Home Improvement for the Illogical
Owing a house really is a satisfying thing. Walking through a door that you know is yours, that no one (save the bank that owns you and your life) can take it away from you, is a great feeling. Whether you bought it and moved right in, remodeled it or built it from the ground up, it's your space. Your life. And for a while, even after you've signed ninety thousand documents stating otherwise, you live in a sweet fantasy where you can hammer a nail into any wall you want and then paint the whole place purple if you so choose.
But like anything else, things change. The closets that you never imagined having enough "stuff" to fill are now bursting at the seams. The beautiful, soft carpet now has strategically placed rugs thanks to that time the dog got into the trash after Mexican food takeout night. And maybe, you'd also like a pantry.
So this is sort of where I am right now. I'm ready to move, maybe. Or maybe not, maybe just make some house changes. But that's a slippery slope, that house stuff. New paint leads to new floors leads to new throw pillows and on and on. The "Makeover a Room for $200" article you read is now lining the floor under the windowsill you had to paint because you replaced the window because as long as you're hanging plantation blinds, you might as well replace that old frame and, good heavens, you have spent your $200 and THEN SOME.
I have a few things on the list: painting, a couple new doors, and new flooring are at the top. Those all, of course, are cheaper than moving to a new place. But if I put new floors in, I want THE floors. I want the perfect hardwood floors that I can spend all day cleaning because they are so gorgeous. And the dog can spend all day tracking in mud and whatnot on them and it won't matter because it's "so easy to clean." And life will be grand.
I make all these logical excuses for this home improvement stuff. "The house will sell better some day" or "you'll love coming home to it." Yes, it's all true. In reality, none of this logic nonsense is my priority. Mostly, I'm into the change of the paint, the doors, and especially the floors. Because other than the ease of cleaning a nice, sealed, good-quality hardwood floor, I can also put on my boots, throw some hay on the floor and stomp out a line dance any time I want.
15 comments:
Oh your having a "House" day! I do that, go off on a tangent, shop the MLS listings for little pieces of paradise, peep out the windows into other peoples lives and imagine....
Then something always happens that makes me so glad to come "home"...to stomp through the squeaky screen door and flop on the cat hair covered floor and .....sigh! love this ole house.....
Ugh. After the infamouse WS100 and after the R2P relay, house stuff is on the agenda. We have mostly hardwood - except the bedrooms, bathrooms and a small living room. All of those have the original 18 year old rugs or vinyl flooring. We need to replace all, paint the master bath/bedroom, guest room and bath, and we really should paint the kitchen/family/living rooms too - but those will probably wait. I do not look forward to this! It means shopping and choosing and yukky stuff. And, my husband is color blind, so all choices are mine. I don't like it!
We are in the same place. We loev our house, but are thinking of maybe moving. It's such a tough decision.
When we do move, rather than do tons of work, we're going to let someone talk us down on the initial price.
There was not a thing in that entire post that was illogical. It all made sense to me. Poke around the ads and see what is out there - never hurt anyone and it is how I ended up in this here house.
Don't think about the house. Rent it out and go back to the beach.
Ha! Funny you should say that. I have wanted to paint my kitchen for the past year and it still has painter's tape around the windows. And every day that I have to fix something or realize that I can't put up a picture without it being crooked due to crooked walls, I want to buy a new house. So the other day I went online to look at properties in the area and was quickly cured of the itch to move as i saw that the money I have can't buy much more than I already have so...try it. It works. :)
You can't beat hardwood floors. Our floor is something like 50 years old and it still looks amazing. And you never have to worry about what your six year old spills on the floor.
i think home ownership sounds like so much fun but my friends keep telling me i am nuts to want to take it on. but just as you said, it's yours (and the banks) to what you want to.
maybe you need to date a carpenter for a spell? ;)
don't you wish you could just get a tlc trading spaces thing going on?
We've always had hardwood floors in our house (original to the structure which makes me love them way more) and since I grew up with them - I adore them. Hate carpet. To death. I say go for the hardwoods!
I say make some little changes, including the hardwood floor. The difference it will make will convince you that you are right where you need to be.
There's nothing worse than carpet. I don't even want to think about what lives in there.
We are planning to rip all of ours out in the next few years, but the problem is, we spent 8 years renovating our last house (the domino effect of renovating is a real phenomenon), and are burnt out. Although I painted every single wall when we first bought this house, I've since gotten lazy.
So just be careful, is what I'm saying.
Go for the hardwoods!
Let the dogs run.
Buy some mopper-slippers & buff the floors while jamming out & sliding around to some Carribbean music!
Home is where you make it Girl!
That's exactly where I am/have been so I totally relate. I really want a new house, which is why mine is on the market...stupid, super slow market...:(
Owning is great, but... and there is always a but, I get bored. Each year I notice all the little things I want to do to make it more mine. The mood passes when I consider the cost, but... there is so much I truly want to do. I would love to move... and then I again consider the cost. And then again, where else could I leave my windows open at night to sleep with the night breeze and be completely safe.
The grass is always greener.
Advantage to renting - you can move each year!
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