Today’s a big day! The roof comes off of our house. While I wasn’t super thrilled about taking on a remodel project – essentially a house re-build really – now I’m getting excited about it.
There is something awesomely creative about designing a house and making it something you love, and a place of joy for your family.
I’m not tackling it alone, of course. We have a great architect. A great contractor. Both of them re-built our last house 12 years ago. So there is a sense of familiarity, trust and almost family with both of them. I’m talking to a lighting designer, cabinet maker, and interior designer. Ultimately there will be a large cast that will make this dream home a reality.
This remodel is so different than my prior remodel projects. To start, the online world is SO different. Back then, there wasn’t a Pinterest. Or Houzz. Or Instagram. Or a million websites and social networks to pull ideas from. So much awesomeness you can almost become paralyzed with great ideas. How to narrow down? What if I miss the PERFECT light fixture, cabinet design, architectural detail?
Luckily, 12 years also brings a greater knowledge of self. I know what I like. I have a vision in my head of what I want this house to be. I’m trying to embrace the creative options available, while staying true to my vision.
And this time, I have fun helpers! Last night my oldest daughter and I spent two hours making Pinterest boards of kitchens, powder bathrooms, and den ideas. So much fun. She loves decorating and I love that we’ll have this project to tackle together for the next – 10 months – gulp.
Right now our house has been stripped to the rafters. It’s kind of creepy to walk through it. Not a wall or ceiling left standing.
We are adding a floor on top, raising the ceiling height, and reconfiguring the floor plan. Why didn’t we just bulldoze and start over you ask? It’s a good question. Like many remodels, we hadn’t planned on this one being so extensive. But by the time you build in structural earthquake-proofing to support the new floor, discover old electrical that should be ripped out, and a few other oddities….it quickly became clear we should just gut and largely start over.
Stripping a house to the rafters is an opportunity to start with a blank slate. What can this space be? What would my dream house look like? How do I make each room special? How much can I love this home? How do I make it a home that our kids will love?
In some ways, it’s an interesting question to apply to life too. What would I build if I were re-building a dream life? What would each day look like? How would I spend my precious minutes and hours? If I stripped myself down to the rafters, where would I invest time and energy?
Similar to a remodel, in life, we all have unlimited options in front of us to answer these questions. I am fortunate in so many ways to have ultimate flexibility to consider my answers. I’m going to use this remodel as a symbolic reminder that we can all create our dream life – it’s just up to us to know what we’re looking for – and then proactively create it.
The Redefining 
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