lessons from a homeowner

i think i've become more laid back as a homeowner. not willingly, mind you, but i've learned a lot through this process.

first and foremost, it can't all get done. it simply can't. before we moved in, i had a list of things i wanted to have done before the end of the year. however, once we started doing projects, i was smacked with the reality stick big time. everything takes more time and effort than you think it will (when you're doing the work yourself).

and part of the time involved is "tired time." after spending all day stripping wallpaper, painting, doing yard work, moving boxes, and running 572 errands (or some combination thereof), you simply are too tired to do anything more. not all hours of the day are as usable as you thought they'd be.

also, everything costs more than you thought it would. always. everything. there's always 10 more things you have to buy to complete a project that you didn't think of initially. or the one and only thing you actually need costs twice as much as you thought it would because you couldn't go with the cheaper version for one reason or another.

because of all this, some work just isn't as important as you thought it was. that dated floral wallpaper in the downstairs bath? totally staying until next summer. the even uglier wallpaper in the stairwell? not going anywhere. all the hideously outdated light fixtures i thought just had to be replaced before we moved in? not only are they still there but i'm not even searching for replacements. finishing the basement before the baby comes? only in my dreams.

that and the list never ends. it just keeps getting bigger. the more projects you do, the more projects you think of to do. some of them are required (like patching the master bedroom wall that got scraped up while moving furniture to re-work wiring), and some just sound like a good idea (wouldn't it be nice if the 2.5 car garage were BIGGER??).

and to think we bought a house that didn't NEED any work.

don't get me wrong - i LOVE our house. the layout is perfect for us, it's a great size, the yard is great, the neighborhood is great. it's not at all like i pictured it would be (i love old houses with beautiful woodwork; i ended up with what was once a 60s brick ranch - which i hate - with a second story added in the 70s), but in the end, it is more than we had hoped for. we were so lucky to find it (4 days on the market), lucky to have such hassle free negotiations (our original offer was accepted less than 24 hours after we submitted it, and our request to have $7200 worth of work done in the basement was agreed to immediately), not to mention lucky to get it for the price we did (we got a good deal). the home has been meticulously cared for (we are only the 3rd owners) and did not need a single bit of work in order for us to move in. not that that stopped us from stripping wallpaper, painting, putting up a fence, pulling out kitchen cabinets and the countertop stovetop (and rerouting a gas line) to make way for a new oven, running a new water line for a new fridge, and buying a few new light fixtures (that was all me) - before we even moved in. we've since completed painting, tore out 90% of the pre-existing bushes, planted 13 rose bushes and over 100 tulip bulbs, installed a doggie dooley (that was all bryan), to name a few. and we still want to finish the basement, remodel the kitchen, pull out some carpeting and refinish the wood floor underneath - before next summer (i have some other projects planned for the summer).

i guess i've just come to realize that all those things we always said "well if it were OUR house" to while renting, now we have made into real live projects, since it is our house. :)

and i couldn't be happier, exhaustion, money, and endless lists and all!!! :)