House in Progress Diary

OK- you need the 'it could be worse' talk!!!

Let's face it: our standard of living is pretty durn high in the U.S. Half the world's population lives in slums- so just think of all those folks who DREAM of a nice basement to live in (LOL). With a microwave to boot! I get that inferior feeling because everyone else in America seems to have granite countertops- that's what I get for watching TV.
Anyway, you want to feel sorry for people, think about people in Florida with no running water or power, and all that _senseless_ destruction. OUR destruction is our own free-will destruction, which makes it much more bearable. we have dry places to camp out for our mortgage payment- no shelters, trailers or hotels necessary. We are blessed and don't even know it.
Hope that sounds believable!

For some reason, the mood/energy downshift seems to always hit me right after a lot of tearout. Maybe it's the knowledge that I've just killed any hope of resale (for the time being) and don't really have anything to show for it yet. Also hits hard when I run out of money ;^) But buck up there~ this is part of the process. I know you know that, it's just hard to FEEL it sometimes.
You guys are kicking some hardcore heiney and providing info and inspiration to... well, at least dozens of us out here. Take your well-earned rest. Then go have nice long bath downstairs. Close your eyes and soak in the warm water... eventually, when you're ready, open your eyes and look around. The bathroom is SO NICE. Holy monkey poop!~ did YOU do that?!?! Yeah. You did. That took so much more than you guys were planning on and it just seemed to sink deeper and deeper, but the results rock and you're proceeding at record pace. So you can do the rest. No problem... just hang in there!

Think about the sanctuary your upstairs will become once its all over. Also, think of how much you have accomplished already.

I find myself looking up at the beautiful plaster job I did on our beautiful bedroom vaulted ceiling, and I remembering doing it and thinking forward to lying in bed and looking up at it. Or standing in the fantastic 3' x 5' shower we built and tiled, remembering how much hard work it was, and now what a pleasure it is to use! So now, during the drudgery of painting kitchen cabinets, sanding, staining and varnishing trim, and plastering and painting the walls, I think ahead to working at my sink and looking out the window, or at my new stainless gas stove making our first meal in the new kitchen once it's done. Then it's on to the downstairs bathroom, bedroom, dining room, living room and library yet to do!!

Oh, MY, Gretchen! Don't even mention libraries. I have a 1912 Bungalow, but any original cabinetry that it might have had has long since been removed. I'm planning on making my own built-in bookshelves for the library. Floor to ceiling, two walls. Someday; sometime after that room has walls again. And a ceiling. And the floor's redone; oh, and the windows, too! Um... but before all that it has to be rewired.

Clearly, this is a mental illness of some sort, but...
Geez~ how many of us are out there?

I just wanted to say I know what something of what you are feeling. We have certainly had our weeks+ of inactivity, where we had to walk through partially dealt with spaces and walk by tools waiting to be picked up. I'm starting to think that how the downtime gets dealt with is very important to whether or not a renovation like this gets finished / enjoyed, etc.

And there is something extra about having an audience to this like this. The non-'work moving forward' bits that you put up are wonderful and make the site that much more personal and textured.

I've said it before, I'll say it again...keep in mind that this is something bigger than just having a place to live. You guys are restoring something beautiful to the world. My house is in OK shape, and I don't take that for granted, but it's just a box with a roof and it looks like a lot of other boxes built around the same time.

But...we are looking for house numbers, and when I saw these, I thought of you:

bungalow-style terra cotta house numbers

That is a fantastic sentiment, Tully! J&A are doing something for themselves, but it WILL contribute to the life of the community. The ripple effects can really be enormous. Too many people buy houses (or other structures) and forget that every element of the built environment is in continual dialogue with its context and with every person who so much as walks by it. Before they bought it, I think this house was screaming about decay and neglect. Now it's bringing some beuaty back to people and asserting the possibility of renewal and hope. Is that a lot to ask of a little bungalow? Is it overblowing the importance of such a little thing? I don't think so, but then, I'm a bit biased~ I wouldn't be an architect if I didn't believe in these things... and I'm so glad to see people out of the feild who seem to believe in them, too!

Three Cheers for A&J, and all the people who do the extra work required to bring us all a little something extra in life!