What was I thinking when I promised myself—and more importantly my husband, Phil—that we would be ready to move into our new “old” house by mid-February? Well, Phil did get to move in—to the tiny garden apartment where I’d been camping out during renovations. Now with two adults and a dog, the quarters are crowded and the work seems to be progressing even more slowly for me (and far too slowly for Phil).
My husband’s office is almost finished, but the rest of the house is in various stages of completion. For instance, the closets have no door hardware, so I have been using a nail file. Usually I like things tidy, but I seem to be strangely content these days to have my clothes piled on chairs and benches just for the sheer convenience. The contractor has begun making nasty sounds, because some of the components for the kitchen cabinets are still missing. I lie awake at night, praying for parts and worrying about what I can do to keep the work on schedule.
Here are the best tips for coping with remodeling work that I’ve been able to assemble from this experience and previous projects:
