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Improvements

8/5/2018

11 Comments

 
Picture
I’m living in a state of organized chaos.
 
The disarray is due to the home improvement projects that have been going on around here for a while.  Still, after looking at a timeline of the upgrades, I was stunned to see that we’ve been living this way for more than year. 
 
I’d be happier with the mess if that’s all there was to it.  
 
But every cause has an effect, and when it comes to remodeling our house, I’ve noticed that The Hubster and I are grouchier, and more annoyed with each other, than we were before this odyssey started.
 
This makes sense: who doesn’t get crabby when one’s stuff has to be packed away in boxes for an indeterminate amount of time?  Who isn’t annoyed when strangers stride into one’s home with rolls of masking tape, loud drills and stained
drop cloths?      
 
As it turns out, we’re like a lot of couples whose living quarters are in transition.
 
According to Iowa marriage counselor Don Gilbert, remodeling a home can be “the most stressful activity a married couple can engage in.”  Gilbert added that the undertaking brings out “all of the components that couples stress over—money, multiple decisions, and different preferences.”   Indeed, a survey by the home improvement website Houzz noted that more than half of the respondents reported that renovating was one of the most frustrating and taxing periods in their marriages.  
 
Needless to say, I didn’t read this before all of the work began.
 
Instead, I made the first project a big one.
 
I’d decided that my vintage linoleum and yellow cement floors needed to go. The cement was the most troublesome: it
​had been painted by someone who promised that she knew how to apply the right polish to give the gray surface an iridescent shine.  The work was done while I was away; when I returned home, the floor was flat yellow and the paint already peeling. 
 
This meant I was ready for a big change—even though furniture was shoved into the kitchen and yard; there was loud pounding for hours, and big trucks in our driveway.  But the end result was worth it: chocolate colored acrylic planks that I don’t have to clean on my hands and knees.

​Next was the outside of the house.  The once bright blue coat of paint had faded to half the original color (brushes hadn’t touched this exterior in more than 15 years), and the garage door wasn’t looking so hot either.  The latter was egged months ago, and no matter how often The Hubster cleaned it, the stains never completely came off.  Now there’s another door, and my house is a cheery yellow and white.   
 
There’s also a new driveway of snow white pebbles; screens on previously naked windows, and a stove that doesn’t need a match to light it.  The tilted wood fence is upright now, with a matching gate next to it. Faucets and a shower door
have been replaced, and new lighting, vents and grout are in the bathrooms.  At the moment, the entire interior is
​being painted.   
 
Life will be better by spring, when the last major upgrades should be done. The grimy kitchen cupboards will be sanded and repainted, and the wood floors in the office, hallway and living room will be polished back to their original shine.  
 
I’m finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
 
Meanwhile, The Hubster and I hope that we’ll make it out alive.
   
11 Comments
Larry Grant
8/5/2018 08:51:04 pm

Sharing the chaos. Oh, we'll survive this. Signed. The Grumpy Hubster

Reply
Hilary A Grant
8/5/2018 09:16:07 pm

Yes, we will! : ) xo

Reply
Patti
8/5/2018 09:31:56 pm

Awww, remodeling is nothing! Try building an entire three story house!

Reply
Hilary Grant
8/6/2018 10:24:39 am

I honestly don't know how you did it... except for grit and determination!

Reply
Heather Risinger
8/6/2018 06:37:14 am

I have faith in you both. Every transition is hard, but will be worth it!

Reply
Hilary Grant
8/6/2018 10:25:04 am

Absolutely!

Reply
leslie spoon
8/7/2018 03:08:23 pm

Hilary My friend and her partner just finished building a new house and the stress was bad. The worst for me was when we were having the inside of our house painted and the ceilings sprayed. Every room was a disaster and after that was having the bathrooms redone and the kitchen. My husband and my pets handled it way better than me. It makes you feel like your life is out of control. It is also hard when you don`t have a kitchen sink for 2 weeks.

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Hilary Grant
8/7/2018 08:15:19 pm

I'm pretty sure I couldn't handle the building of a new house. Just getting all of these major renovations done is enough, thank you! Luckily, we're spacing the projects out so we're not living in a construction zone 24/7. But I still have more than a few rooms that have all of the pictures off of the walls, waiting to be painted, and boxes with other "stuff" put away... for now. And, dealing with big stuff that still hasn't arrived at the Big Box store is a PAIN. :(

Reply
Susan Jordan
8/11/2018 08:49:25 am

I look forward to the day I can have my own place to renovate. Maybe there will even be a swimming pool involved!

Reply
Hilary A Grant
8/12/2018 12:24:59 am

Well, w/ the next and FINAL house, I want to walk in and see that the only thing I'll need is a bag of groceries. : )

Reply
kerri fisher
9/2/2018 10:15:31 pm

All your improvements look great, and will pay off when it's all over. Hang in there! I wish I owned my place so I could remodel - it can be fun - dirty, expensive, stressful - but fun!

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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