The Most Important Tool...
It has been amazing to discover the most important side benefit of all to keeping track of our Home Renovation Adventure!tm in photos and a daily diary.
Most Important Side Benefit
Keeping your sense of humor.
*I think Home Renovation Adventure! sounds better than Home Renovation Nightmare!, don't you? Much more positive. It's all about "spin," you know?
More than a table saw, more than a power drill and (gulp) only slightly more than a Sawzall, the most important tool in home renovation is....
Yep, you guessed it. A sense of humor.
Everyday something WILL go wrong. It will. And it will be something you didn't forsee. So if you are thinking, "Furnace, I'm going to have problems with that soon, I'll bet" or "Dishwasher. That's about to go."
You will be right.
AND...the door will fall off that day. Or you will find ants. Or the cat's head will get stuck in the wall.
Better to grab your camera, laugh about it and write it up than to despair and take to your bed with a box of
Because the faster you can laugh about it, the faster you can move on and just let it go. Renovations get more disgusting before they get nicer. And when you are living IN them, that is very very discouraging. Because you are making things dirtier and more chaotic in the pursuit of peace and cleanliness.
Which is so very Zen. Or Dr. Suess. I'm always mixing those two up.
(3)
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Cabinet Refacing:
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Comments
Or when the seal on the washer needed to be replaced 2 weeks ago because there was water leaking all over the basement, while the house was being pressure washed and tuckpointed and there were earwigs coming out of our ears (pun intended) and now 2 weeks later the house is sealed and the basement dry and the washer's computer board is now out of order (hmmmmm??!!). I am laughing, boy am I laughing $300.00 later. :)
Posted by: Ana | July 6, 2004 5:36 PM
Thanks jm for the recent posts- I was in dire need of inspiration over the 4th weekend and was worried that you weren't doing anything (nope! just posting later). I am stripping the balusters (80 years of paint) by hand since they are so close together. They are square craftsman style, thank god. My garage contractor is driving me crazy, no big problems except he is farting around getting the trim and gutters finished- we are painting it ourselves, and he NEVER can manage to get us the wood a day ahead of time so we can prime it before he nails it up (peak of gable is 21 feet). That much more work for us on the ladder- but, hey, why worry about it? It is beyond my control! That feels good to say.
Your bricks look fantastic- that whole scenario could have been so much worse.
Carol
Posted by: Carol | July 7, 2004 7:24 AM
Agh! Agh! 21 feet in the air! Yikes. Ladders. Though I scamper up 'em, I'm a "grab it and go" kind of gal at that height. (I used to be a climber...that probably has something to do with it. I need my harnass, an anchor made out of a few cams, a rope and some carabiners to feel all "whee!" about any height.) Hats off to you.
We did more work which we'll post as the week goes on. I, um, overdid just a wee bit in the back department getting all macho with a prybar in my quest to save the original trim. Trim = Great!, Back = not so much. So, I'm creaking around and we'll have the weekends fun up soon.
Your balusters will be GOR-geous. Send pics!
Posted by: jm | July 7, 2004 7:55 AM