Reluctant Renovator: Spring?!

Spring Cleaning has taken on a whole new meaning this year!

Scrubbing, washing, vacuuming, dusting.

I've actually caught myself muttering "Wax on, wax off" while cursing Mr. Miagi under my breath.

Talking to other renovation veterans, I've learned that this is a common condition and it makes me wonder why I never considered hiring professional cleaners as part of the overall renovation budget.  Truth be told, I just cannot wrap my mind around paying someone to do something that I'm fully capabale of and the money really would be much better spent on getting the air ducts cleaned.  I keep imagining them wheezing through decades of accumulated dust with a new layer of construction dirt sprinkled liberally on top.

Reluctant Renovator: Striptease

We're two weeks into the renovation and I'm daring to hope that the worst is over!

Almost everything that had to go has been stripped away and a bit of newness has begun creeping in.

It took about a week for the tile floor to make its exit and I'm still cursing the original installers that did such a poor job that the floor failed and had to be replaced.  Considering that there was 650 sq. ft. of tile it was a big job and you can just imagine the dust generated from all the cement & grout.  Have I mentioned recently that I'm allergic to dust?  Where's the Benadryl!

Reluctant Renovator: I Fall to Pieces

It's too late to turn back now!!

As you can see from the photo above, we've gone past the point of no return with the renovation.  The initial plans & design are done, the material is ordered and the tile, which covers most of the first floor, is a thing of the past.

We spent the weekend throwing things out and packing up the rest.  I found the undecorating (removing photos, art, knick-knacks etc.) to be a tad traumatic, sentimental fool that I am, and it probably didn't help that Patsy Cline's tune "I Fall to Pieces" kept running through my head.

As an antidote, I revisited one of my favourite George Carlin riffs where he talks about "Stuff".  Thanks for the much needed perspective, George!

I've been pretty quiet, blog wise, since my initial renovation post And So It Begins back in November.  Planning & design are labour intensive but apparently not very blog worthy.  I do hope to make up for it now that things are really rolling along.  For those of you that are interested in a bit of a sneak peek, you can check out My Reno Pinterest Board to get a bit of an idea of where we are, hopefully, heading.  Dining, Kitchen and Interiors provided some of the inspiration.

Comments are most welcome, including your preference: Patsy or George?
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Reluctant Renovator: And so it Begins

I love good renovation stories. I love how they seduce me with their whispered promises, endless energy, optimism and, of course, their humour.

Those were the first words that I wrote on this blog (Renaissance Daze/Days) and they still hold true;  I do love good renovation stories!  The thing is, though I find these stories endlessly entertaining and inspiring, I really don't want to star in one.  Apparently as far as my home is concerned I have become a "Reluctant Renovator" to say the least.

Perhaps it's all my experience managing IT projects.  I would like to believe that my story will be mostly sweetness & light à la Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun but experience says it will probably be closer to that of Tom Hanks in The Money Pit.

Worse yet, I could end up like Nathan Lane & Lee Evans in Mousehunt.

You see where I'm going with this.

Not that I'm actually concerned about intelligent mice sabotaging the project; I worry about things like scope creep, time delays, cost overruns, bad decisions that I will have to live with for the rest of my natural life, etc. etc.  Considering that I've spent the last three years reducing the stress in my life isn't this just like pinning a big "Kick Me" sign to my own back?

Then again, how bad can it be?  I mean really.  Perhaps I can take all my project management experience and actually put it to good use.  Perhaps the end result will be absolutely fabulous!  In any case, I'm finally going to face my fears and give this home renovation project a shot.  As therapy, I'll be blogging a bit about it and above all I'll be trying to keep my sense of humour intact.

Wish me luck!

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