How to stay happily married while renovating
Huh? Is this really a serious issue? Unfortunately, it is. And I have been asked about it multiple times, since my wife and I have completed four separate renovations and, even though we went through some tough spells, we’re still happily married.
Here’s what we learned along the way, and what we did to remain happily married while renovating…
Ariel’s whirling rainbow dream… after the remodel
Last fall, I wrote about how I was remodeling my one-bedroom condo to better accommodate my three-person family. Well, six months later, I am here to report back with our-post remodel home tour… it’s six months later because the 6-8 week remodel turned into four months of my family drifting around and couch surfing. We just moved back in a month ago.
Bathroom renovation: From jungle to under-the-sea
Although I loved the monkey accessories that Matt had since we started dating, after five years of living with it, I wanted a change. I have difficulty with early mornings, especially in the dark Canadian winter, so I wanted the bathroom to be so incredibly fucking cheerful that I couldn’t help but wake up and be alert in the morning!
The offbeat remodel: my harebrained scheme come to life
Way back in 2011, I mentioned that I had a scheme for how we could remodel our one-bedroom home into a two-bedroom… and now it’s actually happening.
Renovating our colourful, lived-in, never-finished, Arts and Crafts bungalow
This home was the fresh start I was dreaming of. When I left my husband, I never thought in a little more than a year I would buy my own (little) home. I could paint whatever colours I wanted, decorate how I wanted and keep the house in whatever (child-safe) state I wanted. I purchased this home as a single-mom with a toddler — then at the housewarming party three months later, I married my boyfriend in the archway between the living and dining rooms.
Sarah & Joseph: From welding wedding to renovating and communicating
When we got married, Joe and I each owned and lived in separate houses. After the wedding, Joe moved into my house, and we began making renovations to his in order to sell it. Lo these three years later, it is almost ready to put on the market. We are also planning to put an addition on the house we live in now.
What do you know about vintage mobile home restoration?
Our new vintage mobile home.[/caption]My husband and I recently purchased a totally sweet vintage (1967, baby!) mobile home, and we are really excited to finally be home owners. While it took me a minute to get over my middle-class judgements about “trailer trash,” etc., I am now all in and thrilled that while it may not be our dream home, it is OURS. (Also, the wood paneling is pretty amazing.) But because of my total lack of experience with mobile-home living, I feel really unprepared for the quirks and particularities that will come with our new home.
When previous homeowners find your home reno blog
You know we love us some house blogs, and you KNOW we love hearing about your before and afters. But what happens if your “after” was someone’s beloved “before” and they happen to stumble upon your posts about your frustrated home struggles? These are indeed 21st century problems, but they are also very real experiences. One Homie gives us a reminder about how small the interwebs can be.