We have owned this house for seven months. We have put countless hours, sweat, and pain into this house the past seven months. I have spent hours planning, pinteresting, and trying to think of every detail possible because I know I won't likely have the opportunity to do something like this again. It has been trying and stressful but I always seem to bounce back. And then I hit a wall last a couple of weeks ago.
And I kept hitting the wall over and over. I admit it. I was losing the spark. The girl who has dreamed of doing a project like this since she was five. The girl who spends almost every free second not spent on lesson planning and grad school, pinteresting and planning the exact position of lighting and storage spaces. The girl who begged her new fiancé to trust her and dive in to this amazing opportunity that he wanted nothing to do with. The girl who was convinced she knew what she was getting into and would never be like those people on HGTV who doubted.
But oh I was doubting. It was the worst this past weekend when we literally spent 5 hours in the stairwell. The stinking basement stairwell. Because the old houses I love so much never have perfectly even studs and square walls (the beauty of plaster, no?) that drywall requires. Five hours evening up the studs and adding fake studs to the bottom of the stairwell where there is nothing or there is only concrete. Taking out the original 2X4 that wasn't lined up because well, it didn't need to be decades ago when it was basically a cellar, and repositioning it so we could place the studs for the drywall.
I was done. I was fed up. I am now a pro at using an impact drill. I know how to space studs and level them out and set the bottom and top plates and yadda yadda yadda. I am learning so much, but I want, I need, to see progress, not just the little details that are so important but don't look like much. My Dad noticed and suggested I quit for the day and go home. That just made me more irritated because I was irritated at myself for being so irritated. I wanted this. This is a blessing. I am so lucky. But in that small basement staircase, I was feeling none of it.
And then Tuesday, after a rejuvenating night with a great friend, I returned to the house to find my Dad and Leo hard at work. In the attic. They had demoed a wall I wanted demoed that the previous owners had put up, in order to open up the space. I knew they were thinking about doing it. I walked upstairs, turned the corner, and...apricity. I felt the sun.
The wall and door separating the back of the attic from the main section was gone. The drop ceiling was gone revealing the beautifully shaped high attic ceiling. The possibilities. Which are endless in my busy mind :)
I can't find any of the original pictures right now, but this is what it looks like. The pictures don't do it justice.
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| High ceilings everywhere :) |
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| This is the part of the drywall that is still up. |
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| New view from the stairs. This was closed off before. |
Some of you might think I'm crazy...what does she see in that?? But hopefully one day it will be finished and all of it's wonderful potential will actually be showcased.
So, like everyone renovation blog or show (or at least the honest ones), I am going to reiterate that if you decide to do a renovation, big or small, it takes a lot of patience. Even when you are totally on board to begin with and you think you can take anything that comes your way, there will inevitably be days where you feel like you are done and over it all. Get me out of here. And it may not even be a disaster or unexpected problem, rather the mundane. The little, tiny details you never thought about that take hours and try your patience. Like a basement stairwell requiring hours and hours of work (who knew?? ) or framing new ductwork so it is ready for drywall. But then something will happen and you will be reminded while all the frustrating things that come with renovation are all worthwhile...and you will rediscover apricity.
