On September 1st, 2016 I began renting my house. But I never moved in.
Category Archives: Home Improvement
Mown Away!
Apparently we were due for some good contractor experiences. First the fence project was faster than expected, and now our latest (and smallest scale) contractor experience was just as good or better – we finally had the field thoroughly bush hogged. Continue reading Mown Away!
Let’s Go, De-Fence, Let’s Go!
Fall has arrived. Football is back, there is a chill in the air and best of all… there is a fence in our yard! After weeks of frustrating or boring maintenance projects, we finally got something obvious, fabulous, and new.
And after weeks of on leash potty walks and two years of a cramped temporary yard, this is really really exciting for me. I might be as excited as Dash and I’m almost more excited than Delta.
Expertinent
Part of what we are paying for when we hire contractors is their expertise. We try to know the basics about the work so that we are informed consumers, but we expect the experts to know some facts and tricks that we don’t. What is infuriating is when these experts share their opinions after the fact and phrase it as though we should have known or argued against it.
Giving Me Contract-ions…
I recently remarked to Aaron that hiring contractors means spending thousands of dollars to be disappointed…
I really wish I could post something entirely positive about the contractors we’ve hired for work at the house. I know the frustration of projects and communications between layperson and expert exist on both sides of the equation. That said, working with them is often a “bang head against wall” kind of experience.
Continue reading Giving Me Contract-ions…
What a Tool!
I suspect I am not the only spouse to encounter this phenomenon – your DIY-inclined other half just has to have a specific tool. Right. Now. The usefulness is clear, the need is obvious, it is a must for every homeowner. Obviously. So they run out and buy the tool. Which sits in a box for weeks, months, years… Then they finally use it and say “See, we DID need it!”
Continue reading What a Tool!
Changing Tones
This week I decided to buckle down and finally paint the master bathroom. The project has been dragging on for 6 months and the only thing keeping us in cramped hall bathroom is paint and effort. To keep things cheap and simple, we’re using paint that was left by the previous owners, called November Rain. When we first saw the house at the showing, we thought the color was white or off-white. Once we’d purchased the house and started putting in our own colors, we realized that it was actually a pale green.
Pros and Con-promises
All home improvement projects have pros and cons. In fact, sometimes I feel like Aaron and I spend more time and effort thinking about projects than actually completing them. We research, weigh the options, and estimate budgets. Information gathering trips to home improvement stores seem to add complexity and confusion more often than they provide clear solutions. This process holds true for all projects, even the small ones. The upside is that most of our project results are well thought out and turn out as we intended (or close).
Color Scheming
The one part of planning that gives me the most trouble is choosing paint colors. I tried out a range of colors in our last house, which ended up going from “really like it” grey to “why did I pick this?” blue. I’m entering into this round of color choosing a little wiser, but I still have my work cut out for me.
Continue reading Color Scheming