Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a perfectionist. And wouldn't you know, sometimes that makes life difficult. That's not to say I'm perfect. Far from it as a matter of fact. Just ask Mary :). But that doesn't stop me from trying to apply those ideals to many different aspects of my life. I could go on about this for days and we might need a therapist couch, but tonight we'll stick to the topic of home improvement.
Since moving into our house in July of 2006 we've undertaken a number of projects. We renovated the kitchen our first year as well as refurbished our two master bedroom walk-in closets. We added a wooden fence for the benefit of containing our two favorite puppies and then followed that up with a new sprinkler system and a backyard of new sod. I've spent a good amount of time outside trying to get the better of so many different species of plants, trees, and assorted shrubbery. Last year I tackled a limited guest bathroom remodel. What started out as a desire to simply update a vanity turned into something a bit larger, with drywall work, new plumbing, baseboards, and my redoing the tile floor. And we won't talk about the general painting, arranging, and other tasks associated with trying to make a house a home.
It's funny how, when buying a house, you tend to overlook all of the "projects" that will inevitably come with the purchase. Or short of that, perhaps you downplay them, either in terms of effort, cost, time required, etc. You're just happy to have a home, someplace to hang your hat. But the projects do come. Sometimes you take them on yourself. Other times you realize that you're really not a skilled contractor. Then they take longer than you expected. And they cost more. But it's worth it in the end, right? RIGHT???
Forward to the present - I'm sitting in the living room looking at a mattress/box spring set leaning up against our couch. There's a car carrier sitting to my right by the front window. A small chest of drawers rests near the kitchen on a small furniture dolly. Home Depot and Lowes receipts litter the dining room table. Our refrigerator is sitting in the middle of the kitchen, having been pulled away from the wall so I could investigate the cause of leaking water. Walk into the master bedroom and, short of a bed in the center of the room, you'd be hard-pressed to know it was a bedroom. Three roomfuls of possessions lie against every available wall, organized yes, but still indicative of that state known as chaos. Some of you were at our house not too long ago and may remember that it looked nothing like this. Oh but things change quickly...
Late last year I decided to redo my office. Somewhat outdated with 70's style baseboards and extremely worn carpet, I wanted something a little nicer, especially since I was spending so much time working from home. Then, with the discovery that a baby was on the way, we decided to redo the guest bedroom as well, turning it into a baby's room. For a brief moment I had planned to tackle these tasks by myself and had even scheduled a week of vacation expressly for this purpose. Fortunately I was saved from home improvement purgatory when my vacation was canceled and I was sent to Mexico for a project. Ask Mary, I can be good at some of the small things and am fairly handy around the house. But the larger a project, the longer it can take me. I'm good at taking things apart and great at starting projects. But sometimes my attention wanes or perhaps I get distracted by a newer project. Or worse yet I get frustrated by an inability to achieve the level of perfection I expect of myself. You think that sounds bad, you should try working with me professionally!
Well, the contractor is almost done with the two rooms and I think things look much better than they did before. Give me a couple of days to move furniture back and perhaps things will start looking normal again. Oh, but I do crave normalcy! But then, did I mention that, having now redone two of the rooms, we are considering redoing the flooring throughout the rest of the house?
It's funny. By the time we move from Austin in 3-4 years, we'll probably have redone the whole bloody place! I sure hope the next family likes it!
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