My husband works in construction and chooses to do all home projects himself. This can be a blessing and a curse.
My honey-do list, is truly a my-honey-can-do list.
My husband has done major renovations in our last two houses, while we are living there. This is amazing in the sense that we have saved money, added value to our home, and made updates we may not have made if we had to deal with a contractor.
Making a House a Home
Our current home was move-in ready, but we both walked in with the mentality of “what could it be?”. Since moving in almost three years ago we’ve been making it ours.
We remodeled our master bedroom including a walk-in closet build-out and painted countless rooms. We updated the kitchen and remodeled our living room. My husband cut down a 75-foot maple tree in our backyard and cleared out the debris. Then we built an awning over our back patio and finished sixty percent of our basement.
How We Tackle Home Projects
My husband patiently listens to all of my ideas and gives feedback on the things that will and won’t work. He listens to what would help with our kids, and we talk through what makes sense for our family and the potential value of our house. We make a schedule, do a lot of research on pricing, talk about what will work best for our family, and get started.
Home Projects and Kids
We try to incorporate the help of our six-year-old and spend time together while we keep projects moving. My son loves helping his dad, and let’s be honest, messes and little boys almost always mix.
It isn’t always easy, and we don’t always stay on schedule.
I’m not gonna lie, home projects can be stressful! Trying to keep the kids on as much of a routine as possible, working in a partially finished kitchen, and waiting for our kitchen counter to arrive isn’t easy. There are times we live in a constant mess and have to juggle the kid’s schedules with what is realistic to accomplish in a day.
Working around holidays and family events are constant challenges. Sometimes it means waiting until the kids are in bed before starting hours of work. Other times it means I am on my own for the nighttime routine and keeping the kids busy while dad does the “loud” work.
I look at our list of to-dos, and it is long and ever-changing. It isn’t always full of major projects but the last ten percent of projects that still need finished. We finished a playroom for our kids to enjoy, it is fulfilling to know that we have done that as a family.
When the list seems endless, I remind myself how much we appreciate the final products. It gives me a deeper appreciation for my husband and the ways he works to make our house a home.
What home projects have you done?
