Our house has been the source of frustration and depression over the last two years. It has also been a great source of creativity and reward.
To be honest, I can't say if we were ready for home ownership. I thought we were. But there have been many challenges that I don't think we were ready for emotionally. I am very thankful that Tom has the knowledge and skills for renovation. And I am glad I have many sources of inspiration. Together, I wish there was a better way to share these skills with each other. Tom has been overwhelmed, we have been restricted financially, and I have been incredibly impatient at times.
Don't feel compelled to make the decision of home ownership without considering what may be motivating you to do so. Our motivations for owning a home were different from one another. Therefore, our expectations were different. All without realizing it because we both agreed it was what we wanted and didn't discuss it beyond that. (Terrible pattern that is present in many aspects of our relationship I might add.)
I am not sure what I might suggest to remediate these troubles. But I'm sure there are great sources for that.
It has been a lesson in patience for sure. Our gains have been small at times, but it has been an awesome feeling that slowly, bit by bit, project by project, there is less to "get done" and more to enjoy about our home.
It's a wonderful feeling, a great sense of accomplishment, to say, "I did that." I am sure there are other ways to embrace this feeling, but as we contemplated purchasing a home, there was no "better" way to share that together. Our society's culture dictates marriage, home, babies. I may suggest marriage, relationship building, home, relationship, then maybe babies if that is right for you, and again relationship.
I am very thankful that I have continued to use my blog to describe each of these journeys. Each project has been different. Some things we have done together and some things one of us did. I have been able to collect our experience in one place and see that we, together, have gotten a lot done.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
Kitchen painted!
Recently, we helped a family member move in and do some painting in the new house. I was pretty jealous by the end of that day. My house has felt so torn apart these 2 years. I didn't want the jealousy to be a negative jealousy because I was truly happy for my family. So I used my feelings to motivate myself positively. After spending a few hours painting at their house, I decided to go home and paint my kitchen!
I spent from 10:00am - 8:00pm yesterday prepping and painting my kitchen. I had a bit of help from Tom with some mud work that needed to be done around our slider door. We had taken down wall paper that was there from the previous owners. We kinda went heavy with the removal and did light damage to the dry wall which was fixed by Tom's mud work. This part sort of slowed me down at first, because I had to wait for it to dry before I could prime that wall space. But I used that time constructively and began priming the window trim. It needed to be repolyed or painted. I wanted to brighten that space a bit, so I decided to paint it. I then sanded the mud, vacuumed the dust, and primed the wall space around the slider. I didn't prime the rest of kitchen.
I know it was a bit risky painting an old kitchen space without priming. But the paint we bought was intended to be used without primer and I've had time working against me. We had always primed first, but I knew with only me painting, I wouldn't be able to do 2 coats of color in addition to priming. So as I made breakfast, I cleaned around the spaces near the oven with a microfiber cloth and hot water.
So I primed the trim around the window, primed the walls space around the slider, painted the window trim, and then began working in small sections around the kitchen. I would cut-in/ trim each section and then roll it out. I really liked that I chose to do this. I cut up the time I was trimming all at once, and since I was rolling while the trim was still wet, the results were very nice. It was hard to work above the cupboards. I was hunched over, twisted, and stretched. By the end of the first coat, it was 6 or 6:30pm. I was TIRED and ready to be done.
I called Tom in and asked for his opinion. I thought it looked pretty good and was tired. I thought, maybe I could leave it this way and do the second coat when Tom does the ceiling. (The ceiling dry wall tape has split in a couple spots and Tom has to redo that before painting. I insisted we paint the kitchen anyway and do touch ups as needed when the ceiling gets done.)
He suggested I keep going in sections and when I am too tired to keep going, I can stop.
I was relieved to hear him say that. Like it was ok and I wouldn't be a failure if I didn't finish in one day.
I got started on the second coat. Just hoping that I could finish but somewhat doubting it. We hadn't figured out dinner yet, and I would need a shower before bed. Next thing I knew, it was 7:15, and I was 2/3 done! I just had the space above the sink and around the slider. I was so happy! I was done painting and cleanup began at 8:00pm. Tom helped with clean up and I showered. He got Chinese take out and we ate.
The paint color I used on the walls was a custom Valspar flat color. We bought too much paint when we did the guest room and office. I gave a gallon to our family for the new house and had a gallon re-tinted to use in my kitchen.
The paint color I used on the trim around the window is Valspar Ancient Stone.
It feels like our updating has been scattered, but at least things are getting done.
I read another DIY blog and she had an ongoing list at the end of each blog. I like that idea. Also, I watched a video tutorial to figure out how to add a slideshow. Hope you like the updates!
Paint trim around the window
Paint walls
I spent from 10:00am - 8:00pm yesterday prepping and painting my kitchen. I had a bit of help from Tom with some mud work that needed to be done around our slider door. We had taken down wall paper that was there from the previous owners. We kinda went heavy with the removal and did light damage to the dry wall which was fixed by Tom's mud work. This part sort of slowed me down at first, because I had to wait for it to dry before I could prime that wall space. But I used that time constructively and began priming the window trim. It needed to be repolyed or painted. I wanted to brighten that space a bit, so I decided to paint it. I then sanded the mud, vacuumed the dust, and primed the wall space around the slider. I didn't prime the rest of kitchen.
I know it was a bit risky painting an old kitchen space without priming. But the paint we bought was intended to be used without primer and I've had time working against me. We had always primed first, but I knew with only me painting, I wouldn't be able to do 2 coats of color in addition to priming. So as I made breakfast, I cleaned around the spaces near the oven with a microfiber cloth and hot water.
So I primed the trim around the window, primed the walls space around the slider, painted the window trim, and then began working in small sections around the kitchen. I would cut-in/ trim each section and then roll it out. I really liked that I chose to do this. I cut up the time I was trimming all at once, and since I was rolling while the trim was still wet, the results were very nice. It was hard to work above the cupboards. I was hunched over, twisted, and stretched. By the end of the first coat, it was 6 or 6:30pm. I was TIRED and ready to be done.
I called Tom in and asked for his opinion. I thought it looked pretty good and was tired. I thought, maybe I could leave it this way and do the second coat when Tom does the ceiling. (The ceiling dry wall tape has split in a couple spots and Tom has to redo that before painting. I insisted we paint the kitchen anyway and do touch ups as needed when the ceiling gets done.)
He suggested I keep going in sections and when I am too tired to keep going, I can stop.
I was relieved to hear him say that. Like it was ok and I wouldn't be a failure if I didn't finish in one day.
I got started on the second coat. Just hoping that I could finish but somewhat doubting it. We hadn't figured out dinner yet, and I would need a shower before bed. Next thing I knew, it was 7:15, and I was 2/3 done! I just had the space above the sink and around the slider. I was so happy! I was done painting and cleanup began at 8:00pm. Tom helped with clean up and I showered. He got Chinese take out and we ate.
The paint color I used on the walls was a custom Valspar flat color. We bought too much paint when we did the guest room and office. I gave a gallon to our family for the new house and had a gallon re-tinted to use in my kitchen.
The paint color I used on the trim around the window is Valspar Ancient Stone.
It feels like our updating has been scattered, but at least things are getting done.
I read another DIY blog and she had an ongoing list at the end of each blog. I like that idea. Also, I watched a video tutorial to figure out how to add a slideshow. Hope you like the updates!
Here is my list for the kitchen:
Paint the rest of the trim
redo drywall tape on ceiling
fix popped drywall screws
paint ceiling
update light fixtures
add cabinet hardware
new flooring (in my dreams!)
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