Home Improvement Information

Top Ten Remodeling Tips


My husband and I just completed our first remodel. It was a period renovation of a Victorian Gingerbread Craftsman. (I'm so thrilled I can talk about it in the past tense). We haunted architectural salvage houses for just the right windows, bid on eBay for period-correct light fixtures, spent an entire afternoon driving all over L.A. for a screw that they stopped making in the thirties and generally worked to the point of insanity. Tiptoed up to the line but never crossed it.

So here, ripped from the headlines so to speak, are my Top Ten Tips for Remodeling. Read 'em and weep.

1. There is a solution to every situation. But it's not necessarily yours. You go where the solution is - it doesn't come to you.

2. There is no medicine for whatever ails you quite like hard, exhausting, purposeful work.

3. Chew your own food. Don't make your problems other peoples. They've got their own.

4. I'm not psychic. Maybe you are. Guesstimates of time and money are just that. Reality has a way of intruding. When in doubt - go with Reality. (I don't know when I'm going to die either).

5. Pain fades with time. Remodeling is like giving birth. When you're in the middle of delivery you swear you'll never do it again. But then the kid turns out to be a looker, a few years go by.....Yadda yadda yadda - you're in escrow.

6. There are no problems - only opportunities for creativity, action and collaboration.

7. You're born alone, you die alone - you don't have to win alone. Everyone can win. Some win more than others but there's enough in the pot to spread around. If you squeeze a vendor to bid a job so low that they can't make money, harbor resentment and cut corners - you both lose.

8. Nobody owes you anything. If they help you it's because they're generous people. Acknowledge them.

9. Everything comes to an end. And then it starts up again.

10. Remodeling really is like Improv. You show up without a script. You have no idea what's going to happen next ( except you can be sure that whatever you think it'll be - you're wrong). You're dependent on others for their performances. So help them shine. You make it work by paying attention to everything and dealing with whatever Reality presents to you. Do the best you can with the resources you have and don't forget to enjoy the ride.

11. Okay, I lied. There are more than Ten Tips to Remodeling. There are actually thousands. This last one, though, is the most important. Don't forget to put yourself on your own Punch List. No pressure of work or money is reason enough not to eat right,sleep enough, monitor your health and appreciate your family.

Mary Rosendale is a Certified Life Coach, Author, Speaker and serial remodeler. Visit her on the web at http://www.TheConstructedLife.com and sign up for her one-of-a-kind newsletter.


MORE RESOURCES:

THE GOODS ON HOME IMPROVEMENT: Beat the heat - and those energy bills
Lancaster Newspapers, PA - Jul 3, 2008
By ALAN J. HEAVENS / McClatchy Tribune WITH SUMMER JUST OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY, it's already been broiling hot. If this keeps up, there's little doubt that ...


Clayton News Star

Board backs shopping center with home-improvement store
TheHerald, NC - Jul 2, 2008
Their plans call for retail and office space, a bank, national chain restaurants and a home-improvement store. “Instead of traveling and sending business ...
West Main may be extended through new commercial areas Clayton News Star
all 2 news articles


411mania.com

The Hall of Shame 07.02.08: Home Improvement
411mania.com, TX - Jul 1, 2008
And what better way to make money then to cash in one of the most popular sitcoms of the 90's, Home Improvement? Well, actually, there are a lot of better ...


Home Improvement Costs Soaring
WLWT, OH - Jul 1, 2008
Lowes executives said that the home improvement store has also taken a hit due to material costs. For the time being, the store said it would not pass the ...


Best Syndication

Bad Credit Home Improvement Loans: Increase Equity And Resolve ...
Best Syndication, CA - Jul 1, 2008
So in order to assist you, lenders have devised Bad Credit Home Improvement Loans. The loans are designed especially for those with blemished credit history ...
Ultimate Respite From Troubles: Low Rate Unsecured Loans Best Syndication
Loans For Bad Credit: Financial Remedy Without Any Credit Hassles Best Syndication
No Credit Check Unsecured Loans: Adverse Credit, Not A Burden Anymore Best Syndication
Best Syndication
all 14 news articles


IFA slams home improvement tactics
FT Adviser, UK - Jul 1, 2008
The results of a survey showing estate agents' views on ways to raise property values through home improvements are "wrong", according to one IFA. ...


Westchester to require tests for home-improvement contractors
Lower Hudson Journal news, NY - Jun 30, 2008
By Allan Drury Starting today, anyone who wants to get a license to work as a home-improvement contractor in Westchester County will have to pass a test. ...
Westchester County to require test for home building license Lower Hudson Journal news
all 3 news articles


Old home appraisal was for a much bigger lot
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 17 hours ago
That is a simple contract prepared by most home improvement contractors that merely spells out in general terms what work will be done and how much the job ...


A Gust of New Home Improvement Resources From Fix The Home
Market Wire (press release) - Jun 30, 2008
This means residents of this Illinois (IL) city have a one-stop-shop for anything home improvement related. Local Chicagoland contractors will see the plus ...


German home-improvement stores may see sales stagnate this year ...
Forbes, NY - Jun 23, 2008
Germany's 2500 home improvement stores, run by companies including Praktiker AG. and Hornbach Holding AG., posted a 6.9 percent decline in revenue in the ...
Praktiker has no plans to cut FY guidance after industry ... Forbes
all 5 news articles

Home-Improvement - Google News

home | site map
© 2006