Note to those renovating...

Today might just be the day that we move back into our bedroom.  The heat is in, and I think it will be operational by tonight, which means...I don't want to jinx it.  Either way, the carpet is not in yet so we won't be putting everything back in the room just yet.

   The plumbers are also finishing up the bathroom.  Will we be able to use it tonight?  That's anyone's guess. There was almost a huge hiccup in the process earlier this week when we realized that the tub we bought didn't come with a drain.  Note to other diy-ers, you must order a drain when you order a tub.  Eeeks!  I was one drain piece away from using my new tub and shower!  Once I found this out I ordered one from Plumber's Depot, and had it shipped overnight.  Everything would have been great if UPS hadn't delivered it to our neighbor.  Another note, when you're really frustrated at UPS don't bother calling to start a claim on your lost package because the level of your frustration is directly proportional to the stupidity of their questions.  Them: "Did you look on the front stair area of your home for the package?"  Me: "Ummm...I hadn't thought of that."  Them: "Did you ask your family members if they might have seen the package?"  Me: "Well, it's just me and my various cats here, so yes, yes I did ask them."  And so on.  It ended with me saying something like "Well, that sucks."  Luckily, our neighbor doesn't suck, and they brought it over the next day.  Take that, UPS!!

This is the drain that almost single-handedly took down our whole bath renovation. 

   While we're waiting for things to be done in the master and the bathroom, I have begun to think about bedroom #2.  To be honest, bed 2 will probably end up being our office for now.  We don't even have a second bed to put in there, but in my dreams it looks something like this:

I put weird door in the middle of the room to show how our stained doors might look once they are up.  We're still working on the staining of said doors.  Oh yeah, we should probably put those up before we start using the bathroom and whatnot. 
  
Here are some general thoughts on the process so far:

1. Everything takes much longer than you thought it would.  From picking out carpet to getting your shower drain delivered, plan on longer than you need.
2. Have the right tools for your job.  In our last house we tried to get around buying a tile saw by bringing the tiles we needed cut to Lowes, or by making cuts on a regular saw, but in the end we broke a lot of tiles, wasted time, and just should have bought the saw.  We bought one for this house, and it really made the process much easier.  The Dremmel helped a lot too.
3. Take time away.  It's hard, but you've got to leave the renovations.  We took an awesome trip to Newport during February vacation, and despite the fact that I keep threatening Dave that I am going to spend every weekend there until the renovations are done, it was a nice respite from the chaos of renovations.
4. Invite people over to see the progress.  You might be reluctant to have your friends and family visit, but it's nice to see their reactions to the progress.  When you're living it everyday, it's hard to see how much you have accomplished.  Bringing in outsiders can help you see how far you have come!
5. Be flexible.  That amazing asher grey marble tile is beautiful, but is it really in the budget?  On the other side of the coin, don't settle for something that you don't love.  We spent a lot more than we thought we would on the bathroom tub surround tile, but now that it's up we love it more than the day we bought it!
6. Be patient.  I know you're thinking, you?  patient?  I guess I should have said, be your version of patient.  It's hard not to get caught up in the self-imposed deadlines, but you also have to have a life.  For us, that meant taking a day off from renovations here are there, and not beating ourselves up about it.  You are working for yourself after all!
7. Do things that will make the job easier.  That could mean getting take out, soliciting the help from friends or family, or just planning ahead.  We planned ahead when we left the window openings larger than they are now to accommodate the larger windows that will eventually go in those spots.  
8. Think "Big Picture."  this might seem obvious, but it's difficult to do.  As I told our architect yesterday, when the minute details of the renovations get me down, I think about having a "wrap party" a la "This Old House" when we're done with the renovations.  Maybe this is just the runner in me doing my visualization techniques, but it really helps to think about how things will look and how you will feel when the renovations are done.  It also helps you figure out potential pitfalls before you have to live them.

Music for today-
1.  Lake Street Dive- "Bad Self-Portraits."  Despite having a 2 minute commute, WERS always saves their best songs for me when I'm going to school, and this is another example of that.  Gotta love Emerson Radio 88.9!!!  These guys are local and formed when they met at the New England Conservatory.  They also do a mean cover of "I Want you Back," and "Rich Girl."  (That might be a contradiction of terms.  Is it possible to have a good version of "Rich Girl?"  You be the judge.)

 2.  Nina Persson- "Silver."  Nina Persson is/was the lead singer for The Cardigans ("Lovefool," My Favorite Game," etc....).  They are a Swedish pop rock band with an extreme love for Black Sabbath.  Nina is as talented as she is beautiful.  She has gone on to have an extensive solo career.  Check out "Silver," and everything else she has ever done...

3.  Brandi Carlile- "The Story."  I looooove this song.  It's so heartfelt.  I hope you like it too.

4.  The Shins- "Simple Song."  Dave is listening to this on repeat because it reminds him of Maui, and we all need a little Maui in our lives right now.  We actually saw The Shins in Maui a few years ago.  I'd like to "feel like an ocean being warmed by the sun" right about now...