Welcome to Update 2 on our project house remodel! See the first post here.
With almost every home project I’ve done, I’ve worked alone. This is good and bad:
The Good
- Quiet meditation time: I’m an introvert, so I don’t mind hanging out with myself all day. I get to build stuff and catch up on podcasts. Happy day.
- Done to my satisfaction: I’ve had the misfortune of hiring (and quickly firing) some horrific “help.” (Pro-tip: Don’t hire people from Craigslist!) I acknowledge that I’m an amateur and it may take me twice as long to complete a task, but I’ll do it right.
- I get to learn: When I finished my basement, I had to install an egress window, break open the floor to plumb a bathroom, and wire everything. I had never done any of these jobs before, so I acquired knowledge. With every bit of knowledge, I add a new tool to my mental tool belt.
The Bad
- I tend to overthink: I spent (wasted?) many hours staring at the ceiling thinking about how I was going to frame around soffits and other obstructions.
- Slooooooow: A skilled helper can really speed up a project. I took a year to finish the basement. It was complicated, but not that complicated.
- Too much: I like working with my hands, but it gets old after a while. Everything in moderation.
Before I update you on Project House, I have something way cooler to share with you…
The Honey Badger Strikes Again
One of the best parts of living in Longmont is that it has a strong community of fun, creative, thoughtful, and eclectic people. Luc (AKA The Honey Badger) is one of them. (see his guest post here). Whenever Luc creates something, he’s going to do a hell of a job with it.
Last fall, Luc invited me over to see the tree house that he had just completed. When I think of a tree house, I consider the crappy creations of my youth. My friends and I would scavenge plywood and 2x4s from dumpsters and nail them to a tree. Eventually it would become an inhabital structure. If you had very low standards. I knew Luc would do something much better, but had no idea what exactly.
It turned out that he created a Hobbit house in the sky. My words can’t do it justice. It’s SUPER cool. Watch his video instead:
Also see Luc’s crazy-ass Big Dig.
Better With Friends
When Mindy and I were deciding whether or not to take on another home remodel, the first thing I thought was:
No way.
Retired life is pretty busy already. I’m podcasting, learning Spanish, and raising children (at this point it’s more like breaking up fights). Did I mention that we haven’t even finished up the remodel on our current home? How did I ever have time for a job?
But then, I started thinking:
This could be fun.
I enjoy the remodeling process. It’s fun to take an ugly space and make it great.
After further consideration, I agreed to move ahead, but only if I could hire friends to help me out with the work. I don’t want another house to monopolize my time. Arik and Travis agreed to swing hammers, so we moved forward.
Working with A and T has been great. Jobs that would have taken me a week now take a day. We’re fast, efficient, and have a little fun in between swinging the hammer:
So, we’ve already:
- Completely gutted the old kitchen
- Installed new kitchen cabinetry
- Patched hardwood flooring
- Installed new hardwood in 3 bedrooms
We still have to paint, install trim and tie up a bunch of loose ends, but the heavy lift is done.
Mindy and I are in San Diego now for BPCon, so we’ll finish this up in October.
Life is great.
More 1500 Days!!!
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