Flickr Widget

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Construction saga: The way we live

If you're old enough, think back to Barbra Streisand singing "The Way We Were," the 1975 theme song to film of the same name. Then change the words to "The Way We Live." If we had the chance to do it all again, tell me...would we? Could we? I think the way we're living right now is one of the things about our construction saga that we'll choose to forget. Thank goodness there's never a shortage of laughter around this place, so we'll choose to remember that instead.


This was the living room a few weeks ago.

This is the living room now...since the dishwasher, refrigerator, stove and microwave for the new apartment have taken up residence in the alcove. All the dining room furniture has been moved against the wall to make room for toys, which constantly spill out into the living room anyway. We can't even take down all our Christmas decorations, because what will soon be my apartment used to be where I stored Christmas decorations, and the new storage building isn't built yet. There's no place for the step ladder, because the closet it was once stored in is being used for something else.




The outside of the house isn't much better. Carpenters had started to demo the workshop, concrete guys had been jackhammering and plumbers had been laying PVC...but they were stopped by several days of rain, so we had wet piles of construction material to look at for a while.







The rain finally stopped, and the plumbers finished yesterday. Forms have been built and concrete is scheduled to be poured Tuesday, and after a three-day wait for it to cure, we'll really get into high gear...or so I'm told.




I keep repeating again and again, "This will be over soon...This will be over soon." And it will be. And I'll love my new little modernist nest.

27 comments:

  1. Keep thinking about the endless pleasure the styling of the new pad will give! ....and have a glass of wine or two :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Way We Were - one of my favourite flicks Dana, I reckon Barbra looked so gorgeous and interesting in it, loved the clothes she wore...I digress, you should see our house at the moment (well right now it's not so bad, but a week ago, horrible!) rubble, dust, and mess everywhere!
    Hang-in-there Dana, all the mess and inconvenience will only be "Memories" for you soon, when you're comfy and snug in your little Modernist home.

    p.s. has that t.towel arrived yet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wasn't she beautiful in that film? And Robert Redford...so handsome.

      I haven't received the ttowel yet...still watching the mail. There's still a Christmas present for my SIL that hasn't come yet either, so I'm really watching the front porch closely. I'll let you know when it arrives!

      Delete
  3. This is my problem with not having time to read blogs any more ... I miss all the action. This will all be over soon, and you will look back and laugh when you're decorating up a storm. I know you'll laugh. BTW my house looks like the second photo, and we're not even renovating!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the idea of all the decorating I get to do is the light at the end of the tunnel. I know it will be over soon, and we'll be laughing at these photos.

      Delete
  4. lol...keep reminding yourself of the bigger picture!!...watch a few episodes of "hoarders"...will make you feel better!!
    Allison x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha I really should take a photo of the dining room/playroom. It's such a disaster area that I think some hoarders would feel good about their homes after seeing it!

      Delete
  5. Any kind of move is a pain, let alone moving out of a space that you had just beautifully re-designed. But it will be all worth it, I'm sure. Cheers, Dana.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right that moving is always a pain. When I redecorated my house, this construction was already in the planning stages, so I purchased things I knew I'd want in the new apartment. I think the thing that makes this so crazy is that we have their things and my things...and then all the new things I'm buying...all crammed into a small space, along with 3 adults, two kids and a cat...and it isn't moving at all. :)

      Delete
  6. Your living room was fabulous before and it will be again! Chaos drives me crazy too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I have great plans for my new living room, and I really do know this chaos won't last much longer.

      Delete
  7. It's a lot to wade through and things always look so chaotic but it will be so worth it in the end, and you're right -- once it's all over and done and some time has passed, you will probably just remember the funny things a lot more than all the annoyances. Enjoy! Cheers - CT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The annoyances truly are minor compared with the enjoyment I'm getting from being with my grandsons so much more. My daughter and SIL and I get along really well, and we're always joking around with each other, so we really will have some good memories, even though living in such close quarters is a little inconvenient sometimes.

      Delete
  8. Eyes on the prize, Dana!! That's what I keep telling myself now that all my kitchen stuff is in boxes.... It's not a lot of fun but the finished product will be such a thrill, can't wait to see your new nest:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so right...The way to get through things like this is to keep thinking about how great it will be when completed...and to enjoy the relaxed housekeeping standards. After all, there's nothing we can do to make it look good in here, so we might as well do a little cursory vacuuming and dusting and then put our feet up and relax. :)

      Delete
  9. Good luck Dana. I know it'll look amazing when finished!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know I'll really be happy with it when it's done. I just have to practice a little patience for a few more weeks. Of course, patience has never been one of my virtues. :)

      Delete
  10. Makes me shudder. I'm glad it's just a short-term thing though. Here's hoping it wraps up SOON!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I keep thinking of your kitchen saga. At least I'm not washing dishes in the bathtub, so I shouldn't complain!

      Delete
  11. Yeah. Renovating/building sucks!! Messy, dusty and disorder. I hope it goes smoothly for you but you sound like you're a realist with a sense of humour. Invaluable traits when things don't go quite to plan. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I took it with at least one grain of salt when the contractor said the project would take a month or less. That sounded really optimistic, especially when you have to schedule sub-contractors. The plumbing was finished Friday, but the concrete guys can't get here till Tuesday, which means the framing can't start till Saturday...and so on and so on. I'm not going to let it get me crazy. In the overall scheme of things, it doesn't matter if it takes 4 weeks or 9 weeks. I'll be in when I'm in, and then I won't remember how long it took. :)

      Delete
  12. *heheh* YES It will be over soon. Thank Goodness cause I can't see your black bird anymore. ;) Looks like things are coming along nicely though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I promise that my bird (and a new one my SIL gave me for Christmas) will be prominently displayed in the new apartment! :)

      Delete
  13. This is so exciting, Dana! I can totally relate to the chaos and mess doing something like this causes. It can drive you crazy... then it becomes sort of "normal", and then it drives you crazy again... and then it's done and you can't remember it ever being a big deal. HA HA HA! At least I hope that's how you remember it. "Oh, it was no problem at all". :-)
    It will be fabulous and you'll have so much fun decorating and putting it all together. I love watching the progress. It's awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I find that's true of just about everything in life. That's why I don't ever get too ruffled, because I know that eventually you make it to the other side of whatever chaos you're in, and things get back to normal again. My dad always said to me (and now I say to my kids), "Twenty years from now, who will even remember?" The truth of the matter is that we hardly remember in two years...and sometimes in two months.

      Delete
  14. MEMORIES, light the corners of my mind. Yes, Dana. It was January last year that we pulled the side off our house to remodel two bathrooms and add one. Would we do it all over again, yes we would! But when I was putting makeup on at the kitchen counter, and washing my face in the laundry room sink, I had second thoughts. And yes, curing concrete when it is raining --- not so easy. My thoughts are with you.

    ReplyDelete