Seven family members means a lot of birthdays. We’re celebrating another one today, because somebody is six! Yep, my frantic rush to the hospital, with the baby’s arrival 19 minutes after we pulled into the parking lot, was six years ago today. He continues to do things absolutely his own way.
I spent a lot of time this week making decisions about the new house. Plumbing and fixtures on Monday (there are so many kinds of toilets and faucets and sink shapes in the world!), tiles/counters on Tuesday, paint and wall paper Wednesday, cabinets on Thursday. I do enjoy learning about new things (such as kinds of slate shingles and snow guards…), even if the volume of decisions is overwhelming. I was out near Lancaster yesterday learning about such details as the “bead” and “panel” on cabinet doors, and seeing the differences between seemingly identical shades of white. This is where it really helps to be a satisficer (and to have good advisors). There aren’t going to be wrong decisions within the range suggested, so it’s really just about choosing between shades of right. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
(Have you ever regretted a renovation decision?)
Not too much else to report. I took two kids to the pediatrician earlier this week, so now all five are current on their visits. We are thinking through high school course selection, which is certainly a milestone around here! I was a guest on a few cool podcasts and look forward to sharing those over the next few weeks. I set the schedule for the “real” version of the Tranquility by Tuesday survey project. I’ve been writing my productivity column for Medium. Please check out “10 Minutes on Friday That Will Make Your Monday 10 Times Easier” and “The First Question to Ask Yourself When You Sit Down to Work.”
The best thing I did when we finished our basement and renovated the kitchen was to think about the electrical outlets and get extras. So acc to code, one side of the kitchen counter space should have 2 outlets but I knew that was where the stand mixer would be, so I had an extra one installed. Also, I made sure there were outlets for all the seats on the island (on 2 sides of a corner) so kids can plug in laptops etc while I’m making dinner.
In my renovation experience, how ever many electrical sockets you have there will never be enough and those you do have will end up being in the wrong place, or at the wrong height, or both! But not arguing you should go for far more than you think you will ever need.
We completed a 90% home remodel – we call these floor to studs remodels in Texas – two years ago and the amount of time invested in making decisions during the process completely astounded me. I am a FT working mom of two, so the addition of hours of appointments at random intervals to my busy workweeks was overwhelming at first. But after the fact, I can say that I am 100% grateful we got to choose everything for our home (tiles, carpets, faucets, toilets, countertops, etc.) and that it was a good learning experience. But on the remodel thing I am once and done. Having an experienced, good-communicating General Contractor is super important. Good luck with yours!