Remodeling journey
8.1.24
From Dated to Updated: A Personal Renovation
We have some exciting news to share! I recently worked with my mom on her extensive home remodel…Phase 1-ish. And oh boy! Being on this side of the project, there is so much I want to share, everything from how to budget, what happens when the budget overfloweth, the process of finding a contractor, what to prioritize, how to prepare for living in a construction zone, where to shop, things I’d do differently, and tons more! With so much to talk about, I’ll split this into a mini-series breaking down everything I can into digestible bits and pieces. Hopefully, it will help you prepare for your future remodeling journey or be a kind nudge that you’re not alone if you are in the process of one now. And that even a seasoned designer is questioning her life choices!
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First off, let me just say when your client is a little bit closer to home, the level of indecisiveness is something else. This is why we design for other people. It’s easy to hone in on a style for others but when it’s personal and we are exposed to so many possibilities and love everything, second-guessing your decisions becomes second nature. I had to remind myself “Rather than waste time being stressed over making the right decisions, make the decision right.” That’s from Dr. Ellen Langer :) I wish I heard that 3 months ago. Make the choice, embrace it, accept the consequences, take responsibility for it, and move forward. Just because it could have been different, doesn’t mean it would have been better. So without meaning to be a lesson, that was lesson 1 learned.
Secondly, this project has taught and equipped me with so much more knowledge on how to support our clients moving forward.
This is a project that has been in the talks for quite some time. We first had a contractor out to the house to provide a bid back in the beginning of 2020 right before the world shut down when work was already heavily needed. Call it chance or down to timing but we didn’t follow through with it then and slowly it fell back onto the “future projects” platter. Now looking back I think it panned out the way it was all supposed to.
There was and continues to be a lot to tackle at the house and being that my mom would live in the house during the remodel, we broke the projects up into three phases. During this first round, we focused on keeping the work outside and downstairs so that private living spaces were still available upstairs.
Phase 1 - Exterior Part 1 & Interior Part 1
Termite treatment
Roof
Exterior painting
Whole home new doors and windows
Window treatment 1st level
Flooring 1st level
Kitchen
Interior painting 1st level
Furniture
This is by far the chunkiest of the phases. But it addresses the areas of most concern that can no longer be ignored. Though the home has been well-loved and appreciated you wouldn’t know by the looks of it, if you know what I mean! My parents purchased the home 35 years ago. They watched the house get built from the ground up and except for some basic upkeep, no major work had ever been done while my dad was alive and after he passed my mom saw no problems with what was there. She would have been fine with keeping everything as is...forever. My mom is of the mind “Why fix what’s not broken?” But she’s also the first to say, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?” once it’s all done!
In all honesty, there was a lot broken underneath the surface (and some very above the surface). There were issues with the original windows that caused water intrusion during the recent heavy rains we’ve been experiencing. The roof had never been addressed for all of 35 years. And the termite situation! OH, the termite situation! All of these issues combined to create the perfect storm of repairs that just kept trickling.
Here’s the dirty, the carpet around the exterior perimeter underneath the windows would dampen during rain. I was probably a bit dramatic about it all but I feared the worse. All I could think about was mold and mold and mold…everywhere!! And then…there was this spot at the top of the walls in the Living Room that started as what looked like a 1x1 dirty spot that grew to a 4x4 dirty spot! And over the years, it grew! And it grew! And then it got darker! That’s when we called the first contractor out to take a look and discuss the project as a whole. But to my surprise, he was not the least bit concerned about the stain. He said it was most likely from a broken roof tile that was causing a leak and staining the interior wall but didn’t think it was mold that was visible and would be a simple drywall replacement. So although that was a relief to hear, I still feared the worst and it didn’t absolve the other moisture issues that we were so concerned about.
But then life got a bit crazy and as much as the house was crying for attention it felt like the lesser of concerns with the rest of what 2020 had up her sleeve! And that was also around the time Triadic started taking off. So things got busy and priorities shifted.
Fast forward some 4 years later and there was no excuse to not take care of the house that loved and continues to love us so well.
The overall goal of this entire project was and always has been to get our sweet house back to being a safe and healthy living environment. Prime goal #1, get her back in working order. Everything else would be a bonus.
Ideally, we wanted to get the work done to safeguard the house before the Summer heat set in and the imminent wet Fall/Winter. So we picked late Spring into early Summer to begin the work. We wanted to make sure that living in the house through construction would be bearable and that the working conditions for the crew were not too harsh.
It’’s been approximately 2-½ months since the start of the project and we are wrapping up Phase 1. That’s the quick overview of the process up until now. It has been a very swift process. We’ll be taking a quick breather from the construction to refurnish the main interior spaces before we start planning for other phases. Since 80% of the existing furniture was either donated or picked up by friends and family we have a bit of sourcing to do for the furniture and accessories. Projects coming up next are:
Phase 2 - Interior Part 2
Flooring 2nd level and stairs
Interior painting 2nd level
Primary Bath
Bath 2
Phase 3 - Exterior Part 2
Front and backyard landscaping
Fencing
Patio structure* (we ended up addressing this during Phase 1)
Patio shade awnings and covers
Gutters
Furniture
Although a large part of the project is wrapping up, I feel like a can of worms has been opened and the party is just getting started y’all! Furniture, bathrooms, fireplace, DIY projects, outdoor living, landscaping!!
Come back for round 2 of 189 :) where we’ll talk in more detail about how to set your budget and the overwhelm even a designer feels!
If you’re just beginning the planning phase of your project or thinking about it, what are some thoughts, concerns, and ideas spinning around in your head? Or if you’re in the process of one now, how are you doing?! How…are YOU doing?! Are we surviving? Are we thriving? :) What have been some beautiful surprises you’ve encountered along the way?
Talk soon, friends!