We had some good motivation to work hard on the house over the past month because we decided we wanted to host Thanksgiving this year. It was nothing fancy, but it was great to have our family come over and see what we have done with the house so far, such as...
OUR BEDROOM!!!
Finally, we are done with our room (ok well 99% done because I still need to convince Andy to put up a ceiling fan). This room was certainly a labor of love. When we started out we estimated it would take us about a month to complete the room; we were quite mistaken. I have no doubts that a professional could have been finished in no time, but when you are new to this whole "DIY" stuff, it takes a little longer to get going, not to mention the only time we could do any significant work was on the weekends when we were actually home.
Nevertheless, working on our bedroom was a great learning experience. Andy, who was never handy before, learned a lot about repairing and patching old walls and ceilings, and he even learned a little electrical work along the way. I must admit I'm proud of the work Andy has done so far and admire his dedication to researching into how to do things correctly.
I also got to learn a little about patching and plastering walls, but most of what I did on the room was paint.
I think Andy and I both learned that no matter what the project you start, you need to expect it to take WAY longer than planned. Even if the project itself is going smoothly, at least for the most part, life gets in the way with clogged sewer pipes, squirrel infestations and just general maintenance and upkeep of the house. Next time we will hopefully set a more reasonable time frame for ourselves.
Most importantly, I think, I learned that trying to restore an old house takes A LOT of patience, a trait I sometimes lack. I know I got impatient with how long it was taking; Andy got impatient when I asked him to explain everything he was doing and why he chose to do it that way instead of another; I got impatient with Andy for being impatient with me. Hopefully now we have both learned to just roll with the punches and have fun along the way. Maybe we'll even adopt the next squirrel that comes in the house as a pet.
The Evolution of Our Bedroom:
At our inspection...
During renovation...
The final result....
NEXT UP: The Den!
