Two Years In, Five Thoughts

It was two years ago that we moved into this 1929 Tudor bungalow! I can’t believe it’s already been two years. In some ways, I feel like we just moved; in some ways, I feel like we’ve lived here forever (interestingly, I said this at the one-year mark, too).

Since it’s almost exactly been two years since we moved in, I thought I would reflect on what I’ve learned in those last two years about this house, home ownership, renovations, and decorating a home. So today’s Friday Five is Two Years In, Five Thoughts:

(1) I’ve done a lot to this house in one year, let alone two.

I went back and looked at The One-Year Evaluation post I wrote after living here for one year. In that post, I said I wanted to tackle certain projects. Here’s the list of projects and whether I completed them:

• My daughter’s bedroom – DONE! See the finished room HERE.
• Painting the kids’ hallway – still needs to be done.
• Redo the pantry – DONE! See the finished, organized pantry HERE.
• Paint the kitchen cabinets – not done. I have noodled over this for a long time, but ultimately never painted them because, really, they need replacing, not just paint.
• The great outdoors – not done. Started, but injuries and setbacks mean this isn’t finished yet.

All in all, not too shabby. Especially when you consider that I also had to deal with the Comcast-created leak and the resulting mold, water in the basement, and mold in the pantry.

There’s still a lot to do, but that to-do list is never finished. And getting the home you want, especially when it was built in 1929, is an on-going process. I’ve learned to appreciate what is complete and not stew on what isn’t yet.

(2) Beige walls aren’t so bad, if they’re the right beige.

When we moved into our home two years ago, pretty much every room was painted beige or “greige.” And I was actually fine with that, given that it’s an older home and that I hadn’t lived in it long enough to know what color I would put on the walls if starting over from scratch.

Now that we’ve lived here two years, I’m starting to think about what colors I would paint the walls. The off-white color in the front rooms is looking a little too yellow for me (it’s Ballet White from Benjamin Moore).

As a result, I’m starting to think about a light gray or greige that leans more gray than brown. If you have any grayish neutrals that you love, please leave a comment below with the name of the color! Thanks! I know that Edgecomb Gray and Agreeable Gray are two good options, but I’m open to anything like that.

(3) Sometimes you DIY, sometimes you don’t.

I love DIYing projects in my home and I would always prefer to DIY something than hire someone else to do it, if I can.

There are two related caveats to this statement: first, there are some things I’m just not good at; second, there are some things that look better when a professional does them.

Taking the first one first: I can patch drywall, but I’m just not that good at it. I’m not sure whether it’s an application issue or a sanding issue, but I don’t do the best job at this.

Drywall patching and turkey roasting…’cuz that’s how I roll.

Take, for example, the kitchen reno I did before Christmas 2014.  We had a giant hole in the wall that had been covered up by a hulking corner cabinet. I patched the drywall in this corner, but I only did a so-so job with it. As a result, the uneven wall has been bothering me ever since.

To fix this, at this point, would require hiring a professional painter to come in, sand down the walls, fix any bad patch jobs I did, and repaint. When that fits into our budget, it’s gonna happen – hence point #2 above. It’ll be better when a professional does it. In the meantime, I cringe when I see the bumps in the wall. (Yes, I know no one else notices it but me, but I see it every time I’m in the kitchen.)

(4) Finding Furniture Equilibrium.

When we moved into this house from our old house, some of our furniture just didn’t fit. Going from a home built in 1969 to one built in 1929 had everything to do with that. The rooms are just smaller. So, for example, we sold our dining room buffet and instead I bought a narrower, but taller, cabinet.

I’ve learned to part with those pieces that really don’t fit in our home, and find pieces that do fit that I love.

(5) There’s no place I’d rather be.

I love my home. I love my neighborhood. I love my neighbors. Even my son, who really, really did not want to move from our old house, admitted to me that he loves this home and this neighborhood. There’s no place I’d rather be.

This week in Dogs Don’t Eat Pizza History:

One year ago: The One-Year Evaluation

Two years ago: Faux Roman Shades from Shower Curtains

Three years ago: Art Broken…Almost

Four years ago: Trust Your Gut