DEMO DAY – AND NIGHT, AND Night and Day
Yes, most of us have seen Fixer-Upper – which incidentally began just after we had completed our renovation. (It as actually the first show that I watched when we finally hooked up the TV in our “new” den.) BUT apparently you need a TV show to actually accomplish all your demo work in one day – as our Demo Days lasted far into every evening, AND weeks as we tackled each and EVERY room. One thing s for sure – Demo Days are harder when you are NOT just tearing down everything – BUT trying to salvage what you can!
Yes, that first day or two can be exciting – BUT it can quickly become daunting and even depressing when you are seeing more things destroyed and nothing, yet, being rebuilt.
This is the time where I think it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to have your floor plans, elevations, inspiration photos and samples there to inspire you and keep you motivated. Also, I found it VERY HELPFUL to go in each night/weekend and reassess our goals, timelines and To-Do Lists. What was taking longer than expected, what was (praise God) getting done sooner than expected and where were the “deliverables” (product and materials we had ordered). What sub-contractor came in next and who might be delayed by hiccups in the plan and unforeseen challenges? One of the other things John and I did was to keep track of all the elements that we were trying to salvage from the original parts. Our “reclaimed lumber yard” in the basement was numbered as to which area the doors/jambs and trim came from – this would make it much easier to put it all back together again.
On weekends I would take the time to clean-up the job site – it was a time for clearing my head and experiencing the space anew as each room underwent its own transformation - one step at a time.
Even though we had the help and expertise of several of my main contractors from my client’s projects, John and I, as the homeowners, were acting as our own General Contractors. Most municipalities will allow this arrangement. Townships are more concerned with homeowners getting the proper permits and INSPECTIONS than they are with who is actually doing the work. So of course we used licensed professionals, like electricians and plumbers as necessary, but we did a great deal of the carpentry and refinishing work ourselves. I was more concerned with contractors using their time to do their skilled jobs than if they were sweeping up or making sure their coffee cups were but in the trash.
Of course this scenario is not for everyone – but the contractors we were using knew this about me. I am HANDS-ON and ALL HANDS ON DECK was my motto during this renovation! When I recommend contractors for my client’s renovations, I know that they will courteous and responsible and will clean up after themselves. But for this massive whole-house gut and renovation I was the client and was happy to do my part to save on time and money – especially money!
My whole point of this little blog is to point out that renovating your home is HARD WORK. And it’s VERY EMOTIONAL, too! Be prepared to take the initiative to be proactive – plan ahead – stay positive – stay inspired and (as I did often) pray for strength. Whether you are doing the work yourselves or hiring professionals - it will ALL work out and in the end you will look back and be amazed!
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