Monday, August 31, 2015

Rehab Addict


When I first bought my house, I was planning on doing something every year to update and upgrade it.  That way, I wouldn't have to do a lot of updating when it was time to sell the house and I would get to enjoy the upgrades instead of doing it just for the new buyer.  I started out really well.  In the first few years, the house got some new windows, a new furnace and air conditioner, a new roof, and a new dishwasher.

Eventually though, I got complacent, or was it contented, and stopped doing any more.  This year, though, I am no longer content.  As you know, my keyword for this year is clarity, and I have been doing things to this house to make it a little bit more maintenance-free.  I have been going through my possessions inside my house, shelf by shelf, and getting rid of as much as possible. I give away as much as I can and recycle the rest.  This is a difficult process for me, since I feel like I find a use for pretty much everything I love, but I am trying to clear up more space.

Outside the house, I have also been doing the same.  I have many flower beds in my yard - 10 of them!  The person who owned the house before me was a gardener.  I like gardening so I like the idea of having that many flower beds, and I didn't want to undo her hard work.  I also thought that having that many flower beds made it easier for regular maintenance, since there was less lawn that needed to be cut. 

Over time, many of the flowers and herbs died, and I replaced them with shrubs to make them more maintenance-free.  But the shrubs became over-grown too, and weeds still took over the yard.  Even though I enjoy yard work, I really cannot do much because of my allergies. This year, I have decided to significantly reduce the number of beds, by half.  That way, I can enjoy the process, but it is more manageable.  I am happy to say that many weeds have died in this process.

Most of the beds will be replaced with grass, but I am hoping to upgrade the front of the house with a new porch and a retaining wall.


I've also been watching a lot of remodeling shows. Most of them would say my house is terribly outdated and needs to be completely gutted and remodeled.  I have no plans to gut my house - I actually like walls that I can put my quilts on, instead of the open floor concept.  But the shows have gotten me quite excited about looking at the space differently and making more changes around the house.  I have many more ideas than my budget can handle. 

2 comments:

Allie-oops Designs said...

That is a gorgeous flower! Yay for you on making your home more maintenance-free....I don't like gardening, and at this point in my life I think I'd rather have a condo or even an apartment. No maintenance at all, lol. I'm going through the same thing with giving stuff away and recycling...

Tanya said...

I wish I enjoyed gardening more. I like the flowers but not the working in dirt and definitely not the bugs. I have enough trouble keeping the house in shape! As for getting rid of things... That's something that I ought to start doing too. There is just too much STUFF around here!!!