Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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DIYing vs. Living In Your Home & Enjoying It

Q: Since you decorate/upgrade/reno your house for a living, do you ever feel like you are always working on your house but not ever getting to just live in it and enjoy it? Like when you spend all day cooking in the kitchen by dinnertime you aren’t hungry and don’t even want to eat half the time. If something (like your house) is never quite done and there’s a to do list longer than the purchase contract, is it hard to just peacefully sit without always thinking about the next project and thereby giving yourself low level anxiety? Or….am I the anxious one which is why this even occurred to me? – Rach

Dexter 6 John Hand

A: Haha, it’s a great question and we actually get it a lot. I really think because this blog and our DIY love started as a complete hobby (we did home improvement stuff on nights and weekends and started this blog just to keep our friends and family posted) it’s totally something that we still enjoy doing – and are thankful to have the opportunity to do full time. We actually still do most projects on nights and weekends since during the day we’re tending the blog/answering comments/writing posts/doing other office-job stuff like arranging giveaways and managing sponsors (and watching the bean) and then at night when Clara’s asleep we can actually get our hammer on.

Doing Taxes

Bit since fixing up our home wasn’t something we did to make money or start a business, and was actually what we opted to spend our free time doing without making a dime after a hard day’s work – it really is just the definition of FUN to us. To be very honest, the business side of running a blog can be pretty hard work  – so the coding and the technical stuff and the other behind the scenes being-a-small-business stuff (like filing quarterly taxes and paying for our own health insurance, etc) can be stressful (more on that here). But the DIY stuff is always our favorite! It’s the fun part. The cream in the middle of the Oreo, if you will.

Fridge Sherry Staring

Even picture taking/uploading/sizing can sometimes feel like busy-work, but projects and planning and painting and all the fun physical you-see-the-changes-as-you-go stuff is the thing we always look forward to! It’s so rewarding and personal that it never gets old. I definitely don’t think it would be that way for everyone, but just as someone else might have a passion for numbers (and take great joy in being a professor or an accountant or a financial adviser) we have a passion for getting to plan/rethink/paint/upgrade stuff. It’s a fun challenge for us and no day is ever the same. I certainly think some folks would rather just do it as a hobby (maybe five hours a week is their cap) but we’re happy to do it day in and day out. Heck, for the last four consecutive Christmases we’ve taken on some of our craziest house projects (what’s wrong with us? haha). But honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Crazy Bathroom 1

It wasn’t always an enjoyable, balanced, healthy thing for us though. In our first house we found that in the first few months after moving in (about a year before we started this blog) we felt rushed and put all of this unrealistic pressure on ourselves. And it sucked! We wanted our house to be completely made over in a matter of months and anytime someone was visiting we freaked out and tried to do ten things before they arrived, which left us feeling burned out at best and frustrated and deflated at worst (when we didn’t get everything done in time). The freeing thing was realizing that it takes years. Our den actually looked like this eight months after moving in. And that’s more than ok – it’s par for the DIY course.

Den 8mos

A house that needs serious love isn’t going to look amazing overnight or even in a month or a series of months. Unless you have a crew of people and unlimited funds. Plus, if you take your time you’re more likely to love the result since you actually think it through instead of rushing in and having all those shoulda-woulda-coula feelings later. This room took 4.5 years to evolve and was one of our favorite spots in our first house – not only afterwards, but along the way. Once we learned to chill the heck out and relax. Haha.

Final Den Take 2

So “relax, it’s only decorating” is kind of our mantra. We’ve had family visit us in the middle of our most recent kitchen reno (there were no doors on any of the cabinets) and we all just laughed that there’s always something disassembled at our house.

Primed Preview Kitchen Full

Guests know it’s totally normal to come over our house and see something mid-project, and you know what? They still love us! It was a revelation. We don’t have to go crazy trying to finish every last detail when family and friends are en route. They will love us and enjoy our company anyway. Liberating, I tell ya.

In short: now we feel a lot less time pressure (haha, yes, even with such a long list and so many people watching) because we have learned that it’s not a sprint and it’s more of a journey that we need to stop and enjoy. We always say it’s not about the destination, it’s about the ride. And the ride never gets old to us since we get to switch things up and tackle different tasks all the time (painting trim for five years would definitely get old, but getting to do a bunch of different challenges and have various adventures along the way really is our idea of a good time).

Kitchen Fake John

Plus we get to live IN our progress, meaning that everything we have accomplished surrounds us and reminds us how good it feels to get ‘er done. I suppose it’s like hanging your degrees on the wall in your office, and putting up photos that make you smile – the environment is a good one because it reminds us how far we’ve come and how rewarding it is when we get our hands dirty and make something lackluster into something that we find beautiful and functional. Even when we’re living right smack in the middle of a project, we try to enjoy that time, snap photos, revel in the fact that a doorway might exist where one didn’t a few months ago, etc. Even if the counters aren’t in and the new floor isn’t down, there’s something nice about enjoying each step of progress as it comes.

TrimAfters Clara Walking

So our #1 advice to folks is to enjoy the journey and stop rushing around. Which means while you DIY your way to a new home, you’re required to stop to enjoy your handiwork and appreciate where you were and where you’re going and all that stuff. What’s a renovated kitchen if you can’t enjoy it? Since we finished that looooong project we have entertained a bunch of family and friends in there and every time we find ourselves beaming at a bunch of people milling around in our new space, this wash of gratitude and happiness comes over us. We’re proud and excited to share our hard work and so thankful that it’s functional and beautiful to us!

And not only do we get that giddiness when we entertain, but a quiet evening at home on a random Wednesday night might mean that John cooks while I read to Clara in the chair by the fireplace and then we eat at the peninsula. And this is the view.

Kitchen Rug Close

Sometimes we take Clara outside to play on the patio, so we’re here:

Mulched Patio

… instead of here, which is what that area looked like before we got our DIY-loving hands on it.

Outside Burger Potty

So we’re soaking up the gratitude and enjoying our ever-evolving home all the time. The same is true when we work towards upgrading our bedroom or our living room or our curb appeal – all those spaces are areas we can enjoy and they fuel us and excite us and inspire us to keep at it. They remind us how much fun it is and how rewarding it can be. So try not to put pressure on yourself to get to this imaginary finish line and just have fun and take your time and tackle things one day and one small step at a time! It really keeps it manageable and spurs you on to make other parts of your home just as personalized and special.

What do you guys do to keep your DIY spirits up? Do you find that it’s possible to enjoy your home improvement triumphs along the way? Have you ever felt the it-must-be-done pressure that we put on ourselves in the first few months of living in our first house? I’m telling you, it’s crazy-liberating to just say: it’ll be done when it’s done and we’re going to have fun getting there. Booyah.

Comments

  1. Sara R says

    Wow. This is a great attitude to have! When we first bought our house, I turned into a slave-driver, my husband the slave. I, too, thought that the house should be made over and magically become out dream home in a matter of months! Fortunately he ran out of steam and I was forced to sit back and admire the quirks and character in the house. That time forced me to realize that I was making irrational decisions and changing things in our house which drew us to it in the first place! I can’t wait to forward this to him! :) Now we work together on ALL projects and try to plan our updates considering all options. Much more balanced and enjoyable! :)
    You guys are awesome! Thanks for sharing the good advice and always inspiring!!

    Reply

  2. Laura says

    I feel like Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” was in my head the whole time you were writing about it being about the journey and not the end product. I can’t believe I turned to Miley Cyrus in any life scenario.

    Reply

  3. Amy @ For the Love of Georgia says

    Love this post!

    My husband and I have the OPPOSITE problem… It takes us FOREVER (I’m talking several months, here) to finish simple projects that should take a few evenings or weekends. My husband builds custom sleepers so, when he’s home the last thing he wants to do is build something, even though he really enjoys doing home projects. My only excuse is that I “put the PRO in procrastination” by nature.

    Sherry- my best friend has nailed your “Dude, get on that already” look and dishes it regularly when she visits our house =)

    Reply

  4. Teri says

    I’ve always LOVED the den in your first house. It’s still a favorite. I’ve been guilty this year of putting on the pressure with landscaping. Trying to get everything done while it’s still Springtime, including tilling the yard and laying sod, putting in new flower beds and filling up 2 barrels of WEEDS that I pulled by hand from the part of the yard I didn’t sod. I’m so glad it’s over and I can now sit back and enjoy watching the sprinkler water over my new lawn (doesn’t take much to make me happy).

    Reply

  5. Tracy says

    John & Sherry, Love the before after photos. It’s incredible how much a young couple can do to a home to make it their own. It’s very inspiring. I hope this blog and the improvements on the home continue to be a blessing.

    Reply

  6. Julia @Chris Loves Julia says

    Such a great post and a great reminder you guys! My brother and sister-in-law bought a house 3 months a go a couple blocks from us and they already have it completely renovated (they did most of the work before they moved in). Sometimes I get a teensy bit jealous that they were able to do that, but then I remember, “oh wait, I LIKE doing this!” I LIKE waking up and getting excited for my project of the day. For over a month, I had our main staircase banister painted two different colors.

    http://www.chrislovesjulia.com/2012/04/procrastination-nation.html

    Every guest that came over would comment and laugh at the plethora of projects that are constantly going on here and I laughed along with them. So while there are weekends when I wonder what it would feel like to just sit and watch television, I am happy to know I’m in good DIY company with you!

    Reply

  8. Amy C says

    Thank you for this post! I learn so much and am inspired daily by your blog, but this post really hit HOME for me today. :) Thank you!

    Amy C. ;)

    Reply

  10. Devon says

    Thanks for this! This post really came at the perfect time for me. I decided 2 weeks before my husband’s graduation party that I should redo the living room, including painting the walls and trim. I’ve been feeling so pressured to get it done at night after work. Now with tomorrow being the party, I’m happy with it not being perfect, because really, we’re the only ones that need to enjoy it in the long term. Thanks for putting everything in perspective!

    Reply

  11. Raylan says

    “…and then at night when Clara’s asleep we can actually get our hammer on.”

    I was skimming through the paragraph and almost lost my Diet Mt. Dew on that one. Not sure if that was intentional, but my middle school humor was all over that one!!

    Reply

  12. Keri says

    I adopted your carefree attitude about decorating. When I’m feeling nervous about a decision, I remember that I will make mistakes, but so what? I get to try again and isn’t that the fun part anyway? I have been much happier with my home since I realized that not only do I have all the time in the world to finish my projects, but I also don’t have to care what other people think about my decor. I will admit, however, that I still try to fit in a few small projects before a party, but I think sometimes I need a time limit to finish boring (to me) things like swapping door hardware and hemming curtains.

    Thank you, Sherry and John for perpetually inspiring me and keeping me sane.

    Reply

  13. Paola says

    I hardly ever comment, but this was such a great post I nearly (alrigth I actually did)cry. It’s so hard to remember to enjoy the moment. I love seeing ya’lls “afters” but the reason why I keep comming back to read your blog is because you guys have such a lovely way of looking at life. Great post!

    Reply

  14. michigangal says

    Love this post! Very timely…thank you!

    We’ve been in our house since December 2012 and have accomplished quite a bit (new floors throughout, painted much of the upstairs, painting the kitchen cabinets inside & out), but I’ve still got that little voice in my head that says “you can relax when the basement is painted and new carpeting is installed.” I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we have baby #2 on the way and I feel that things MUST be done before the big arrival…am I nesting already? In any case, I’m too tired to work on the house after working my job all day, so instead I’m working on my patience and deep breathing techniques.

    Reply

  15. Brynn says

    We are buying a house soon ( I HOPE!) and right now we are living with my parents, and so I had thought for so long “This is great we can do all the stuff we want before we move in” but now after reading your blog, I think its going to be better if we live in the house first, and then decide what needs to be done! Thanks for that perspective.
    Also, is there anything you recommend that CAN be done before we move in? What is your opinion on painting first just to change it up and make it feel more mine than theirs? Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think you can definitely paint before you move in if you have colors you love and are 100% decided on. If you’re not sure, don’t rush into anything, but if you’re confident about any choices I would go for it!

      xo,
      s

    • Brynn says

      I definitely am not 100% decided on colors. I am so bad at making decisions. Thanks for the advice. :o)

    • threadbndr says

      The only things I would consider “HAVE to have done before the move” are safety related (remember that my house is almost 90 years old) such as furnace/electrical safety issues (should have come to light in the inspections, but it never hurts to check again) and anything with flooring.

      If you’re replacing carpet (you did get an allowance if that’s necessary, right?) or if the hardwoods need refinished, it’s better to do them before you have furniture in the rooms. J&S found out the hard way with the old house that it’s difficult to live in a house when the refinishers are working.

  16. Kaitlin Jenkins says

    Thanks for this post! It is sometimes hard to step back and realize all that you’ve accomplished when the to-do list has 99 other items to accomplish. I am trying to learn to do things more slowly and let them evolve over time to become something I really do love.

    Reply

  17. Jennifer says

    Great advice – my fiance and I moved into our first home last March (2010) and their is so much we want to do but we try to focus on taking things a little bit at a time and usually finish a different project each weekend. We have decided that each anniversary in our house we are going to take a picture of each room to see how much has changed and the progress we have made. It was really nice and motivating to see all we accomplished in the just the first year!

    Reply

  18. Ang says

    GREAT post. We are in the middle of our bathroom reno and it’s totally a mess. My mom is here, but since we don’t live in the bathroom, it’s not a big deal. I know eventually it will get done and the satifaction of knowing that we did it, makes us appreciate our house all the more!! It’s a wonderful feeling, especially knowing we didn’t pay full price! :)

    Reply

  19. heather says

    We’ve been in our house for five years almost, and we are JUST really starting on the house this month, it’s huge. It’s still amazing how much our outdoor property has changed though, which was important. It’s been important to us to save up our money and get some structural things done first before we delve into the big part. I can hardly believe it’s here though. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and go to my “yurt” I.E. “I can’t discuss this anymore I’m shutting down” because I get overwhelmed, but mostly it’s amazing and exciting. I wish I had my blog in 2007 when we moved in, because it would be insane to look back now at the way this property was. C’est la vie though.

    In other words: this ho-down is about to get rowdy.

    Reply

  20. Jen says

    We’ve owned our house for not quite a year, and I’m starting to find the value in time. Time to reconnect with friends, time to sit in my backyard, time to enjoy what’s done, and the fact that we did it with our own 2 hands.

    Right now, my biggest victory is the backyard. We’ve claimed one section behind the house that has a huge garden, a grill pit, hopefully a future patio, and be grass free. Since spring came so early, I was hoping that we’d be able to grass-free the entire section this year. In reality, it’s not going to happen. I’ve decided to spend a few days sitting around outside loving the flowers we’ve already planted, and the beautiful crisp lines of the edged flower beds that are done (for now).

    Thanks for reminding us all to enjoy the chaos and the progress and our accomplishments! Your perspective is wonderful, and refreshing!

    Reply

  21. Jennifer W says

    I love your blog! One of the best things about it for me is that it’s taught me that things don’t have to happen overnight. Thanks for that! :)

    ~ a very impatient fan

    Reply

  22. Lauren@FilingJointly says

    This post came at a good time. We just moved. Before we moved we sold literally every piece of our old furniture (we were in a 2BR condo so it wasn’t much) on Craigslist. We’ve had a REALLY REALLY incredibly bad year (think three funerals in five weeks)so far and just wanted a completely fresh start. So now we are living out of boxes in our new place because even if we wanted to unpack, there would be no where to put anything.

    I’ve been freaking out about it and making my husband go furniture shopping every single day because I am a clean freak and hate it when anything is out of order.

    I need to just take a step back and a deep breath and look at the big picture.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh Lauren I’m so sorry! I know it sounds trite to say this, but I’m sure if you just take things slow and one project/shopping trip/day at a time, it’ll start feeling like home and be a lot less overwhelming. Sending you lots of love and a hunk of virtual cheese.

      xo,
      s

  23. caroline says

    Really interesting post! I just made my own blog for the first time (http://bunniesandstripes.blogspot.fr/) and I’m finding it hard to find a balance between oversharing and not knowing how to detail my decorating processes… but in the end I’m really pleased when I get a nice comment. I can see why you guys have made it your job!! It gives me motivation to keep reading your posts, so THANK YOU!!

    Reply

  24. Leigh says

    I always felt that pressure to make things perfect in my home (yes it was self inflicted pressure). I’m totally Type A. But I’ve been reading your blog several years now and since I started reading, I’ve relaxed and realized its okay if everything isn’t perfect 100% of the time. It’s a work in progress. I still stress a little but not near as much as I did thanks to you guys. And now I have a 10 month old….he just wants to play so he usually has toys and books everywhere. :) People usually smile at the mess and then play with him. You are your own worst critic.

    Reply

  25. danielle says

    i feel like such an airhead for never realizing you are doing your home renovations full-time… i don’t know *how* i imagined you had time to both work, do all the cool stuff you do for your little one, AND fix up the house, but… that totally went right over my head. so: now that i understand this is your career AND your passion, i have another question… what happens when this house is “done”?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Well, our first house took us 4.5 years (and we still have three untouched rooms and 2 untouched bathrooms along with big projects like converting our carport into a garage, building a deck, etc) so we think we have a while until that comes! Haha. But we do talk to family members about going in on a rental house or beach house to fix up (we’d do all the labor so it would be a good deal for them, haha). We always say we don’t know where we’ll be in 5 years but 5 years ago we never knew we’d be here. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  26. Felicity @ Our Little Beehive says

    So this may be a bit too personal, but I’m been curious for a while and never had the guts to ask. Since your home renovations are your work, do you deduct a portion of the cost of expenses for the renovations on your taxes?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no, since our home is our primary residence we don’t write anything off (we’d owe the government a chunk of money if we ever sold our house if we claimed those write offs). Hope that makes sense!

      xo,
      s

    • Meredith says

      I’m a little disturbed that you want to go “back to tax class” in law school. Income tax wasn’t terrible; Estate & Gift tax I have distinct memories of ongoing confusion. I consider myself a survivor for passing those! Now it’s just TurboTax and I and the only person I’m doing a return for is myself.

  27. Jimmy says

    I think you’re right – attitude is what makes the difference. My wife and I enjoy these remodeling projects, and while they can get a little stressful (since we live in a tiny apartment – 500 sq ft – we can’t exactly hide projects, we have to live with them), we still find relaxation in them.

    I’m the same way with cooking actually. I like to cook meals low and slow – to spend the afternoon in the kitchen prepping and cooking. It looks like a lot of work, but it is cathartic in a way. I buy whole chickens now, then cut them down into parts myself. It adds a step, but it makes me feel more connected to the process. I talk about that here: http://www.thebookofjimmy.com/chicken-butchery-how-to-break-it-down/

    And all this stuff is so rewarding once you have the finished project. A more tidy house doesn’t compare in my book. It’s not even close.

    Reply

  28. Stephanie says

    Once upon a time my very sweet husband decided to give me a generous budget to decorate our front living room. Guess what? When it was all done I was sad and I wish I had gone a lot slower, spent less and just enjoyed being creative instead of getting finished all at once. I’ve learned I’ll be tweaking no matter what so why bother going fast? You guys have really encouraged me to be “intentional” (love that buzz word) in home makeover stuff and it’s the kind of patience our generation just does not possess (ha ha, old lady moment). Thanks for the daily inspiration and if you come to Nashville for a book tour I’d love to welcome you for a house crash : )

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Stephanie! I totally relate to feeling a little bit sad when things are done. When we finished Clara’s play kitchen I wanted to start all over again! Haha.

      xo,
      s

  29. Sandra says

    This is post is right on! When my hubby and I bought our townhouse we made a lot of changes fast, without really thinking about it. Now we spend a lot of time thinkig about our needs and trying stuff out with temporary projects before committing to the big projects. We thought our kitchen needed more storgae, so we built some shelves, now we realize that it needs more orginaziation and useful storage than simply open spaces that clutter. Going slow and figuring out the real problem is much better than moving fast and having to do it over and over again. My family is also used to coming over and seeing something ripped apart. Ironically, now that they see more of my house ripped apart, they’re less afraid to try their own diy projects. They see that the world does not end if something goes wrong or looks messy for a few months until a project is completed.

    Reply

  30. KathyL says

    what a great post for the young. I’m in the middle (51) and this year decided not to put things off until I had the time. My life the last 2 years has been a constant flow of working full time, caring for my parents, and keeping up with things at home. Mom and daddy have passed away, time is still occupied with their affairs, grief paralyzes you at times, laundry and dishes don’t do themselves, my son bought his first home and needed my painting skills, my daughter graduated from college and moved to another state, and in general -life goes on. So my house suffered and I made the executive decision to paint the diningroom one wall at a time. It worked perfect. when i had a couple of days off, when I got off work, I removed wallpaper, started spackling, sanding, etc. Next two days, I painted, sanded, painted and moved the furniture back. I still haven’t put things on the walls, I like to gather it all together first and let the walls cure. Anyway, the whole point is, be kind to yourself everyday and ENJOY. Although I am finding my biggest disappointment is when you only have one post, lol. thanks for reading.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw, Kathy, I’m sending you a big sawdust covered hug from VA! It sounds like you’ve been juggling a lot- between life stuff (so sorry for the loss of your parents) and house stuff. I bet when you put stuff up on those walls it’ll feel amazing! That’s always the point that we think a room really comes to life and feels like us.

      xo,
      s

  31. Maggie Rose says

    As renters I sometimes feel that rush to finish – after all, we’ll probably only be here three years at the most, and I want to just enjoy it. But I DO love the process of decorating – and let’s be honest, I love to change things up so much that it will never *really* be done. It’s fun to have friends over every couple of months who ooh and ahh over every change :) That keeps me motivated (as well as pictures of how far we’ve come!)

    Reply

  32. Elizabeth says

    Yes, I could not agree more. And sometimes we create the stress….like when my husband and I moved into our home, and had one year to fix it all up before our wedding in the back yard! We could not DIY everything ourselves, but I can tell you that every wall, all the trim, and even countertops were painted. EVERY. SINGLE. WALL. It took the entire year to complete, since we both work full time, but I can honestly say that it was the bets thing we could have done because we are now expecting our first baby in July. And I’m still tinkering and tweaking (and even re-painting!!) some areas. Its fun though. I enjoy it all because our home is our favorite place to be.

    Reply

  33. Tonya@mycozylittlefarmhouse says

    You know what is pathetic and sad? When we moved into our house 12 YEARS ago, I slowly stopped inviting people over because I was embarrassed my house was such a fixer-upper. Due to unforeseen circumstances (health issues and job loss) we were forced to put the majority of projects on hold. I made myself a virtual prisoner in my home. I was worried I would be judged because things weren’t nice. Or perfect. Or my perception of other people definition of nice. And because I shut myself off it impacted me, my friends and my family. It also made me not love my house (gasp!)

    In hindsight it was ridiculous. No one cared that it was undone, half-done or done. They just wanted to spend time with me…us…siiiggghh

    It has taken me along time to get over MY stupid shallow perceptions and open my eyes (and door to my home). Even as I write this I want to hang my head in shame because I missed out on a lot of wonderful memories and carried a burden of stress for something so…superficial.

    Thank you for re-iterating what I WISH I had recognized a decade ago.

    P.S. The good news-I love my house again and finally feel “at home” in my space. Once I relaxed and accepted the flaws (mine and my house) I began having fun. Life is to short to not enjoy it.

    Reply

  36. Crystal @ 29 Rue House says

    What you guys do everyday sounds awesome to me. I never want to quit working on projects (sometimes to my husbands dismay but he’s supportive and helps too :).

    When we’re working on “bigger” projects we do sometimes put the pressure on to finish it but it’s usually because we’ve been working on it forever and we’re ready to do something new (only working nights and naptimes really drags things out). Even in those moments it would be nice to chill out.

    I also use to feel embarassed about the state of our undecorated house when people would come over. It was undecorated because we hadn’t figured out how to do things on a budget (we thought we needed lots of money to just buy something to hang on the wall).

    Since we’re always making progress now, I don’t feel bad about our house when people come over (although we’re always rushed to pick up clutter and get the floors swept). We actually just had some family over last weekend (cousins we see twice a year) and I didn’t care at all that I’ve got 6 empty frames on the wall (don’t know what I’m doing with them yet) or that only the top kitchen cabinets have been repainted but not the bottom. It is very freeing to realize that things will just happen when they happen.

    Reply

  37. Erin @ WriteTasty says

    Glad to hear that you are still loving everything DIY, and even better that you’ve learned to embrace the process. I personally have to always keep my mind extremely focused on one aspect of my house at time, otherwise my project to-do list runs away from me and makes me anxious. But I think I need to learn to breathe… and embrace the mess even if it means guests seeing it. Thanks for the inspiration! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think you’re right about staying focused on one thing at a time. We always say “one step at a time” to keep things from getting too overwhelming!

      xo,
      s

  38. Julia at Home on 129 Acres says

    Like you guys, I really enjoy DIY and fixing up my home. There always comes a point on the bigger projects (like the basement reno we’re in the midst of now) where spirits flag and motivation diminishes. Reading blogs or trolling Pinterest offers good inspiration and a community of supportive people. Sometimes though it’s just about slogging it out. My motivation is to move everything that’s supposed to be in the basement out of my living room and office and back into the basement where it belongs. It’s not always pretty, it’s not always fun, but it keeps me moving.

    Reply

  39. Mamaw03T says

    We lived in our previous house for 10 years and for 8 of those 10 years we remodeled various aspects of it. When we decided to move into another house I told my husband I wanted to live in it finished for a month. I got to live in it finished for 6 days. Fun! Now we’ve been in this house 26 years and we update/remodel constantly. Your home is your jewel! Happy Mothers Day to all of the mothers out there.

    Reply

  40. Lisa says

    I think it’s like playing Barbie (or Hotwheels) – the fun is getting it all set up. When I was little, I’d get my Barbies out and make their little neighborhoods and get their clothes on and then….the magic was gone. It’s kind of like that with homes. Once you get it exactly how you want it, there is no delicious anticipation. So you have to enjoy your projects because when they’re done you have to move or put the Barbie’s away!

    Reply

  41. Kristen says

    I so relate to this post. I started a huge de-wallpapering, new drywall/plaster project in January and by February, I was super frustrated that it wasn’t done yet. But once I realized I could live through the chaos and my bed being in the middle of the room, that the project would get done on my time and my schedule. I’m a night and weekend DIYer- so many times after work the last thing I wanted to do was work on the house stuff. Allowing myself to let things go and not worry so much let the end result be even sweeter– so finally, after almost 5 months, it’s done! Well save for hanging paintings, finding new curtains, and a lamp! Decorating is never done haha

    Reply

  42. Ginny @ goofymonkeys says

    Excellent post – every time I watch a show like House Hunters on HGTV I get all bothered by the people who want to move into a turn-key house. I prefer a house that needs me to make it ‘home’. Does that make sense? Yeah the DIY thing gets old and sometimes you want to spend a weekend on the couch watching reruns of Deadliest Catch, but other times I’m sitting in my living room at 11pm wishing the day were longer so that I could paint, demo, or refurb something.

    Reply

  43. Wendy says

    Love it!

    I think what you wrote could be said of much any profession or passion. As a teacher, sometimes there’s a perception of the need to continuously move on. Today I had a Simon and Garfunkle song go through my head as the kids worked, “Slow down, you move too fast. You’ve got to make the morning last…”

    We slowed down, we enjoyed, and it was one of the best mornings ever! Now just gearing up for the 6th graders at the end of the day!

    Reply

  44. Sarah says

    great post! I always wonder about that with you guys… sounds like you have found a happy balance that works well for you.
    I HATE living in a work-in-progress, it drives me crazy. I’m impatient and I like order and hate drywall dust in my cornflakes. Plus I don’t really have time to remodel. So it’s nice to see people who have found a good way to do it!

    Reply

  45. LMG says

    I REALLY needed this post today–couldn’t have come at a better time. While my list feels so small, it seems like one life-interruption after another just keeps getting in the way.

    If I only have time to work on garden stuff on the weekends, why is it that it’s always pouring rain or very hot or very windy (allergy attack!!) only on the weekends this year and last?!?

    Or how about the room that needs to be painted…and between jobs I can’t get to the right paint store during their limited open hours…and each time I make to get out there, some crazy work project blows up…

    Or how very long it seems to take to schedule all those quotes…and then the contractor says they can only do part and you need another contractor to do another part…

    Sometimes I wonder why I even try, and then I need something like today’s post to remind me that these are such first world problems and I am LUCKY to have them. :)

    Reply

  46. Lynn @ SafeBeauty says

    Yep I say Amen! to this post. My afro would be soooo deflated by now if we didn’t enlist the “Take a breath and chill out cause this is gonna take awhile.” approach. We are having our first big party June 2nd (our bean graduates from PreK!) and instead of freaking out that its not Homes & Gardens ready, I’m like “Let them eat cake!” because that will surely distract them from all the drywall repairs going on around them… ;o)

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  47. Tirsa says

    Thanks so much for this post. I needed it. We’ve been in our house for 9months now and done quite a bit to it. Some of it we got help with, some we did ourselves while working full time. Of course, every room is still a work in progress, but if feels more like a home. I think that’s so important when you have young children who can voice their opinions often. :) Still, I need the reminder that it’s a process, and that it’s OK to have chosen the wrong paint color or even the wrong curtains because we felt so pressured to finish certain things. I am learning to enjoy the journey. Please know that you are great teachers. It will be great to see how our places change as time goes by.

    Reply

  48. Tara says

    I envy you guys. We did a lot of work before and after we moved in 5 years ago but with a baby (now toddler) and a tiny 1890s rowhouse (1 bath!) we feel stalled. There is so much we still need to and want to take on but are afraid of disturbing the lead paint (on trim of almost every room, according to certified lead assessor). It’s reassuring to think we can take on the more major demo when she’s (much) older. How does Clara handle the construction sites?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      She’s pretty good about waking up to different things, but we don’t do much work around her at all since it’s a total exercise in frustration since she is usually getting into whatever we’re doing. But she’s generally good if we say “we can’t go in the kitchen because the floor is half-done” she might test us once (and we’ll grab her) but then she’ll just play in the living room while one of us watches her and it’s all good. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  49. Julie says

    Sherry, you are wise beyond your years. I really appreciate this post and plan to apply its wisdom to my real life. Have a wonderful weekend of celebrations!

    Reply

  50. Tanya Sellers says

    I’m trying to redo the “great room” and one wall has the exposed red brick the the den in your old house. I noticed that you painted over the brick but do you have any photos of the red brick with the beams of wood painted white? I’m thinking I want to keep the brick exposed but paint all the wood beams white and wasn’t sure if it would look good or not. Any help would be great.
    Thanks for always sharing your great ideas.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry, we actually painted the beams last (the brick was first and we originally kept the beams wood toned and then went white since they still felt heavy). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

    • Lisa in Seattle says

      Tanya, I often face similar dilemmas about how something might look with a proposed change. Since I have zero imagination or Photoshop skills, I would do a real-world mockup. In your case, depending on how many beams we’re talking about, I might pick up a ream of inexpensive copy paper or hit Goodwill for a white sheet. Then I’d literally cover the beams with paper or strips of the sheet and see how the room would look with “white” beams. It’s cheap and easily removable, and you’re really just looking for a first impression gut-check.

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