I haven’t been doing much writing lately. Projects that I can DIY are becoming fewer, and the budget is decreasing as DH changed jobs and we are adjusting to a new pay cycle. I’m not too bothered by it. The down time has allowed me to actually live in my house instead of constantly scuttling through it, never focusing on the big picture.
I actually LIKE my house now. It took me a long time to say that. I am not sure what exactly caused me to have so much buyers remorse, but I had it hard core. That is probably (in part) why I dedicated the first year and a half in the house to “fixing” it. “Fixing” happened for two reasons: necessity (dryer vent not properly connected, porch posts rotted, windows replaced, etc) and my own sanity (removing wallpaper, painting, purdifying, etc).
Pinterest is the devil, have I mentioned that? So many projects, so many ideas, so many “your house will NEVER look like this but I know you will try and do it anyway and make DH hate you for forcing him to try to cut crown moulding 20 times and screw it up each time and then vow to NEVER put crown in the navy blue powder room even though you didn’t tape the top of the walls because you figured you were going to cover it with crown and now you have to look at it every day and cry a single tear at the speckles of navy blue on the ceiling”. Damn you Pinterest. Damn you.
I took a break from fixing. I spent time with actual people. I went to Milwaukee for a week for work and met some awesome people (aka drank lots of beer with strangers and became friends with them). We took a trip to Seattle to see my little brother get married.
We drove 3 hours to see a high school friend that I hadn’t seen in 13 years and went tubing on the Shenandoah River. I learned about Butt Sharks (rocks in a shallow river that will have their way with you when float over them in a tube) and Water Stags (dangerous sticks and branches that hide below the surface of the water, quietly waiting to murder your tube). Nature!
After taking so much time to focus on life instead of the house, I came to the realization that there is only so much that I can do on my own at this point. There is a lot that still needs to be done, but I have accepted that it will need to be done by professionals.
-Fix, grade and add new gravel to driveway
-Install 350′ chain link fence for the dogs
-Take down walls in the house
I’m toying with the idea of applying for a HELOC and killing all of the birds with that stone. Taking down the walls, replacing all the flooring on the first floor, gutting and renovating the kitchen, repairing the driveway, installing the fence, fixing the back deck. I want it all done, but I am getting nervous. I am going into really uncharted territory here. I have gotten quotes/estimates on some of the items and HOLY COW it is adding up quick. $5k for a fence, $1200 to fix the driveway, $12k for a kitchen, $3k for flooring, and I have no clue what it will cost to remove the walls and add header beams (and rerun the electrical, fix the drywall).
My blog is changing, morphing. It is still a journey through homeownership, but my DIY phase is slowing ending, and the professional overhaul is looming overhead. It’s scary, but there is one thing that keeps me going……
FALL IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pumpkins and boots and scarves, oh my!
House of Porch and The Little Blue Chevy 
We are in exactly the same boat and it was a HARD reality to face that I was going to have to hire professionals to do this work. The sticker shock is also terrifying. We spent MONTHS talking with contractor after contractor, getting quotes and deciding what to do. In the end though, it’s worth the time we spent. Even though we are just now getting the work actually started, we really love the companies we hired and feel totally comfortable with them. After talking with a lot of really shady contractors, this feeling is HUGE. It was scary going through the loan process and now it’s even scarier to physically spend that money. On the flipside though, I am so freaking excited to have windows that open, a roof that doesn’t leak and an amazing deck that we will be able to use. I can’t wait!!
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