Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Quoth the Reno Nevermore

This weekend found me looking at model homes. After my husband re-painted our hallway last weekend, and we reviewed the list of projects we have lined up for this year, we said, hey, let's go see what a brand-spanking-new, super-energy-efficient home could do for us.

We traipsed from room to room in four different floor plans, judging how the flow would work for us and evaluating which finishes we'd keep and which would be a tear-out. After 2 1/2 years in our current home, we have no breakfast room, we're still waiting on just the right window treatments for most rooms, and don't even talk to us about our kitchen or bathroom scene.

I found myself wondering what it would be like to move into a home that I could decorate in advance, like the model home interior designers do. When the house was ready for us, we could just move in our boxes of household goods, artfully arrange our clothing in the pre-built custom closet system, and then we could . . . just go on with our lives. There would be no fabric swatches or tile samples over which to deliberate. Instead of tearing up each space of yard and rebuilding it with irrigation, soil, plantings and hardscape, I could just add a few xeriscape perennials to the builder landscaping and find a little patch for a potager. We could sell our tools and cache of extra building materials, making extra space in the garage for . . . a pilates studio maybe? The new pair of kayaks we'd buy to replace our weekends of renovation?

After tsking over each imperfection I found in each model, I found myself talking with the sales agent, reviewing room dimensions and options for the two models we best liked and looking at the available lots that would best suit our family's needs. Fully loaded, we could move into a brand new home with a 10-year warranty, hire a professional decorator, and still get in for less than we paid for the purchase price of our home. All that money we've been putting toward renovations could replenish our savings accounts instead. We'd have time and money for the long weekends we crave. We'd have more time for cooking and entertaining, more time for family and friends.

Then we looked at the downsides. The new neighborhood was located miles away from the area we love with the new pedestrian shops and restaurants and the miles of shaded trail that overlooks farmland and wildlife preserves. Depending on the lot we picked, we could have a view of the mountains, but that same view would yield a view of the highway that runs along the edge of the hogbacks. The new trail system would be concrete, not dirt and gravel. There would be no overhead shade in the scorching summer sun, and I happen to know that the nearest wildlife area is favored by rattlesnakes and mountain lions. That's too much stress for walking the dogs.

Location aside . . . and that's just it with real estate. Location really is the driving force. Undaunted, we decided to check out other communities from the same builder online. Then we expanded our search to other builders. We found a bevy of beautiful homes, but they were all situated on postage-size lots whose only trees would be those we could plant. Builder communities here are not like those back East where trees are indigenous. Suddenly, we found ourselves in online builder communities in distant states. Just look at that wooded lot!

Well, obviously we can't just quit in the middle of our renovation, and our budget is what our budget is. Alas, I am not a modern-day countess with a hidden vault of money like Harry Potter. What could we do in the next 60 - 90 days to make our own home into a model home? What would we do if we were staging our home for sale? How could we enjoy our current home more today?

This new set of questions gave birth to a new set of projects:

- Our hallway, the first space anyone sees, is the most prone to clutter in our home. Project #1 Functional hallway storage system.
- Look at half-finished spaces. For example, we painted our dining room to complement the tile in the adjacent kitchen. This is the same tile that was apparently installed unsealed by a previous renovator and we can't wait to rip out. Pinkish white floors and two dogs don't mix. We'd furnished half our dining room with scores from Craiglist that serve us functionally, but are really just too stuffy for us. The only time I ever want to eat in the dining room is when we have guests. And the temporary window treatments that we hung 2 1/2 years ago are still there and still look . . . temporary.
- Eliminate clutter. When my husband and I got married, we had each previously owned our own homes and had our own styles. As we've merged households and found our couple style, we find that we avoid the rooms that have furnishings and decorations we dislike. While we have been downsizing our clutter little by little, if we can increase our efforts in this area, we can both remove the offending items and have more cash for those things we need.

In all, we came up with a pretty good list that refocused our priorities for making our current home livable. When we bought the house, we knew we wanted to change it cosmetically, but we didn't think that it would take quite so long to create a home that reflects our personality and our needs.  In the end, this may not be the perfect home for us, but we have learned a lot about ourselves and each other in the process of making it our own and that in itself is priceless.

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