By Tony Lotven
This post is the first in a three-part series offered to share our experience remodeling our home. Hodges Roofing & Siding provided the exterior work on our home.Remodeling and Decluttering Go Hand in Hand
Decluttering our house was a side benefit of our remodeling project. We did spend a couple of weeks packing and moving into our finished basement in preparation for the floor. Large pieces of furniture were left in place and the installers moved those around between rooms as needed. The kitchen was removed the day before the floor installation began so we did live upstairs until the very last minute.
As we packed up and moved all the tubs and boxes, small and medium sized furniture, and all the assorted stuff that accumulates in thirty years of living and raising children, we seized the opportunity to donate, sell, and give away a significant amount of stuff. That process continued when we unpacked and moved back upstairs. In the process we also reorganized and sorted through large storage closets in the house and even cleaned our shed.
Once we committed to the purging it really felt very cleansing and allowed our grown children to take items they wanted to keep. Once the unpacking started, our upstairs transformed into a very clean looking and organized space. This was a benefit that became a focal point for the total remodeling process. Since we had to move everything for the work, the process of packing and unpacking was a natural step allowing us the opportunity to scrutinize our belongings. The decisions on what to keep and what to release were actually much easier than I thought they would be. I highly recommend that decluttering be a part of your remodeling plan.
More About Our Hard Deadline
So you might want to know what was left to do after our hard finish date and what is still left to do. First off concerning our hard finish date. We had a family affair with friends and family that could not be moved to a different date. The day before became our hard date. Having a hard date allowed us to constantly check on progress and let our various installers and contractors know our expectations and that hard date was not negotiable. Their projections on time needed to completion were discussed thoroughly including the effect of rain days.
So for the exterior, after our family event, the contractor had to finish caulking the siding and trim and finish wrapping and lattice work under the front porch. The interior needs trim around the new doors and windows and some new baseboard completed. We knew this wouldn’t be done before the event because the trim had to be custom ordered and scheduled with an available trim person. We knew we could live with these final tasks and moved back into our upstairs with a new kitchen ready to make preparations for our party. The downstairs went through a similar purge and cleaning for the party. Whew!
In closing this three part series, I must mention the most important part which is the process itself. My wife and I reached new levels of working together on this project from beginning to end. Without teamwork, we would not have sailed from the decision to move forward, through planning, through designing, and through completion so effortlessly. Take the time to commit and discuss, plan and design, and make choices together. Whoever your partners are in remodeling or even building a new house, trust in each other and be open to considering lots of alternatives. This project would have been too much for me alone. Most of the most valuable lessons I learned were from our interaction and our trust that we both wanted ourselves and each other to be satisfied with both the process and the end result.
