So I teased you all a little bit by telling you that I was embarking on a big adventure. We bought a house that needs some serious design love and are going to make it beautiful again. I have big dreams and big plans for this house. But reality has set in. So if you are thinking about doing a big renovation on your house, let me share with you some renovation realities.
Wasn’t there an HGTV show by the same name, Renovation Realities? It’s because you can never plan it out. Seriously. I’m a planner. I like to know what’s happening and when. Some may call me a control freak. When it comes to a house renovation, you can’t control a thing! Seriously! It’s maddening!
For example, the structural engineer had our plans for a month. A MONTH! We can’t pull permits until the engineer tells us how to support the upstairs once we remove a wall. My contractor knows what needs to be done. My architect knows what needs to be done. Yet we wait. And then I lose my patience, call the engineer myself and get the plans from him in less than 24 hours. I’m pretty sure he forgot about them and that’s what took so long
The cabinet maker is out on vacation until July 14. I wanted my cabinets in by July 14. So much for that! So I wait again. I guess its a blessing in disguise because the granite fabricator can’t get the slab I want until the end of the month.
The tile company I normally use is short staffed right now. One of the sweet ladies that works there just had a baby. I’ve been waiting on my tile quote for 2 weeks. I’ll keep waiting, because clearly, nothing is happening at my house any time soon. I am going to another tile company just to compare pricing on Thursday, but with nothing to compare, who knows what’s going to happen!
On a positive note, all of my light fixtures have come in! Yippee! I have to find a safe place to store then until they are needed. I did get a carpet quote. It was super high, but I’m going to see what I can do. I have chosen all of my paint colors, inside and out.
In the meantime, I will wait. Because, clearly, that is the reality of renovation. Hurry up and wait.