I haven’t made any selections which can be 100% engraved in stone at this level, however since a lot of you’ve got stated over time that you simply take pleasure in it once I share my thought processes, let me begin at the start and let you know what has transpired over the past two days.
As I suspected, the emotional breakdown over our ruined house health club ground and subfloor lastly got here. For those who missed that saga, you may learn this post after which this post. It began with me being pouty, feeling sorry for myself, and albeit, being a bit passive aggressive. And that’s not like me in any respect. I’m speaking particularly in regards to the passive aggressive half. There’s typically nothing passive about my aggression once I get offended or upset about one thing. 😀
But it surely began to nights in the past when Matt was already enjoyable in mattress, and I began the load of all of the information recently got here bearing down on me. First, the $21,000 for the entire house generator. After which the 1000’s (I’m undecided precisely how a lot but) for the entire house dehumidifier that Matt actually desires. After which the house health club ground and subfloor. After which I began getting upset and feeling sorry for myself. I dragged my unhappy butt into the bed room, feeling so sorry for myself that you simply’d assume an precise tragedy had occurred, and I stated in my most passive aggressive manner, “Effectively, I assume we’ll simply NEVER get that addition, will we?” Poor Matt. 😀 He’s had 22 years of coping with me (and I with him and his idiosyncrasies), so he is aware of how you can speak me down from the ledge once I get like that. And after about half-hour of speaking, I had calmed down. He had assured me that if I needed that addition, I might have that addition. We might make it work.
And simply so we’re clear, that is the addition I’m speaking about. For years now, we’ve got been planning on including onto our home with an addition that measures roughly 1000 sq. ft and features a new laundry room, household/media room, and main bedroom with a big walk-in closet. After it’s completed, the home would appear to be this.
However after throwing my little mood tantrum, and even after Matt had calmed me down and I felt a lot better, that thought had been planted in my mind. What if we didn’t do the addition?
That was arduous to consider. In spite of everything, we’ve been speaking about and planning that addition for years! I’ve dreamed about it. I’ve put a lot time and thought into the ground plan till I had precisely what I needed. I’ve met with the builder. I’ve met with the architect. We had been nonetheless planning on beginning that addition this 12 months.
Or had been we? I imply, it’s already the center of July, and nothing has been finished. The architect that’s allegedly drawing up our plans has been M.I.A. for months now, and I’ve made no efforts to get in contact with him and lightweight a hearth beneath him to get our plans finished. Why is that? Matt has instructed me repeatedly that we are able to begin the addition instantly. Actually, any time now. Simply at any time when I’m prepared.
So if this addition is so vital to me, why have I not been extra proactive in ensuring issues are shifting forward with it? I’ve been completely blissful to remain in “planning mode” for years now, and regardless that I’ve the inexperienced mild to maneuver ahead at any time when I need to, I nonetheless haven’t finished it.
So yesterday, I made a decision to get actually trustworthy with myself as a result of there’s one thing there, and I don’t assume it’s a must to be a educated psychologist to see that. I’m the one hindering the progress, and I’ve to be actually trustworthy with myself as to why that’s. And it comes down to 2 issues…cash and house.
First, let’s speak in regards to the house. Matt and I are solely two individuals. And but, whereas our home isn’t enormous, it’s already fairly sprawled out. In actual fact, one buddy who came visiting didn’t notice that the door within the sitting room led to a different very giant room (i.e., my studio). The primary time he noticed what was past that door, he stated, “My goodness, Kristi, your home is just like the TARDIS!” (Bonus factors if you recognize the reference.) And it form of is. From one finish to the opposite, it form of appears to go on and on. New lands, and new adventures await as you go by every doorway. 😀
After which there’s the cash situation. The estimate that the builder gave me got here to $226,358.90, and that’s earlier than we determined so as to add on an extra 350 sq. ft in order that we might push the again wall of the addition again far sufficient to make room for a big walk-in closet in the main bedroom, in addition to different storage that we would wish for Matt’s objects (i.e., Hoyer carry, bathe wheelchair, and so forth.).
I imply, that quantity astounds me. After we first began speaking in regards to the addition a few years in the past, the quantity that the very first contractor gave me was $70,000. That was pre-COVID, earlier than provide line disruptions, and earlier than the inflation from these issues made the value of nearly every little thing skyrocket. We went from an estimate of $70,000 to an estimate of $240,000 within the span of about eight years. And naturally, that price ticket doesn’t even embody any furnishings, decor, or customizations that I’d need to do (i.e., the nicer trim that I like and issues like that).
I simply don’t even know the way I can justify spending that a lot cash on this home so as to add on extra room and make this home even greater and extra sprawling for simply two individuals. I gained’t go as far as to say it’s an ethical situation, as a result of it’s not likely that. (And I don’t need to come throughout as passing judgment on different who reside in even bigger homes with all types of facilities. They’ll do no matter they need with their cash with no judgment from me.) However for us, for our state of affairs, for our home, for our neighborhood, it simply feels…icky. I don’t even know the way else to explain it. It feels icky in my thoughts. And it’s that feeling that has been holding me again.
However the place does that depart us? As a result of proper now, our ground plan seems like this, and this has at all times been “progress” in my thoughts. I’ve by no means as soon as thought of this wherever close to “completed”.
That tiny little room behind the grasp rest room is the unique grasp rest room. It’s not even accessible from inside the home anymore. It’s simply been sitting there, hooked up to the home however inaccessible, and ready to be demolished. After which there’s the sunroom. Whereas that room is the place the washer, dryer, and sizzling water heater at the moment reside, the room itself isn’t salvageable. It was not constructed correctly, and it may’t be redone. The one choice is to tear it down. It can’t keep. Interval.
So yesterday, I had one other down day. I wasn’t feeling offended anymore. My passive aggression had dissipated. I used to be simply feeling unhappy. Blue. Discouraged. I used to be feeling like this home had lastly overwhelmed me. So I sat down at my desk within the studio, opened up my laptop computer, pulled up our ground plan on my photograph enhancing program, and simply began enjoying round to see what I might provide you with. And I noticed that we do, in truth, have some very affordable, doable choices.
First, there’s the obvious resolution to present us a much bigger bed room. If we’ve got to exchange the ground and the subfloor within the house health club, that may be the right time to take away what stays of the unique closets from that room. That will sq. up the room, take away these visible boundaries, and make the room fairly a bit greater. And because it’s hooked up to the grasp rest room, it might naturally be our main bedroom.
After which the present visitor bed room could possibly be cut up into two areas, with one changing into the laundry room accessible from the hallway, and the opposite changing into a big walk-in closet accessible from the bed room.
It will principally take the home again to its authentic footprint. For those who’ll keep in mind, the again wall that you simply see in that ground plan simply above is the unique again wall of the home. That’s why the again wall of the kitchen initially had a window in it. By the point we purchased the home, the sunroom had been added. However that window was initially an exterior window.
And that’s additionally the explanation the unique hallway rest room had a window in it. Once more, by the point we purchased the home, that window appeared into the sunroom. And since we deliberate so as to add on from the start, I eliminated the window once I reworked this rest room.
But when we don’t do the addition, I might truly put a window again in that room! That loo might have pure daylight once more!! That thought alone makes me giddy.
At that time of enjoying round with the ground plan, I assumed I had misplaced my thoughts. In spite of everything, if I had been to maneuver ahead with this plan, that implies that we’d have turned what was initially a three-bedroom home right into a ONE-bedroom home.
A ONE-BEDROOM HOUSE.
That was virtually an excessive amount of of a hurdle for me. Might I truly do this? Might I flip this home right into a one-bedroom home? Individuals would assume I used to be loopy! They’d assume I’ve fully misplaced my thoughts. Have I misplaced my thoughts? Is that essentially the most insane factor {that a} house owner has ever finished? I imply, would we ever be capable to promote a one-bedroom home?
After which I caught myself. My goodness, I used to be doing the very same factor I’ve been preaching towards for 17 years now! I actually just wrote a blog post about this very matter solely days in the past!! There I used to be, attempting to determine how this home might be custom-made to finest swimsuit our wants, and I used to be fearful about what some anonymous, faceless, unknown, potential future purchaser could factor about my selections. However Matt and I purchased this home as our ceaselessly house. We’re those who paid the mortgage. We’re those who paid off the mortgage. We’re those who personal this home. We’re those who reside right here. We’re those who have to be comfy right here. It’s our wants and needs which can be vital when making selections about this home. And the way might I encourage others to cease designing and adorning for that potential future proprietor if I can’t even do it myself?
So after giving it a ton of thought, I truly gave myself permission to go there and to be okay with it. I in some way managed to be okay with the concept of a one-bedroom home.
However, after all, these adjustments didn’t resolve all of our issues. I nonetheless desire a eating desk someplace. Matt nonetheless wants his Theracycle, and I don’t actually need to hand over my rebounder or treadmill (though, I’m open to promoting my present one and getting a a lot smaller one). So whereas we don’t want a complete bed room devoted to being a house health club, having a spot for these three issues is non-negotiable.
So I began enjoying round extra. After which I assumed, “What if we simply add on a laundry room?” So I began searching for a spot to place a laundry room, and the right place for it gave the impression to be proper behind the kitchen. And similar to that, one other drawback solved itself. If I put a door from the wheelchair ramp into the laundry room, that makes brining in groceries a lot simpler! And the entire “storage by the laundry room to the kitchen” structure is a reasonably frequent one.
And with that structure, I wouldn’t have to chop the present visitor bed room into two. I might preserve it one large room that could possibly be half closet and half exercise space, and the center could possibly be left open to retailer Matt’s large objects once they’re not in use. I truly spent fairly a little bit of time looking for issues like “combo closet and exercise space” and “walk-in closet and residential health club mixture”. Whereas I didn’t discover a lot, I did discover a number of examples of individuals combining these issues.
In fact, each time I solved one factor, it created one other drawback. If I add on a laundry room and switch the breakfast room again right into a breakfast room in order that I can have the desk I would like, the place does Matt sit and watch TV in the course of the day?
So I saved on enjoying round, and I lastly eliminated the entire partitions between the present kitchen, present sitting room, and doable future laundry room. After which I eliminated the labels from these areas in order that I might see them as a clean house. I additionally eliminated the label from the pantry simply because I’m open to new prospects.
And that’s just about the place I left it. However I can let you know that I really feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I used to be truly so enthusiastic about this that I had a tough time sleeping final night time. I feel I lastly drifted off round 2:00am, after which I awakened at 5:30 desirous about it once more, excited in regards to the prospects. I wasn’t simply desirous about the probabilities for these areas, however I used to be additionally desirous about what this could free us as much as do. It will free us as much as have our driveway poured instantly! It will free us as much as construct my workshop within the very close to future. It will free us as much as go forward and construct the deck or patio or no matter we’re going to placed on the again of the home in order that we are able to truly begin having fun with our yard. And we might do all of that with out going into debt. No debt. I like the concept of that. There’s a lot freedom in that. Sufficient freedom, in truth, to make the concept of residing in a one-bedroom home sound very nice.
So I’m nonetheless desirous about it. I’m going to be doing an entire lot of praying about it. And I’m not going to strain myself to hurry to any selections. I need to do what feels peaceable, and I’m not 100% of the best way there with any of the choices I’ve thought of but. However I’ll undoubtedly let y’all know once I get there.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
