We are now in the dreaded dog days of winter. Christmas and New Year’s have passed and we have nearly 60 days until Daylight Savings Time (okay, 58 days… but who’s counting). This year, we also unfortunately have no plans for a February or March escape to warmer climes. Candidly, that’s how I deal with winter and its snow, dark days and cold temperatures. Give me one week in the sunshine and I seem to manage just fine. No winter break? I get a little… testy. So, while I busily research a short vacation for us next winter – this year is out of the question – I am also reflecting on what winter life is like here in the frozen north.
First, there are pleasant parts that should be acknowledged. There’s no grass to mow and the soft glow of the fireplace is cozy on a winter night. Plus, I like red wine but it’s too warm of a drink for summer. In winter, it’s just perfect. (Okay, that was just a little bit facetious.) Truly, there are some real things that are also good about winter. My grandfather used to call snow “God’s fertilizer” and he was right: snow does something amazing to the soil. It makes it just perfect for our growing season. I also love to cross country ski with my sisters, which we can only do in winter. With solar and geothermal, it also costs us only $40 a month to heat, power and cool our rather large home. Not too shabby considering we have no other utility bill – just electric. So, the house is always warm and cozy all winter long. But mostly? Winter is when we finish interior renovations. In summer, spring and fall, we are just too busy outside to work on the inside. But during the long, dark winter months? Well, we break out the power tools.
Except… .
Well, this weekend is likely one of the last few weekends when we will need power tools. Amazingly, renovations are coming to an end. After years of renovating, we have completely gut-job remodeled this house all the way from a new roof and siding to the aforementioned solar and geothermal to new insulation and drywall and finally to a new kitchen, bathroom, floors, walls and trim. Once we install the final baseboards over the weekend, we will have 10 doorways which need crown moldings. At that point? The upstairs is done. Or “D-U-L-N, DONE!” as my dad would have said.
Now, that’s now to say anyone is every REALLY done, because we’re not. We have trim to put around the post-and-beams downstairs and some drywall to fix in our half-bath. We also have a countertop to install in our laundry room and finally, we need to switch out the pocket door in the half-bath (which is the reason the drywall got messed up). And there will always be projects and repairs. But… for years we have lived with power tools, ladders, extension cords and other renovation accoutrement tucked into closets. There has been blue tape on just about every surface of this house. And honestly? I have a paint supply closet that any general contractor would envy. For the first time in what feels like forever, the tools can go away and weekends can become largely unplanned. Who would have thought we could ever live this way?
Let’s be clear here: I don’t think the end of renovations is coming too soon for either of us. Unfinished projects in this house have been like a weight on our backs for a long time. Particularly the hardwood floors upstairs have felt like a burden. It was a huge undertaking. Now that they’re done, the sense of relief has been mixed with an urgency to get the rest done so we can truly just relax. Even finishing the baseboards this weekend won’t bring huge relief. Nope. Not until those crown moldings are installed will we finally do a little celebration dance.
And then? Well, it won’t be spring yet. We may get started on some of the smaller, unfinished projects downstairs. We may plan just a few hours of work on the weekends vs. the whole weekend and make slower, but still steady, progress. We may also take a break for awhile. Believe me, we have earned down time. Whatever we choose, I hope that the house will begin to feel less like a burden and more like a finished project. At some point, I hope we can both just pause and take it all in. The work has been truly transformational. I would never, ever even remotely consider another whole-house renovation – I can’t even watch HGTV anymore as I find it too stressful. But I do want us to be truly proud of what we’ve created. It’s warm. It’s welcoming. It’s got that sturdy cabin-meets-modern design that I love. And it’s home.
We have exactly 69 days until spring. When it finally rolls around this year, my greatest wish for this house is that we can put the tools away and not bring them out again next winter. My second wish? That the stress, frustration and feeling of being overwhelmed by this house subsides and we can truly appreciate what we’ve built.
The Yuppie Homesteader 