Tony and I have been married now for going on 22 years. Where has the time gone? In that time we've remodeled several homes while living in them at the same time. If you've never tried this, I don't recommend it! By far the biggest job we tackled was the house we currently rent out in The Dalles--the one on Knob Hill Road (or "Snob Hill Road" as T likes to say). Walls were moved, electrical panels changed, the entire house not just replumbed but bathrooms moved and/or created where there weren't any before. I remember Jer and Tony jackhammering through the foundation to lay the pipe. Everything was exposed--plumbing pipes, electrical wires and insulation visible to the eye; there was no drywall up yet. We took a small bedroom and made it into a walk-in closet and master bath suite. New doors and trim inside and out. Fresh coats of paint. New appliances, new wood floor, new carpet, new kitchen/bath tile, and on and on.
Keep in mind we were living in the house while all this was happening. Not fun. To make matters worse, my husband went into kidney failure and spent a year on dialysis until his kidney transplant (thanks to my sister). Then it was a hard 6-8 months recovery until he was able to get back "on the job". I vowed I'd never do a live-in remodel again.
But here we are, doing just that. Last spring we did the bathroom; another "gut" job. Out with the old, in with the new. And this winter we refinished all the interior doors to a rich mahogany (oh they are beautiful!) And now we're nearly done with the kitchen--refinished cabinets, countertops, more custom cabinetry built ins. (FYI this was T's specialty and passion while he was contracting) But oh what an improvement! Along the way we took an overgrown jungle yard and gave it manicured flower beds with a cute little gazebo.
As far as I'm concerned, the only thing left to do is to replace or refinish the wood floors. Tony would like to build a shop out back; we've got an extra lot beyond the back lawn.
Oh, but I forgot about the tv room we want to build where the exising patio is...and the second bathroom...and what about enlarging the master bedroom?
Who knows if we'll ever get to those projects? In years past I'd be plotting and planning to get it done "right now". The remodel experience in this house has been different...going at a pace that's comfortable, with less pushing and shoving to try to make it all happen. And although I'd be pleased to accomplish everything on the list, it's okay if we never do.
Guess at age 60, I've finally grown up.
