Fun?

As I've told people about the remodel, a frequent comment I get is "That must be fun!" Nobody that has done a major remodel ever says this. Certainly, there have been fun parts but for the most part it is about as far from fun as you can get. The fun parts get more press I think - check out This Old House or HGTV. For example, all they show is the final minutes of picking out tile, it goes up in 30 seconds and looks great. What you don't see is the numerous trips to various tile stores, sitting in traffic, unloading dozens of heavy boxes from your car, moving them throughout the house and garage several times as the project progresses, buying the tools and going back three times to get everything you need, running out of grout and having to drive an hour and a half to get it because the local store is out, setting the same tile 5 times because it won't lay right, having bloody fingertips that look like ground meat etc. The fun part is showing everyone who comes through the tile I laid and how good it looks.

Also, probably more than 90% of my time isn't spent on fun things. It's spent dealing with incompetent sales people who lie or just say anything because they don't know the answer, misrepresent their expertise and try to rip you off. It's spent driving many miles picking up supplies at various stores. It's spent surfing the web trying to get the straight scoop, which is a lot harder than it sounds. On a recent home repair forum, I was researching using hardwood flooring in a kitchen. The posts ranged from "I would never consider using anything but hardwood" to "I would never consider using hardwood." Your time is spent interviewing contractors and checking their credentials, and trying to compare their proposals which are often very different. You spend time managing the schedule of various people working on the house. You spend time trying to keep track of all the stuff you purchased.

Since most of our stuff is stored in the garage, we spend a lot of time looking for things (even though everything is labelled). Everything we do takes many times as long due to the general chaos in the house. There is no place to put anything and not one inch of counter or table space. I find myself longing for just one cabinet to be done in the kitchen so I can at least start putting things away.

So, remodeling is definitely not fun overall. Ask anyone who has done a major remodel, and you will most likely hear stories of stress, fatigue, frustration, depression, etc. Couples who remodel are more likely to split up. But, there is a bright side. It has been extremely satisfying to see my choices be installed. I love most of what I have choosen, and like the rest. The only thing I may want to change so far is paint colors, and that's easy and relatively cheap. I designed the kitchen and bathroom, and they both look great and seem to function well so far. Some day, we will have an incredible house in a location we love. The parts I've done myself fill me with a sense of accomplishment.

I would not advise anyone to undertake a major remodel thinking it will be fun. Financially sound and rewarding, maybe, but fun, no. Someone looking for fun would probably enjoy doing more cosmetic changes on a house.