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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Sometimes we take Clara outside to play on the patio, so we’re here:
… instead of here, which is what that area looked like before we got our DIY-loving hands on it.
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.
Julie says
One of the things I love about your blog is that you guys seem to have so much fun doing it (and you’re great parents too!). We are taking our time with our kitchen update, and even though it’s taking longer than I’d like, it’s A LOT less stressful :) It’s funny how many more projects come out of “well, let’s just update the kitchen . . .” I feel like I will be painting FOREVER :)
Anita N. says
First of all, thank you so very much for this post! As someone who has been working on making a home “ours” for almost two years, I can completely appreciate your perspective. When we first moved in, our list of “to-dos” was so long that I got anxious and tackled a couple of DIYs before *really* thinking them through, ended up hating the end result, and then became frustrated when our ideas kept evolving and we couldn’t keep up. One day, I was so excited to finish the living room furnishing with my idea of a perfect rocking chair I found on Kijiji that in my rush to go get it I tripped and fell down a couple of stairs! I can laugh about it now, but I messed up my back enough that I got to spend a fair amount of time sitting and thinking about what we could do next, rather than jumping in and getting something done for the sake of it. Now that I’m back up and running (carefully ;) ), I’ve come to see that rushing to finish this home-making journey would make me miss out on the fun. (By the way, I have never really enjoyed reading blogs before I ran across yours. Thanks for all of your “over-sharing!)
Dana says
Wanted to share with you our project that was totally inspired by your previous and present kitchens. I don’t mind if you call me a copy cay ;)
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=d3a96e0f16ed7d553315f89dbf2f35f7&sid=8AYsmLNo5bM1ENw
Notice the bookshelves ??
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that is gorgeous! Such an awesome job!
xo,
s
Megan says
This post is great advice and good for life in general; especially with children. Everything must be done in little bites if you ever want to get anywhere with a project. So hard, though, when you are dying to see results right away! :)
Kathy says
Ok, fess up…did you intentionally leave the comments on 222?! Yes, Yes you did. Brav-o! Happy Birthday Clara.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that’s too funny! Totally an accident!
xo,
s
Cheri says
The cream color paint that you used on your first house den brick and paneling looks more like a butter creamy color. What’s the color name/brand? I love that look and might want to copy it!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s called Wishes by Glidden. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Katie says
This made me feel so much better about our house! We had a baby not too long after moving in and with us both working full time it’s been pretty stressful to get anything done on the house. It is slowly coming together as we DIY some and save up for other improvements. But you’re right, with every completed project we are so happy and it connects us to our house making it feel more like a home. :) Slowly but surely our rooms are coming together.
Michelle Kersey says
Let me just say… I 110% completely understand about the “small business” not so fun side of things. I love doing photography, but the business side (Accounting stuff, filing quarterly taxes, ya know…) kills a little bit of the joy I get from doing what I LOVE to do.
Keep on keeping on!
Esmael says
I envy you guys who are DIYing, I bet the adventure is really worth it! I get excited just by watching the photos!
Heidi P. says
Aww, I loved this post :D. Especially the picture with paper and life strewed all around John. I thought, “Oh, wow, they actually live there! That’s their normal life!” I know you’ve done videos showing some of your normal life too, but that picture was different somehow. Anyway, liked the whole post. And, yeah, I think we all do the “Oh no! Someone’s coming over! I gotta get everything done!” thing :). But thank goodness, ’cause otherwise, I’d never get anything done! haha.
Oh, and guess what. I ran out and got Dr. Brommer’s and used it for 3 days before realizing that it wasn’t just stinging my face – it was actually burning it! Craaazy! Like, red and peeling burned. And not from the sun. Bizarre.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! Sounds like an allergic reaction! Did you water it down halfway? I always dilute mine 50/50 with water, but it might still be something that irritates your skin! So sad!
xo,
s
Heidi P. says
Hmm, maybe I needed to dilute it more? I had an allergic reaction to J&J organic baby soap too once, so yeah, I’m guessing this was some allergic reaction too. I’ll ask the doc tomorrow and hopefully figure out what’s going on! :)
Jackie Toye says
Indeed Great Post on the Love of DIYin’ I Keep A Project …. and I’m not the only one in my neighborhood. There isn’t a Weekend we don’t hear a saw or see a Handyman’s Truck. Everyone’s making their nest, their own in some way. Thanks for the Great “How To” Lists, Tips and even Video. I’m studying your Bathroom redo from the First House for my house. We’re tacking that little puppy this Summer. Can’t Wait!!!
in the word’s of Nemo’s dad, Just Keep Diying, Just Keep Diying
Laura says
Based on that question, do you ever see yourselves just living in your own home (maybe after you get ‘er done) and getting paid to decorate other people’s houses? Just curious.
YoungHouseLove says
We always say we never could have guessed that this would be our job 5 years ago, so we have no idea what we’ll be doing in 5 more years! We love helping others but there’s nothing like taking on challenges for yourself and making choices for yourself and no one else – haha. It must be our past in advertising, but we love when “we’re the client” most, so we don’t have to make concessions that we don’t always love. Maybe we’ve watched too much HGTV, but I remember someone saying “all I want to do is a penny tile kitchen and none of my clients will go for it, and they keep picking subway tile” and I was so grateful that we had been able to make that choice for ourselves without getting anyone’s approval! Haha. As for what could be down the line for us, we’ve talked about going in with some family on a rental property or beach house (we’d do all the labor so it would be a good deal for them, haha) so we’ll have to see if that’s what ends up happening when we “finish” this house (that’s in quotes since a house is never really done, haha). Should be fun to see where we end up!
xo,
s
MamaB says
Great blog and many a wise word! I have bought a house renovated and after enjoying it for a while sold it on and it has been the best way to work my way up the food chain :) Not only did it give financial return but it was also a pleasure. I am now living with my 5 children in the south of france renovating a beautiful 70’s stone villa. It has been full on for the past two years and of course is still not finished but as you said you need to chill, enjoy the journey and be proud of the results when you do get finished. You guys are an inspiration, keep up the good work and the informative bloggin x
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks MamaB!
xo,
s
Not My Mother says
I haven’t read all the other 200+ comments so I don’t know if this has already been covered, but I actually have the opposite question to Rach, namely, once you’ve finished all your projects on your to do list and got the house looking how you want it, are you going to be able to sit back and enjoy it? Or will you want to move on to another house? I could see that happening to me (which is why I never finish anything, ahem). But the planning and the doing is so much fun… what about when it is DONE?
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely learned that we like a project, but our first house took us 4.5 years to finish (and was much smaller) so we don’t anticipate being done with this one for a while! We still have three completely untouched rooms, two untouched bathrooms, and big outside projects like building a deck and turning our carport into a garage. We do talk to our relatives about going in on a rental property or a beach house down the line (it would be a good deal for them since we’d do all the labor, haha) so in a few years that’s always a possibility too!
xo,
s
Kate B. says
Sherry if you go to gap.com, there is a girl in their ad that reminds me of you. She has a blue and white striped shirt and a blue skirt. Every time I see it, I think it is you for a second.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny, I just checked it out! I’m flattered, she’s so pretty! I’ll have to show it to John to see if he sees it.
xo,
s
Heather says
Thanks so much for this post! I needed this today as we just bought a new home and moved in a week ago. Things are far from the final product I envision, but then is there ever really a final product in home ownership? I must think of it as a slowly evolving process and celebrate the small steps in the journey.
Lili says
Wow, what a great post! You know, when one learns to relax, things seem to kinda pick up somehow (sometimes).
Carlos and I are going on 7 years in our home, and it is FAR from finished. Heck, is not even half finished! I do cringe when his cousin visits us – we are quite and boring and have no friend! But the most important thing for me, given that we have 5 dogs, is that the house is clean, smells clean, and that his cousin feels at home. When we came to drop off his dog (he is in S.Korea and we are taking care of his pup), he mention the house does smell clean. I also think he likes to spend time here because when he arrives, he says he’ll stay for just a day or two and ends up spending 3-4 days! The good thing is that he helps Carlos tackle projects; together they re-did our deck and installed a wood fireplace insert!
Sorry for such a long post! But thanks for the reminder to “chill”.
~ L.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s so sweet! He sounds like such a nice guy to help while he’s there!
xo,
s
Chris says
We moved into our new but needing work and style home 10 weeks ago , I work mostly everyday a full work day improving and creating my dream home , mostly single handedly . Not because I have to but because I love to . We just had our first real gathering here , tidied up a lot and did some touch ups and made the tools in my family room looked as tidy as they could. We all had a nice time anyway , the pile of flooring wood in the dining room didn’t hurt anyone . It’s going to most likely take me two years to get most of the to do list done . It’s a marathon . Renovation is my hobby , people ask where I get my energy , I suppose it comes from my desire to create a wonderful home .
Chris
Jolene says
Hear hear! Thanks for the great post. It is so much in my nature to just want to get stuck in and finish everything at once so I can sit back and enjoy it, but little by little I am learning to just look around at what we have achieved (in our renovation, and other things along the way like babies!) and enjoy the process of what is still underway (see http://duckeggblue.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/progress-how-do-you-measure-it/). We recently got asked if we’d be happy for our house to feature in a NZ home magazine and I was disappointed to have to turn it down because they were thinking our house was on the way to being finished, when in reality it’s a long way off. Like you we also spend our nights (or did pre baby 2, now it’s lengthy feeds to sleep!) and every weekend on house projects. It can get a little tedious at times, but it’s good to remember how satisfying it is and that it is a hobby. The longer it takes, the longer it will keep us entertained!
Karen says
I love this. We started something in the backyard a few days ago. We have been working so hard with machines on a limited time schedule and trying to balance that without waking up the neighbours early or keeping them up late. We got ‘er done though! Now we just need to chill out and enjoy the rest of the work. Of course we want to be able to enjoy our new garden and deck ASAP, but the journey should be fun too. I can guarantee that our experiences and discoveries this weekend of digging will be better than anything a perfect backyard will provide.
Mirena Marinova says
Hi guys, I love your blog, work, house, ideas, creativity, etc. I’ve been following it for a year now, but it’s my first comment.
I have very little time for renovations/decorating/DIY with 2 kids and a job, so very little of my projects are really finished completely. But I found that at many occasions it’s better to wait, live with what you have and take the time to think of all the possible solutions of the issue, so not be sorry later. As you said: “woulda-shoulda” do this instead.
And one more thing – I don’t think that there really is finish line. I love changes, I always have new ideas, I love to switch colors, and the home needs to grow up as the family grows. For example in the kid’s room I move the furniture every year…
How about you?
So for me every little change i fun and inspires me for the next one.
Mirena
YoungHouseLove says
Absolutely! It always feels like our house changes and evolves with our family and our needs as we realize what we like/want and as our functional needs change (for example going from having a crawling baby to a sprinting toddler)! It’s so much fun to see where things will go!
xo,
s
Melanie says
Thank you for this very appropriately timed, reality reminding post!!! My Mom is coming to visit from the other side of the country for the first time in a year, and she’s bringing my sister who has never been here. My husband and I are very excited to show off our “new” house (we’ve been here about 19 months) and all the work we’ve been doing. We’re very proud of what we’ve done and what we’ve learned, although it’s mostly consisted of thorough cleanings and re-painting everything as the previous owner was a smoker.. So after exhausting ourselves and our finances with projects when we first moved in, we’ve been taking it easy for nearly a year and now in the past month it’s been a whirlwind of spring projects, trying to accomplish something new to show off. Having company coming has been a good motivator to get us moving on our house again, and we have cleaned and repainted our entire basement (block foundation and floor) and just put in a vegetable garden finally, this past weekend.. Of course there are a few other things I had hoped to accomplish before they get here, but this post has reminded me to take a deep breath.. They’ll love what we’ve done so far, and I know they really don’t care if we’ve done nothing; they’ve come to see us!
Leila says
Thank you so much for this post. I bought my first house last October and have been working myself really hard to get it done. I was very naive when I bought it, thinking I just wanted to give it a coat of paint but it’s turned into so much more. Thankfully my partner has gotten into the spirit of renovating now too and we have been replacing doors, painting the whole house(ceilings too), building a pantry&wardrobe and are approaching a big bathroom reno in the next few months. It’s been a total whirlwind of renovations. 6 months ago I had no idea about the difference between flat and semi-gloss paint! I’m so used to trying my hardest at everything that slowing down and trying to enjoy it has been really difficult. So advice like this is really what I need to hear! You guys have taught me so much (Used your tiling instructions to tile and grout my laundry backsplash last weekend! haha) Particularly because I’m only 22 and have no background knowledge in home renovations! Thanks :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you’re welcome Leila! Happy to help! And good luck with everything!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
I have to tell you, this post came at the perfect time for me. We moved in to our new (old) house in November and have been slowly checking projects off our to-do list since then. That was until about a month ago, when we decided to host my Master’s graduation/30th birthday bash at our house. This last month has been so incredible frustrating, trying to finish every.single.project on our list before our family and friends arrive. Finally this weekend (after a mini-meltdown on my part) we decided to just take a breath and stop otherwise we were going to end up hating this party (and each other). Its comforting to know that we’re not the only ones who succumb to the need to perfect. Thank you for giving me some perspective!
YoungHouseLove says
So happy to help Rebecca!
xo,
s
Chrissy says
I lived in a DIYers house for my first 21 years. There was always some project going on, but it was even worse- my Dad is a farmer so he only did the DIYing on the weekends and evenings IN THE WINTER! LOL. Whatever didn’t get done by the time Spring came around, just sat like that for the next 9 mos until he could get to it again.
So when we bought our first house 6 months ago, I knew that it would probably be same for us and so far we’re living on subfloor in the bedrooms and have removed some counters in the kitchen which have left some ugly marks on the wall- but we’re going to remove the wall at some point, so hey! It’s how it is. When people comment, it gives us the opportunity to tell them our plans, which are just as exciting to me as actually getting things done!
Wendy B. says
I remember walking with my mother-in-law through our new home, excitedly telling her all the things we were planning to do to fix it up, and her telling me to relax we have 30 years! I always think of that when I look around at all those things I still haven’t done 12 years later!
Suzanne says
This post (and it’s comments) is exactly what I needed today.
My husband and I have been working our fannies off on our second home purchased back in September. Working one room at a time, we’ve addressed 4 out of the 12 spaces.
In the previous months I haven’t wanted anyone over because it isn’t “perfect” yet but I finally had a revelation and realized that part of the fun in the transformation is being able to see the before in comparison to the after. In order for my friends and family to truly appreciate what we’ve accomplished they need to see the current hideousness to really understand how far we’ve come. They will certainly be more impressed with my kitchen makeover if they lay eyes on the current wood-paneled, olive green and summer squash monstrosity.
And see it they will…about a month ago I agreed to host a large (no, massive) surprise birthday party for my mom in early June. We’ve been spending every spare minute we have trying to complete a mile-long list of projects we want done before the party (clean and paint the garage where the party will primarily be held, paint and rehang the guest bathroom door, trim the azaleas and spread pine straw, hang curtains in the Den…) and time is running out. I’m feeling the pressure to complete all one million of these tiny tasks (that no one will care about but me) and have completely made peace with the fact that everyone will be seeing my heinous dark and dreary kitchen…now what sense does that make??? None. And your post has just helped remind me of this. My friends and family are no more going to care about the size of the azaleas than they are about my fugly kitchen, so why bust our tails over the next few weeks in order to complete a bunch of tasks that really aren’t all that important?
Thanks so much for this breath of fresh air right when I needed it! (seriously, hyperventilation was just a few freak-outs away) I think I’ll go back to enjoying the DIY-ing at my own pace and what’s done by June will be done and what isn’t will just have to be a topic for conversation.
Dina says
“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).”
Oh my goodness I am so guilty of that. We have lived in our home for seven months now, and I have been working my butt off that entire time. I need to chill out! I’ve really enjoyed all we have accomplished, but I have to keep reminding myself that no one is going to judge us for not having everything finished or perfectly put together.
Great post, thank you!
Tabitha says
Gosh, this was incredibly encouraging!! Thank you and thank you again for writing it. We owned a townhome before our current house, but I never really did any decorating at all until this one. Now I’m feeling a little like what you did with your first house–pressure. Self-made pressure, to be exact. I’m always creating a new list of must-dos before I invite anyone in and now I see how silly that is. I really did think that it would be quick to decorate until I started. Now…two years later, lol. Anyway, thanks. I’m going to read this every time I have some lame excuse not to invite someone over!
heather says
It’s been a long time since I read this post, but I came across it on Facebook and I needed it. We’re just insulating now and I remind myself “it’s 24 hours closer to finished” when really I should just be like “I can’t believe how far we’ve come!”. Thanks for the reminder to re-frame expectations and what’s going on. It also helps that I’m finally getting more hands on since there’s more I have the skill set to either do or learn to do without slowing progress or getting in the way. I contend I can officially make a nicer caulking bead than anyone in the house haha. This is a point of pride. I think re-framing attitudes is so important in a renovation, and in life in general and *sometimes* we just need a reminder to do so. Thank you for being that reminder tonight!
xo
Heather says
It’s been almost a year since we re-arranged the furniture in the living room so that there was a direct path from the living room into the kitchen, which is THE SAME ROOM! It just had been blocked off in the middle by furniture, and now my mister still walks through the path between the chairs and says, “I’m walking through a table!”
It’s taken that entire year to get the garage to a point we would call “finished” or at least useable as a lounge/gaming/bar area. It was done in fits and starts, big pushes and an hour here and there, but relaxing on the couch and playing video games with our friends without bothering my mister’s parents? It’s worth every moment of frustration that’s gone before and still to come.
diana says
I am SO in love with your homes! and you guys!! I love that you’re laid back and don’t feel the need to finish a project before someone comes so that they’d be impressed. Its YOUR house and YOU love it. and thats how I am! I’m just venturing into all this “DIY” stuff and with my blog… but you guys inspire me! Thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Diana! Happy DIYing and blogging!
xo
s
Amanda says
This is a great read. I am getting so frustrated because so much of our house is still undone and not livable. We moved in in February and whenever I think about all that still needs to be done, I almost want to cry! My boyfriend is the handy man so without him, there is very little I can do, but currently he is busy with his landscaping company. I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one in this boat though :) Thank you!
Shelley says
My parents started renovating as soon as they bought their first house 28 years ago and are still at it on their 5th. I have never lived without some sort of project on the go and our main house has been “rearranged” so many times no one can actually remember what it looked like originally (walls go up, then down, kitchen moved, bathroom added, living room added, bathroom redone, attic, basement, bedrooms…). We always just laugh at it and make jokes about how you need a little sawdust on your cereal to make it taste right. Or about the time we couldn’t find the cat because she was inbetween the new kitchen floor and the basement ceiling so we had to rip up the new floor and do it again. Or the other cat that tried to jump up on the counter that was not there and landed in the cupboard full of pots and made the loudest crash ever. I can tell you though that growing up like that taught me and my brothers that hard work pays off, that we can learn new skills, that some things are better left to professionals, and that family comes first. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.