Gutted!

In my first blog post, I explained how the decision to renovate came about. Basically, it was beyond necessary. I've accepted that a very messy house is my reality for the next year or so. I can handle this....I think.

My best friend agreed to help with some of the work, and here is the result of his first 6 hours of manual labor:

I wish I had a "before" picture, but suffice it to say, it was UGLY. This powder room sized bathroom had your standard "builder grade" vanity and bathtub in the vintage shade of yellow pee, which some people kindly refer to as "bisque". But let's keep it real. It looks like aged urine, and that is about the nicest thing I can say about what this bathroom used to be....so I'll just keep it moving....

Since this point, we have progressed to getting the new bath tub installed, which in itself, seemed like a small miracle. I originally thought I'd have to hire a professional to do the work, because my friend thought it was beyond his plumbing skills. After receiving estimates of $2075 (that didn't include the cost of bath tub, faucet, or drywall) and $1695 (that did not include the faucet and came with a lot of "conditions"), my friend felt sorry for me and decided to give it a go.

He had no reason to lack confidence! The tub and drywall look amazing, and came to about $800 which included the bath tub, faucet, and all the plumbing and drywall materials and supplies. We left the blue protective covering on the tub for now, because we still need to patch and primer the walls.

 

 

In other exciting news: the sink and vanity are ordered and on the way! Yay, Wayfair.com, for having the best price on this pretty Simpli Home Chelsea vanity! I saved about $220 and got free shipping.



I also chose the lovely 4" centerset brushed nickel waterfall faucet from Giagni, which I found at Lowe's for about $109.

Up next: painting and tiling the floor.

 

 

Upside Down : The Reason Why All the Walls Are Still Brown

Eleven years. That's a pretty long time to live with the same depressing paint color. I admit that the new homeowner/honeymoon phase didn't last long for me. I was pretty sick of my condo after the first few years of living here. I realized I had made a HUGE mistake by becoming a homeowner. Upkeep and maintenance? Not my cup of tea. I wanted to cut my losses and jump ship. And once I discovered that it was going to be pretty impossible for me to sell at a profit, I really stopped caring about the place.

I was one of those lucky fools in 2004. The banks were throwing money at us: "Everybody can buy a house! Sign here, and just agree to this little bit of 'creative financing'. You don't even need a down payment! But in 5 years, your rate is going to change....blahblah fineprint fineprint fineprint".  Fortunately, I was able to refinance my interest only loan into a fixed rate loan, unlike a lot of people, who couldn't afford the reality of homeownership once their interest only loan period expired. But now I'm in an "upside down" situation with my mortgage, owing more than the condo is worth. So very common. Ask any of my neighbors. They say property values are on the rise, but I don't exactly live in a posh neighborhood; compound that by the fact that condos are not as desirable as detached single family homes....and well, I've already got 2 strikes against me. Strike 3? Seriously outdated 80s décor and dingy carpet is not going to win over any potential buyers.

So, I felt stuck.

That helpless feeling turned into indifference. For the past 6 or 7 years, I ignored the paint, the carpet, the torn linoleum, and everything else that didn't work for me in this condo. And that's how I always referred to the place: the condo. Not "my home", or even "my house". How can you think of the place you live as a haven from the rest of the world if it's "just a condo"?  How could I ever feel relaxed, comfortable, and at peace in a place where no energy or effort was being invested?

I realized it was time to do something.

That's where this blog starts for me. I want to record all my home improvement efforts, not because I think they will inspire or educate anyone. Really I just want to figure out how to make the condo I live in a home that I can love. A few pictures here and there to document my progress and some notes on anything that I learn along the way.  So far, I'm about 1 month into the first project, my bathroom. It has certainly been an educational experience for me. More about that and how I prepared for the renovation in the next post.