There is something indescribably glorious about living in your home while remodeling. It's not the transformation taking place before your eyes. Or the divine before and after pictures. Or the transforming beauty that can come of dirt, dust and debris. Nor is it the thrill of getting something new.
No. Those are not the indescribably glorious reasons. Those are obviously glorious reasons but that fact that I described them indicates they do not fall in the "indescribably" category.
The indescribably glorious thing about living in your home while remodeling is the feeling of "I can do this" that overtakes you at the end of everyday, and at the dawn of every morning. The feeling of "I am actually surviving" that you feel when you walk through a haze of thick dust just to get to the shower that night. The feeling of "If this doesn't pass soon, I will lose my mind" that you feel on a gloomy day only to have everything feel right that night when your husband comes home and completes the current phase of your project. And that horrible feeling you get in the midst of a long day when you think it all will never end.
The experience of living in a mess. The experience of eating dust. The experience of bathing your kids twice a day because of the dust cloud in your house. The experience of feeling dirty all the time. The experience of not getting enough sleep and working too hard. The experience of insanity.
But, the crux of this indescribably glorious reason about remodeling your home while living in it, is the experience of experiencing all of the above and actually thriving in your survival. I see now why people devote their entire blogs to their latest in home house remodel. It's like running a marathon and winning. The new kitchen, the new basement, the bigger floor plan, those are all secondary. The bliss of it all is looking back and saying, "I did it. I did it. I actually did it."
Friday, January 25, 2008
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3 comments:
My dad completely remodeled our bungalow when I was growing up--inside and out. It took a number of months, maybe a few years. The kitchen was tiny, but with the miracle of very efficient appliances, his skilled craftsmanship, etc. it turned out beautifully. The project I remember most was in my 12th summer when he did the kitchen. He would get up at 5 am and spray lacquer on the cabinets in the basement with his air compressor. The fumes would permeate the house (this was after the plaster dust stage) and I would wheeze and cough and throw up. After a summer of this lovely mess, I went to the Dr. and was told I had whooping cough. I don't know if there was any relationship between the remodeling and the illness. I was just one of the things they had in common. John has done much remodeling too, and you just get into survival mold. I am grateful for all that is accomplished. Have a great day. Pat
Same Dad as mentioned above - believed in putting his kids to work also - particularly on the painting detail. He had a little "trade mark" leave one part incomplete. If I recall correctly there was one space above the stove meant for a cabinet and it never got one unless it was just before they sold the house - same about a door for the linen shelves in the bathroom.
In any case all the remodeling certainly improved the house.
In my married life we have had our share of renos in our home even though it was a brand new one when we bought it.
Just remember "This too shall pass."
The bliss of it all is looking back and saying, "I did it. I did it. I actually did it."
And for now you can say "I can do it. I can do it. I actually can do it!"
I can tell you miss me.
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