Plaster. Marriage. Remodeling. Gardening. Sinks. Paint. Demolition. Reading. Writing. Construction. Laughing. Dirt. Dust. Mess. Sheetrock. Frustration. Renovation. Tile. Noise. Progress. Lack of progress. Joy. Failure. Faucets. Flooring. Disappointment. More noise. Restoration. Old stuff. New stuff. Budget. Over budget. Chaos. Obsession. Panic. Hilarity.
Over two years ago, my husband and I bought an old house.
We moved from a pristine, Arts and Crafts, 1920’s home. To a disaster 1890’s Victorian.
We have lived here while rehabbing.
It has been:
Good
Bad
Ugly
Heroic
Beautiful
Extraordinary
Crazy-making
Horrendous
Fantastic
The Internet has become part of my life in a way that it wasn’t before. The last two years, I’ve spent an insane amount of time hunched over the computer. The access to ideas, inspiration, fixtures, tile, advice… has been invaluable.
The sites I’ve found most valuable are personal, house-centered blogs. The ones with actual content. And actual homes, with real projects, real experiences, and real limitations. Not just gorgeous pictures and pristinely decorated, unattainable spaces.
I found myself wanting to be a part of that experience—to share the process of what we are doing with our home, with people who are similarly inclined.
I’m so glad you’re here!
Victoria
April, 2012
Your blog is hysterical and you are living my dream: renovating an old house into a dream mansion (I’m obsessed with the Property Brothers on HGTV). I’m following you from now on… Once you’re done with that one, we’re hire you for our own house / Tribeca-loft-that-we-need-to-find
Thanks for liking my blog, we are definitively working on our own madness project: raising a child in Manhattan!!
thekidsandthecity.com
I will say this—living the dream is *significantly* different than the actual dream. I thought I understood that concept in an abstract way… but now I can say with absolute certainty, that I understood nothing.
And? I REALLY need a behind-the-scenes crew to make this come together in time for the next commercial break…
p.s.- your gravatar image is so charming.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Victoria. I’m so glad to receive the direction back to your corner of the reno-DIY universe. The tone of your writing is fabulous. I’ll definitely be back!
When I saw the photo of your mountain of sheetrock/construction debris… I felt right at home. It’s always nice to see that other people have the same version of “normal,” as we do.
You look fantastic, too!
I love everything about this. Well done! Can’t wait to read more.
Thanks!! I feel fantastic… well, some of the time anyway.
I nominated you for One Lovely Blog award today!
http://aptenvy.com/2012/09/12/one-lovely-blog-award/
Love your blog!
Hey! Thanks!! I will have to work on my “acceptance post.” You set the bar kind of high for that…
You’re too kind! You’re such a great writer (hence the award) so I know you’ll be great!
OK. You may live to regret ever liking my post about my best friend, and following me, because now I’m freaking obsessed, OBSESSED I say, with your blog! You are doing what I’ve not been able to convince my husband to do. That is, buying an old house and bringing it back to life. Jealous much. Just know I’ll be living vicariously through you, and checking in regularly.
Your husband may simply be smarter than I am. If he has any concept of how much work is involved. OR if he thinks you might turn into a maniac (I’m not pointing fingers here, just saying how surprised my own husband was at my instant transformation…) He may be protecting you from yourself. Or he may want to keep some semblance of a life… Lol.
Just found your blog and it’s fantastic. I’m enjoying your old-house adventures and your posts make me smile.
Hey, thanks for saying so… I appreciate it so much!
Just found your blog through Freshly Pressed. Keep up the good work! We are renovating our Craftsman bunglaow near Seattle, and I feel your pain! And your joy, and your frustration … and your pride. I’ve just started blogging about our experience, too. Hoping that writing about it will keep us motivated, as we are the slowest renovators ever. I’m looking forward to exploring your site!
When we moved here, I imagined a process that was organized and timely and efficient. All words that are the opposite of any experience I’ve actually had.
Slow. Agonizing. Those are better words… If anything, I’ve found that I enjoy the process of blogging about it WAY more than the actual project!!
Good luck with your house. In the end it’s worth it… Right?
I ended up here while looking for ways to win the not-yet-an-argument with my partner over marble tile vs. quarry tile for our bathroom. Yes, quarry tile, which until now I had been ok with… so practical! And easy to clean! And the fellow, he is a little rough on surfaces and lax with cleaning. So he’s probably right… but he saw the marble, and showed it to me and it was on sale and we put a hold on it… and I pictured our amazing future bathroom and imagined showering in it and suddenly NOTHING ELSE WOULD DO and the quarry tile would look exactly like a McDonalds, which is how I was feeling when he called from the material store, ready to pick up our pallet of luxury but for his cold feet, and his friend’s impromptu iphone research, and we weren’t getting the tile after all. Sigh. Back to the drawing board, and hanging insulation, and trying not to step through the hole(s) in the floor on the way to the coffeepot in the morning. But on the flip side, you made me laugh… especially the part about the respirator and the sledgehammer and the absurdity of it all. So, thanks… and good luck!
Yup… the pain of separating from “marble attachment.” I know it well. Also the fear of inadvertently building a McDonalds bathroom…
Choosing our tile was truly miserable. In the end, I think it was worth it… but I really did spend a *crazy* amount of time/energy/brain power devoted to it. And I cannot say I managed to stay on the side of an “almost” argument.
And? EVEN though I KNOW better… I am now considering marble for our kitchen counters. I KNOW this is lunacy… but like you said, once it gets in your head, nothing else will do.
I’ve nominated you for a Versatile Blog Award. Check out the deets here: http://thefoodiefarmer.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/huh-who-knew/
YOUR BLOG IS HYSTERICAL !!! WE HEAR YOUR DILEMMA FROM MOST EVERY CUSTOMER THAT HAS BEEN TO OTHER TILE STORES, THEN WHEN THEY VISIT US, FEEL RELIEVED !! WE WELCOME EACH AND EVERYONE AS LONG LOST FRIENDS, LISTEN TO THEIR NEEDS AND MAKE THE PROCESS PAINLESS AND FUN, AS IT SHOULD BE. THIS IS THE EYE CANDY THAT MAKES THEIR PROJECT SPARKLE. WE TAKE PRIDE IN EVERY PROJECT WE WORK ON, SINCE OUR NAME WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
LOVED YOUR DOCUMENTARY !!
Hi! Thanks for the visit! Finding a good tile store is half the battle… so nice that you’re dedicated to your customers!!