Lessons from Remodeling

Here are some things I've learned about remodeling rooms:

-It's a pain in the neck - literally. I've had a kink in my neck for over a week and my shoulders are sore. I fell the other day and still hurt; and I also stepped on a nail.

-Let your kiddos help knock out walls and stuff. They're also good at carrying things to the trash and bringing you things when you need them, or finding tools you've misplaced.

-You might be surprised what you find behind the walls in an old house. When we first moved in and did some work on the home, we found a giant hand-drawn R2D2 on one of the walls in the Master Bedroom. This time around, we found an old Bingo ball behind one of the walls in the closet. We also found really nice, though poorly maintained, hardwood floors under all the carpeting.

-It's a good idea to wear sunscreen while standing outside on a hot summer day painting doors and trim.

-It's a bad idea to wear your only really good pair of jeans to paint.

-Cheap face masks should have an integral place in every tool box, and are a must when sanding or installing blown-in installation.

-Paint rollers never EVER rinse clean.

-When you purchase carpet to install in two rooms at separate times, it's a good idea to get the carpet cut into two separate rolls. It's much easier to carry that way.

-Apparently, previous owners that did all the additions and remodeling before us believed in the addage "you can never use enough nails".

-They also had problems with straight lines, squared corners, and keeping everything level. (Maybe they subscribed to my remodeling ethic: "GAH! Let's just get it done! Who cares if it's perfect!"

-And for some reason, they really liked pink: Pink on the walls in the bathroom, in a closet; I actually think they used pink as a primer... And this really nasty shade of green in places inside and on the shutters outside.

-They also wired the house so that just about whatever breaker you throw, something in each room turns off.

-During remodeling, someone will inevitable curse in front of the children. Cursing during remodeling is, in itself, inevitable.


Our current project, Alexander's room, isn't finished yet. I may have more tidbits once that's finished.

Lessons from Remodeling