time to focus on what is really important. Thanking God for our health, each other and all the blessings he has provided.
So that is what we are doing this weekend. Getting away in the RV. Attending a birthday gathering to celebrate Dad’s 92rd birthday and just chilling out relaxing with family.
Stay tuned and check back for an update on the patio project. We won’t be sharing any pictures until it is done. Let’s just say, it will be awesome.
If you are living and breathing a remodeling project in your home, please share some of your frustrations and solutions in the comments. We can all use a little help from each other’s experiences.
You two have done a lot improvements don’t lose hope remember Rome wasn’t built in a year, my whole child memories were helping my father being a union Carpenter tear out walls and such I know you’re pain.
Thanks Joe. We try to be patient with ourselves.