Wednesday, October 10, 2012

{raising the roof}

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Here's the deal.  We are about to raise the roof..literally.  We bought a home.  We are currently renovating.  The above kitchen is now a white box.  The old floors have been torn out.  I think we are going with one of the wood floors pictured in the top photo.  I also have decided against marble in the kitchen.  Don't worry I have found quite a few options that will give me a similar look and of course will be sharing with all of you dear readers.  In the meantime I'm a little bit scared coupled with excitement.

I read over here that making it through a renovation is sort of like trying to catch a fly with chopsticks. If you can make it through that then you can make it through anything. I too now believe it to be a stressful thing.  In fact selling all of our stuff and buying a home not on prime land on Maui has never sounded so good.  Did I tell you about the time one of our servers over on Maui told us he had just purchased a 1800 square foot new build home 20 minutes away from Paia..for $280,000..it is true..and I've pondered that thought on more than one occasion.  I also ponder about the fact that all earthly possessions do not mean that much in the end but that it is also important to have ones surroundings feel good.  Anyway I guess my objective is to remain calm while doing this on a budget.  I just hope that I can pick out things and achieve a certain look that I will still like in a decade without spending much more than a couple shiny nickels;-).

Alright, pls. confess if you have done a renovation..did you survive?  Any tips?

38 comments:

My Interior Life said...

Wow! How exciting! No, I've never actually lived through a major renovation so I have no advice to give. But I think it's so terribly exciting and can't wait to go on this journey with you vicariously!

Caley-Jade Rosenberg said...

So exciting, CONGRATS!!
We are currently building and all I can say is it is a long and tiring process but definitely worth all the blood, sweat and tears (I think?!) x

Leah said...

oh my gosh! i'm so excited for you and to see all of your design choices. i think you have incredible taste and i know it will be awesome. you can do it!

meredith said...

We bought a house that we gutted nine months after getting married. I have no idea what we were thinking, but we just celebrated our second anniversary and now have a home that we love and is truly ours. You will live through it, and the tough times recede from your memory - I promise!

Jen @ RamblingRenovators said...

Ohmigosh, so exciting! The bare bones of your house are lovely... can't wait to see you put your stamp on it!

I've lived through a few renovations. I think you need to go into it knowing that it will take longer and cost more than you anticipated, that you'll eat way too many takeout meals, and that at some point you will end up screaming at your partner because you have wildly divergent ideas on what tile to choose or whether to splurge on the bathroom faucet or upgraded flooring. But it is all so so worth it... getting to put your heart into your home, from the bottom up, is so rewarding.

Unknown said...

HOLY COW, what an exciting surprise to see that you bought a new home. I am giddy with excitement to see what you are going to do to the place. That home looks to have lovely bones and great potential. It really looks nice as is but it definetely needs your fab touch. And if it doesn't work out we'll join you in Maui! Thanks for the link love!

Anonymous said...

Wow- I had no idea you were doing this!! Is this the first mention? I hope you keep the ceiling moldings in the first image.. they're gorgeous. Exciting though and congrats! Hey.. if you can have 5 little kids you can do anything :)

Sarah said...

I cannot wait to see what you are doing. Please keep us posted often! Love the floors your are considering. Again. Can't. Wait.

Sorella Style said...

It's very exciting to think about starting from scratch and creating your own vision! well, exciting and daunting! But have faith! You can do it!!

Tiffany said...

This is a dream come true for you- you will be awesome! I am about to do the same to my house in the spring- so glad I will have you for advise. Good luck... stay calm and remodel on ;)

Dana Frieling said...

My husband and I are staring a reno in the face...haven't taken the plunge just yet. You make me nervous. ;)

MOV said...

Sure! I have survived not one but THREE renovations and lived to tell the tale. The secret is to NOT live in the house during the reno (broke that rule the first two times).

House 1-- gutted and re-did bathroom. Did I mention we only had one bathroom? The two days with no toilet we spent at a hotel. The 4 weeks with no shower we joined a gym just to shower (this was pre-kids obviously). Re-did the bathroom to look like a 1930s art deco vintage bathroom with jade green and black tile and a cast-iron tub. So worth it in the end.

House 2--gutted and re-did kitchen. With a toddler and a preschooler. Dust everywhere. The secret was in ordering everything waaaaaaaaay before the first old cabinet came down. Start to finish: 14 days (I kid you not).

House 3 (current)--got smart and did ENTIRE house remodel before we moved in. Lived with mother-in-law (who I do not get along with) so I begged the contractor to get it done in 6 weeks. He did.

I have prematurely gray hair now, but I tell myself it has NOTHING to do with three renovations....

best,
MOV

Katie Waddell said...

I haven't but I'm SO excited to see yours!! Good luck!

Heidi said...

Congratulations! I noticed a lot of pins on pinterest about flooring (especially as I'm trying to decide on ours at the moment) so that figures.

Yes, I'm currently renovating our house (we're half way through, and about to start on the major part of the renovation which will double the size of the existing house). We also renovated a house before this one, which we lived in, and moved into before it had power even. We survived (although I wouldn't live in a house in that state again, but finances dictated it at the time). I think as long as I can see progress, I'm ok with it all. It's an empty site with nothing happening that drives me up the wall. Also, don't worry about getting something perfect. Building is imperfect, so you just have to let things go sometimes - no one else ever notices (and I'm an Architect, so perfection is kind of hard to let go of for me). Good luck, and looking forward to following along.

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm actually beginning one now! My husband and I are having 'phase 1' completed before we move in, but plan to start planning for 'phase 2' immediately. I'm beginning to question if we should just done all of it before moving it, but not looking back now! Just trying to remember that this is what I love and have been looking forward to for a long time. Boy...lots of surprise expenses though! : ) Rachel

Full House said...

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! Keep all the comments coming.

nest of posies said...

ohmygoodness! wow!

i can't wait to see it all unfold. you better share the deets with us. because we all want to see. YOU can do this. you've got it in the bag! i believe you were made for this kind of house reno stuff!

xo
kellie

angela | the painted house said...

Yea! I'm so happy to see inside. And, I see you've already chosen your window valances...you are way ahead in the game, girl.

You will really shine on this project. Flex those skinny girl muscles and get to work! Congratulations!

angela | the painted house said...
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Annie said...

Your house looks beautiful. Love the ceiling in the first photo. So many fun details. All I have to say is that you're lucky to have to be out of your current pad and have to live in the construction. My good friend here moved into their new house at the beginning of September. They are still living on the sub floors and don't have working appliances. It's a mess and with 4 little kids it's a monster mess.

Barbie said...

Wow! I had no idea. I am so excited to follow along and learn from all your calculated choices. Please share all the nitty-gritty details and lessons learned that you care to share. My husband and I plan on building in the next 3-4 years so I will be taking note, literally! I am sure whatever you do will be beautiful!

Lynda @ Happenstance Home said...

Best wishes to you! You will make the place beautiful - you have such a sense of style. Just look at it as an exciting adventure!

sheilac706 said...

Just finished a 13 month renovation while living in 600 sf guest house w/ family of 4. Must have a sense of humor!

kelleyp said...

never live in the house while the reno is going on. especially with out a kitchen, total nightmare.
unless you enjoy washing dishes in the tub. Know you will go over the budget, be prepared. Buy quality, don't skimp. buy for your real life, not for a certain style, ie. marble is awesome but not if you can't take that it will stain. good luck, i know it will be awesome once finished. Lastly, don't give the hubbie too many choices. Best to narrow down the selection.

Samantha said...

Did I read that right? Are you moving to Mauai?

angela hardison said...

what!!!! so exciting! congratulations, friend. can't wait to hear/see more.

autumn said...

whoo-hooo! how awesome! i can't wait to follow along with you. my husband and i have remodeled three houses, and built 2 (about to start our third new build) and my best advice is to stay in budget. yeah...boring advice. it is tempting to get it ALL right NOW, but there are a lot of things that you can upgrade later as well. i usually opted for plain light fixtures first, and then would slowly swap them out as our budget allowed.
best of luck! i know it will be fabulous.

Annie Vincent Interiors said...

I am so crazy excited for you! You found a gem in AZ that is for sure!

Merci-Notes said...

gree, earthly possessions mean nothing when we are gone or we have ill loved ones or...
However as women i believe we want to make our homes filled with love in the various ways for each of us.

With Kindness,
Mary

Terry said...

I’ve read somewhere that when a couple survives a home renovation, then their love is solid as it can be. Haha! That may seem too much, but renovation is a project wherein anything can go wrong or unexpectedly. Roof renovations, for example, are expensive, laborious, and can be confusing. But, no project is too hard when you plan for it. I hope yours went well!

Terry Arnold

Kermit Lukacs said...

“I also ponder about the fact that all earthly possessions do not mean that much in the end but that it is also important to have ones surroundings feel good.” You have a good point. :) It is not good to be motivated by material things but it still matters on how it affects your life. Renovating and doing home makeovers from time to time is good to make sure that the residents can still relax and live well under their own roof.

Kermit Lukacs

honbc said...

We've just finished two years of renovating. We just sold and have bought another home ... which we'll be renovating! I think we're crazy ;) More so because we have a young child who probably thinks that everyone lives in such crazy circumstances ALL THE TIME. We lived in our home while renovating to save money - not ideal, but with a good sense of humour, compromise, and having an occasional weekend away we did it.

Unknown said...

Hello there! I was about to congratulate you after saying that you were done with the renovation, but then you bought another home? Haha! Well, if that’s what makes you happy, go! :) How's the roof? Is it part of your soon renovation project? Good luck!

Minta Gatlin

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