I adore the DIY channel. I've heard all these lovely renovation shows described as "women's porn." So true! Demolition, tiling, floors, roofing, drywall, design, paint, color -- I love all of it! Bring it on!
Now, instead of just providing inspiration and education, it's taking on a new role. Reassurance.
It's five months into the remodel. I'm tired, and the weather is getting cold and wet. Work is still being done on the house, but in slow motion -- a day here and a day there. Inside, it's completely torn apart, and about to get a little worse as I tear off the drywall on the outside walls to replace the insulation. Pretty much, the house is gutted. My builder is showing up less and less frequently. He voices his commitment to the project, but this may be the point I step fully into making sure things get done. Where I step in and try out my new skills. For real. Whether he eventually returns, or I have to sue him, or I hire someone else is secondary to the fact I have a 10 sq ft hole in my bathroom floor, and it's the middle of November. Everyone in the Northwest knows what that means: put it away, drain it, tarp it, wrap it, because it's about to get COLD.
I digress -- y'all are due for an update where this project stands at the moment, but that's for another post. My point -- these DIY shows are reassuring. On the show, I'm seeing pipes and drywall and sawalls, and dryrot and repair ---AND the final project, dressed in its finery, looking beautiful and whole and functional and complete. Gives me faith. I can see where it's headed, some areas more detailed than others yet, but I know where this house is heading. When I see pipes, studs, insulation, and wire, I love being able to see the connection from where I am now, to where the house will bloom in the spring.
