My husband thinks I watch too much HGTV. I should preface this by saying, I don't watch a lot of TV, I never have. He is the reason that we have a bazillion channels of cable TV. When I turn on the TV--like when I'm home alone--I will turn on HGTV and watch the home improvement shows.
Our home is our single largest investment, and it always has been. I have ramrodded a few home improvement projects that my husband can point to, but none of them were inspired by something I saw on HGTV.
Our kitchen remodel was one I planned from the day we signed the papers on this house. If I had not removed that blue from my life, I'm pretty sure I would have killed someone... So, the kitchen was first. We built a center island, removed an eating height bar and dropped in some display cabinetry. Then did a porcelain tile floor and restained all the cabinetry to match. I saved up the money in advance and hired out all the hard stuff. I'm not sure DH is over it yet.
Then, while he was gone, I decided that ten year old carpets needed to be replaced... and since we were replacing the flooring, why not put in some travertine? We hired it done, but ended up having to redo all the baseboards ourselves. I have to say, it made the house look a lot better.
The next project was the result of a long term plumbing leak. You know what I mean, that spot on the wall that sixteen coats of Kilz won't cover? That funky smell that won't go away? When we finally called in the experts and they certified a plumbing leak, we did the demolition ourselves. Some of the original two by fours had the consistency of pudding. Yuck. We gutted the space. But since it was gutted anyway and we had to replace everything, it was the perfect opportunity to move stuff around, right? The master bathroom remodel was an almost year long process. But we have two other bathrooms. So, no harm, no foul. We now have a wonderful walk in shower and a great corner tub. I didn't go nuts. I didn't insist on Carrera marble or Soapstone. We went with finishes that would not price our house out of the neighborhood. I did get a tankless hot water heater so I never EVER run out of hot water.
It's been years since I told my husband I wanted to change the interior of our home. Now, when he walks in and sees me watching HGTV he gets a little twitchy. He immediately commandeers the remote control and changes the channel. He thinks that if I don't see it on TV, I won't want to change the look of our home again.
Home ownership is a lot of things, I think of it as a commitment. A life sentence. There's always some maintenance that has to be done. And another project. I don't need a TV channel to give me ideas. I already have a list.
--Sandee Wagner
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2 comments:
I argue with anyone who says their "home is the single largest asset" they have - assets appreciate or pay dividends, liabilities are expenses or things that depreciate. And in a market like this where people are losing their shirts on their homes... that's all the more important.
That all said - I have always loved that you make sure the improvements to your home are things *YOU* want and that keep the home within the bracket of the similar homes nearby. Your kitchen is a joy to cook in and the bathroom is something that could come direclty off an HGTV episode. Beautiful.
Now, if only we could talk dad into actually running the surround sound back, updating that shop, and doing the driveway/garage door project. =)
Z
Oh, Zack. You and I have a list too. On my list:
1. Driveway and shop update.
2. Swim spa.
3. New windows.
who knows if we'll ever do it. spw
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