You see, my husband and I decided it would be fun to destroy our house. Not a single year goes by without some kind of project being put on THE LIST, and this year, it was a whopper.
After a mild winter that still had us feeling the drafts, seeing the frost on the windows, and noticing the peeling away of the exterior, we knew we could no longer ignore the outside of the house. So, windows, doors, and an entire new facelift of new siding got put on the honey-do list.
We are avid DIY-ers, and this little chore is no different. I've made some foolish decisions, like keeping both my 110 year old cottage windows that are irreplaceable, and though I may occasionally shake my head at their draftiness, I will be glad I kept one small piece of original construction. I also HAD to have the antique door with the leaded glass that looks like a cobweb, which isn't really a security minded door, but I will smile every time I look at it.
I am a detail oriented brain, and a project this large makes me an indecisive twit. I can quickly decide that white siding is what I want, but ask me if I'd like shutters and I still, two months later, can't decide if I want to refinish the old shutters or go with all new. I know I want a front porch built, but the size of said porch has changed four times. Point out our front door is not quite centered on the house, and I'm now the proud owner of an unfinished sidelight. A sidelight I can not decide on a framing style for. A sidelight that will be installed with the door in the next couple of weeks, that I am still clueless on. I am reusing our house numbers, but can't decide how to refinish them, or if I want them framed in some way. I still have not decided on a new exterior light.
I keep telling myself I have time to make these decisions, because there's still SO much work to do. This weekend, we tear apart the bottom two feet of the siding to determine what kind of damage or repair work needs to be done to the foundation. I'm convincing myself that with penny pinching previous owners, there will be plenty for us to work on before these decisions have to be made. But as the sides of the house progress, and I leave for work each morning seeing the front, I am reminded that all these decisions relating to the front of the house will need to be made before we can even begin to prepare it for the new siding.
Is it terrible to consider that extensive foundation work could mean the budget runs tight, and then perhaps I can avoid making a decision on a front porch until next year?
And is it awful to avoid thinking about our DIY weekend warrior title also means we are only working on Saturdays? And refuse to look at a calendar to see how many Saturdays are left before weather prohibits us from doing any more work?
At what point is all this avoidance going to bite a big chunk out of my ass?
Amazingly enough, I am not drinking heavily through all of this. Probably because I've been working too hard to think about pouring a frosty cold one.
All I know, is I've got a great tan from constantly working outside. And I love my new windows that I can open and close with one hand. And I have calluses on my hands that I've never had before.
And in two days, another Saturday will have come and gone.
Nope. Not going to think about it.
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