Living March 24, 2016

Keeping Up with the Joneses: Seven Phases of Home Renovation

We haven’t blogged in a while . . . and that’s because we’ve put a slightly unintentional pause on our renovation projects. If you’ve ever done a project around the house, you may have found yourselves in one of these seven stages.

The 7 Phases of Home Renovations:

Phase 1: Get super pumped about an idea. Pin, pin, pin on Pinterest until you’re bursting with excitement. Tell everyone about your amazing project.

Phase 2: Collect materials. Realize things cost a lot. Begin project fueled by coffee, nervous anticipation and adrenaline.

Phase 3: Get halfway through the project. It doesn’t look exactly like your Pinterest board but it’s still cool. Realize you haven’t showered or shaved in +/- 3 days. But it’s all good because you’re 50% there!

Phase 4: There’s visible progress but it’s not totally done. It looks done on the Instagram photo though! But in reality, the project is about 85% complete and it bugs you every time you see that one grout line that needs a little attention or that one corner that needs a little touch up paint. It’s okay though, you’ll get to it this weekend.

Phase 5: Weeks have gone by. The blisters on your hands have healed. You stop noticing the grout line that needs filling or the wall that needs paint. You’re busy enjoying the house and admiring your clean fingernails.   

Phase 6: Write a blog about how you’re still not done with that one bathroom you started two months ago.

Phase 7: Complete project, details included. Toast to celebrate. Post more photos to Instagram. Start dreaming of a new project. Pin, pin, pin… 

Some people may say the hardest part of a renovation is starting the project. We say it’s that last pesky 5%. We’ll get it done . . . eventually.

Stay tuned for our kitchen remodel in late 2016! Until then, Happy Renovations, everyone.

Tyler Davis Jones is a Windermere Real Estate agent in Seattle who, with his wife Jenn, recently traded in their in-city condo for a 1940s fixer-upper. Tyler and Jenn, along with the help of some very generous friends and family members, are taking on all the renovations themselves. You can follow the transformation process on the Windermere Blog or on Tyler’s website and Instagram