House in Progress Diary

making "do" until...

Well, we are sketching out lots of big plans, doing research and...in the meantime...patching things to see us through until the work is done.

The hardest part is putting off the REAL decorating until AFTER the construction is finished. That is the most fun for the both of us to think about and it is what will come last. After the bones of the house have been reset. But it is hard not to sigh over pictures of curtains or wallpaper or shelves. We just know that whatever is being used now will probably be cleaned and recleaned and possibly covered in inches of dust and dirt for awhile.

Sigh.

So, these curtains don't fit my master plan AT ALL. They were left in the house and we needed something to preserve our dignity and keep the dog from barking. But we don't care if they get yucky either. They are polyester and they were...well...here.

And, the other current survival trick? Using DUCT TAPE! We have a seriously funky second floor bathroom...the vent from the tub was hooked into the main stack in the 50's...not very well. So the threads from the vent pipe have deteriorated. Yep, rusted through. Meaning. The sewer gases that need to travel up the stack and OUT above the roofline occasionally wander into our second floor bath. The one we are using right now. Which has contributed to some funny looks between us until we figured out what it was. I mean, you would have thought that was strange also! Not knowing where that smell was coming from. So...until we overhaul the plumbing in this bathroom...DUCT TAPE! We love duct tape.

Last list of survival ingrediants for living in a house under construction?

1) A sense of humor, preferably dark humor.
2) Denial alternating with motivation.
3) Some nice classical CD's...like the new Joshua Bell
CD or a Norah Jones CD. So soothing.
4) Some lemonade. And something to put into that lemonade.
5) A fabulous grill and a freezer full of grill potential.
6) Some careful negotiating skills for spouses...plus, one spouse who is amazingly level-headed and says helpful soothing things like, "I know. It feels important now. But what is the worst that will happen here? Will someone die?"
7) REALLY nice neighbors.
8) Great wet/dry vac and wicked awesome cleaning supplies.
9) Strong family and friends support

and #10 is....

10) An escape plan for when you need to get away...still working on this one. Or renting the video, The Money Pit

Then you may not feel QUITE so badly.

Posted by aaron on November 21, 2003 at 10:51 PM (2)