We have lived in our house since 1980. I relate to many of your projects that have subs jobs and more add ons. The toilet, shower, sink jobs are monsters for a DIYers. Thanks for this post, Jim. I'm sure many of us appreciate what you went through.
Thanks. It's a grind. I notice our old "character-filled" house mostly when I visit other people's new, modern houses that lack this character but also lack 100 year old infrastructure.
Isn't it remarkable how fast a professional can do these projects? Unbelievably to me now, my husband and I once painted the exterior of our house ourselves! The back side took over 6 months to finish because--well, no one could see it but us. Years later (we lived in the house for 30 years), I paid someone to paint it and they took two days to complete the whole job and even reglazed the windows. But, well, it was a money thing that first time around.
That discovery under the carpet is such a perfect metaphor for old house ownership. Sometimes the biggest upgrade is just revealing what was always there. The cascading project phases nailed it too, went through the exact same thing when we uncoverd hardwood, suddenly everything else looked shabby by comparison and theneeded updating.
We have lived in our house since 1980. I relate to many of your projects that have subs jobs and more add ons. The toilet, shower, sink jobs are monsters for a DIYers. Thanks for this post, Jim. I'm sure many of us appreciate what you went through.
Thanks. I keep waiting for the day when everything works all the time. I think it's called heaven. :-)
So relatable, and made me chuckle. The endless house project list, gah!!
Thanks. It's a grind. I notice our old "character-filled" house mostly when I visit other people's new, modern houses that lack this character but also lack 100 year old infrastructure.
Isn't it remarkable how fast a professional can do these projects? Unbelievably to me now, my husband and I once painted the exterior of our house ourselves! The back side took over 6 months to finish because--well, no one could see it but us. Years later (we lived in the house for 30 years), I paid someone to paint it and they took two days to complete the whole job and even reglazed the windows. But, well, it was a money thing that first time around.
Like most of these, it should be left to the professionals. But the money thing…
Like you, I painted my house with help from my father in law but said never again. Side it or sell it!
That discovery under the carpet is such a perfect metaphor for old house ownership. Sometimes the biggest upgrade is just revealing what was always there. The cascading project phases nailed it too, went through the exact same thing when we uncoverd hardwood, suddenly everything else looked shabby by comparison and theneeded updating.