They say living through a home renovation is like living in the wild....you do what you have to do to survive! And man, did we do some THINGS!
Oh...did I forget to mention that we only have the ONE bathroom? Yeah,,,it's been an interesting time for us here on Long Island.
During the renovation, Mr., who has to leave the house for work, had been taking "showers" in the Kitchen sink. As for me, I'd just wait patiently until I could hose myself off at a friends or family members place. The kids we're able to head to moms so they weren't stinky which is a plus for us all because, teenage boys. At least Mr. went to a place with an installed toilet every day. Luckily for me we have a large, enclosed yard. Yup, you read that right. When you gotta' go, you gotta' go...even in the rain. Teeth we're brushed and toothpaste cleaned from our Kitchen daily. Hair was combed in any available mirror. Lots and lots of deodorant was used. I mean...LOTS!
Our bathroom was a total disaster!!
I mean.... we're talking cracked floor tile....
...horrific seafoam green accents and outdated lighting...
...and one of those fiberglass surrounds that, at some point, becomes impossible to clean.
Welp, that's all behind us now and it was SO worth it.
Demo took about a day in our tiny bathroom and then we were off. The contractor had his masked crews in and out of here on a daily basis aside from a day here or there. I mean...the man had a kid in the middle of all this and then we got hit with this monster blizzard and really, if we've learned anything from 2020, it's that there are few things more important than your health and safety and that of your family and loved ones.
Once the tile starting going in, we really started to see how major this transformation was going to be!! I love the leathered look of this tile and thankfully, as luck would have it, we were able to use full sized tiles almost throughout!
Renovation Tip: Be kind!! I had a nice rapport with the tile guy and so he offered to fancy up our niche a little with this awesome herringbone pattern at no additional charge for the labor. It's a small thing but we really feel like it ups this reno just a bit!
Honestly, looking at this gives me all the feels. The lines! Are! So! CLEAN!
Paint time!! This is probably the only tiff Mr. and I had during this whole renovation. And it wasn't even over the paint color itself. When we went to Home Depot to grab the sample cans I saw all the pretty colors and started to stray in a different direction (What about this mauvey purple color?) and he could not, for his life, understand why we would "start over!?" Listen....he was hungry and I'm like a cat to a laser beam. I couldn't help myself! Anyways...we went with the third option from the left which was our original selection.
Did we hit a couple of bumps? Absolutely. It wouldn't be a renovation if we didn't but for the most part, smooth sailing, My contractor put up with all my shit (appreciate ya!), returned and exchanged things that didn't work out the way I'd hoped and really gave us 110%.
Here she is!! All done!!
Say hi to our bath-scot. She religiously attended staff meetings with the crew every morning. The goodest girl!
This black and white print really pops against this amazing blue green paint!
Also, my friends are hysterical!! Thank you Metamorphosis Interior Design
I love this SO much!!!
Was it the easiest few weeks of my life? No. Would I live through it again for an upgrade like this? Absolutely!!
If you're looking to do a renovation in your home, here are a few tips to consider!
Get a bid...and then get at least 2 more. I probably got 3 or 4 bids until we finally met someone we liked. Remember, its not all about the money. The vibes you get from the contractor are important too. Read this on more about choosing a contractor!
Double check the itemized list on the bid to make sure everything is there. Even after doing this for 20 years, I STILL missed an item or two.
Pay attention! To what the contractor is saying and doing. Make sure if you want something installed in a specific location, at a specific height, you are there when it's happening. Working from home definitely gave me an advantage and listening to the guys chatter while they worked and intervening when necessary saved us all a lot of heartache.
Read before you buy! Don't get excited like I did and buy a surface mounted medicine cabinet when what you want is a recessed, for example.
Be firm but don't be a dick. If you see something you're unhappy with, say something and insist on them making it right. It won't miraculously fix itself and once the work is done, it will be the sole thing you focus on afterward.
Don't stand over them. No one likes that. Instead, make a list of your gripes after they've gone and review it with the GC first thing the next day. Put as much as possible in writing to avoid he-said, she-said types of situations.
Expect things to be done correctly but let go of the idea of perfection because seeking perfection in anything will only make you crazy.
Say thank you and please and make sure the people that are working in your house know you appreciate them - this will take you a long way.
Don't ignore these guys - they are people too. They are working long days to make your dreams come true. You don't need to cook anyone dinner but offering someone a cup of coffee or a drink never killed anyone.
Find the humor in the things you can't do anything about because sometimes, that's really the only way to get through this type of thing.
If you're working on a renovation of any kind, I wish you luck and remember, I'm here if you need me!
