Being a home owner is not all it’s cracked up to be. Oh sure, you get the tax credits and you actually have something to show for your payments, unlike rent or lease payments, but, you also get the headaches that come along with home ownership.
My husband and I have been putting some money into our home lately, getting it all dolled up and fixing some little things that have been bugging us since we moved in. We bought our house about 2 years ago and it was sort of a fixer-upper, although it was certainly cozy enough to live comfortably in. And please don’t get me wrong, I am ever so grateful that I have a warm safe place to lay my head each night. And I have a Deed with my name on it. That’s worth something.
But, owning a home is a little like owning a boat; if you have a boat, you’re fixing a boat. I’m a former boat owner, so I know. Anyone who’s ever owned a boat can attest to that statement.
So, we started doing some improvements to our house and each and every time we finished a project, we became painfully aware of something else that needs improving upon.
It goes sort of like this: When we purchased the house it had REALLY dated and ugly pink “fixtures” in the bathroom. That’s right, we had a pink jetted tub (how awesome is that?) and a pink commode with — a white seat and lid. I didn’t even know anyone on this planet manufactured pink toilets, but there it was in the bathroom of our new home. For 2 years we’ve lived with this horrendous monstrosity of a bathroom.
Well folks, no more. That’s right, we invested in a shiny new toilet — almond colored — and had the bathtub and previously white sink painted to match. Holy smokes, what an improvement! No more pink bathroom. How we marveled at the difference. For exactly fifteen minutes. That’s how long it took us to notice how stained and ugly the faucets were. We’d never paid much attention to the faucets before because we were too distracted by the pinkness of the “fixtures” surrounding the faucets. Now we need new faucets.
Then, we wanted to patch a small spot on the bathroom ceiling that hadn’t been properly fixed at some point in the past. It’s always sort of bugged us and we’ve always talked about getting that eye sore fixed. We had after all just improved the bathroom tremendously, might as well do it all the way. And so the time had finally come, we’d had enough of looking at that ugly spot and decided to fix it.
We plastered and taped and mudded it all up, waited for it to dry, then slathered a thick coat of paint on it. Awesome! It looks fabulous!
We enjoyed the amazing ceiling for exactly two days. That’s when we noticed how ugly and mucked up the light fixture is. Now, whenever we’re in the bathroom, all we see is the ugly and dirty light fixture. How could we not have noticed that before?
We should probably replace the light fixture now that the ceiling is so awesome, but I’m afraid that once we replace the light fixture, we’ll discover how grossly horrible the floor is. Or the cabinets. Or the countertop. So my friends, the light stays. Enough is enough.
I wish I could say the final product looks like this now:
but alas, it does not. Let’s just say, it’s a hundred times better than it was, ugly light and all.
And on and on it goes. The perpetual wheel of improving then noticing something else that needs improving. It’s a vicious and never-ending cycle. I suggest you never start in the first place. Save yourself the headache.
What’s your perpetual wheel of home improvement projects? Please share. I’d love to commiserate. Have you ever seen a pink toilet or bathed in a pink jetted tub?
Word of the Day: Cathexis
Fun fact about me: I’m much better at paining walls than I am at painting pictures.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, March 2015. Photos courtesy Google Images.
It’s a never-ending merry-go-round! If you live in the house long enough, the repairs you made and painting you did will start to age and need to be done AGAIN. That’s where we are. Gee, the kitchen walls look so dingy…when did we paint the kitchen last? When we moved in, 23 years ago? Ah,crap…
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23 years? Yes, it’s time to re-do that kitchen. Budget large and be prepared for surprises along the way. You can’t just paint the walls. No sirree, you’ll have to do a lot more than that.
But, it can be fun, too. Enjoy the new kitchen (if and when it happens).
Thanks for stopping by today. Happy Monday!
Patricia
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I can relate to your story today, Patricia. I lived with an unfinished bathroom for twelve years, but ours was an emotional situation. Now no room is undone in our new house – well, new to us. I promise if I see Ken coming into the house with a chain saw or chop saw, I will tackle him before he steps three feet.
Your new toilet does look a lot nicer. And, yes, it does never end. Hugs!
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I remember you telling me the story of the bathroom, Paisley. So glad your new-to-you home is finished. I hope things are going well for you up there in the frozen north.
Take care and have a great week.
Patricia
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I can’t believe you gave up that pink toilet. I let my husband do all the fixing in the house, but the yard is my domain…and it’s a never-ending cycle of weeding and clipping and planting. The results are worth it though – kind of like the bright and shiny white butt cheek bowl. Have a great week!
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CJ – if you want that pink toilet I can have it shipped up to you. It’s really quite a sight, especially with its white seat and lid.
I’m glad you find enjoyment in the yard. Gardening is not something I ever acquired a hankering for. I usually let my hubby handle the yard work. I’m much better at fixing the in-house stuff.
Have a great week!
Patricia
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Oh dear, we’re just getting started. First up is refinishing the kitchen cabinets and doing a little painting (I got a little carried away with adding “accent walls” a few years ago). Then comes counter tops and flooring. I blame it all on Fixer Upper (HGTV). Do yourself a favor and NEVER start watching it.
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Oh Suzanne, don’t ever watch those shows on t.v. Not only do they give you ideas, but the producers have a huge budget and worker bees to carry out the renovations. Normal homeowners do not have those things. Doing it yourself is the sucky part. And doing it on a limited budget is never going to reap the same results as those television shows.
Good luck with the renovations. I’m sure it will be lovely when you finish.
And thanks for stopping by this morning.
Patricia
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Yes I have seen a pink toilet and sink and bathtub. My 91 year old Aunt has them in her house. My cousin is in the process of replacing them so the house will look more updated since they are going to sell it. Fixing up your bathroom almost sounds like what I’ve been doing with my current work in progress. I edit/revise one part and then another part of the story doesn’t shine as well.
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You know, Diana, I was thinking the exact same thing when I was writing this post. Remodeling and updating is very much like writing and re-writing (and re-writing) a book. It’s got to stop somewhere.
Thanks for visiting.
Patricia
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LOL @ that light fixture… because we just went through that kind of fix-it-up with the hallways of one of our rental properties, and after painting, my DH realized that the light fixtures looked kind of drab and ugly. The funny part? The NEW light fixtures are what look like the one in your photo! But they are not ugly, dirty, and mucked-up. Yet. So yeah… if you buy rental property, and actually care about how it looks (we are not slum-lords), this endless cycle happens there, too. But at least you can go home and not have to look at the stuff you decided to leave alone LOL. Enjoy your new, non-pink bathroom!
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So you can relate then. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the light fixture, it’s just not sparkly new like other things in the bathroom.
And yes, rental houses can be challenging. No matter how meticulous you are with care, renters will find some way to muck stuff up. It’s a constant and uphill battle.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing. I knew my dear readers would have similar experiences to share.
Have a great week!
Patricia
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Our house had a pink tiled bathroom when we moved in! LOL. Guess it was a trend at some point! I like looking at home improvement magazines and watching shows on HGTV every now and then (I don’t have a cathexis for home improvement though). I’m not so great at doing repairs or painting, I’m better at painting pics than walls. 🙂
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Coleen, I thought of you when I posted that fun fact about me. I wish I had your talent to doodle and to draw.
I think pink bathrooms were a thing of the late 50’s early 60’s. There sure seemed to be a lot of them.
Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia
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