When a House is a Mess

My wife and I bought a "distressed property" four years ago (roughly) and have been renovating it ever since. I hate the mess, the disorder, the general state of "flux" that is necessary during a remodeling project. However, I also love some of the end results. The bedrooms are pretty nice, especially the closet organizers, and I absolutely love the tile work my wife did in several places. We have a gorgeous serving counter in the dining room, thanks to her efforts.

Tomorrow, the projects resume with the arrival of springtime weather. Winters are simply too cold and too snowy to get much done.

A bathroom and a closet are being re-textured tomorrow. That means a pair of workers in our house -- something I dislike as much as the cats dislike it. Two of our cats will spend the day hiding under beds. I can't join them, but I do understand the stress caused.

These are the last "big" projects on the house. We've had the chimney repaired, all windows replaced, and we've installed new flooring throughout. I'm glad to see the end is near. It has taken a lot of time and even more sweat (and blisters, blood, etc.) to get the house to this point.

I've compared this to a four-year moving project. Some things are still in boxes as we work on the house. I still can't always remember which boxes have which items. It is disconcerting to have things so disorganized for years at a time.

Just as we finish the house, our goal is to "upgrade" and start this process again! Why? Because projects like this are one of the few ways for people to upgrade in today's economy. It's a tremendous effort, for hopefully a little bit of a gain.

I am not "designed" for work like this. I hate noise, dirt, dust, and disorder. You can imagine how fun this has been for my wife, too. She's had to tolerate the days when I simply couldn't do any more, for a variety of reasons.

Anyway, tomorrow will be… not fun.