The Accidental Remodeler: It’s a New Year. Here We Go. Again.

I am sure this comes as no surprise to those who know me. As the calendar turns to a new year, my thoughts turn to a new project for the house. In fact, my mind turns to the next project before the last project is even complete.

So here I sit, in my home office, on a beautiful spring day in March, only days before we spring forward. A paint crew, a construction crew, and a granite fabrication crew are all in the house. In other words, the factory also known as our home is a-twitter.

This year’s project is the story of how a germ of an idea, launched by my beloved daughter-in-law, turns into a project that affects the entire upstairs, including the attic. That idea? Take the second closet, a storage closet or “Christmas closet” in Dallas-speak, in the largest upstairs bedroom and convert it to a bathroom, creating an en-suite bedroom upstairs. A brilliant idea, if I must say.

Truth be told, this house needed another bath upstairs. The second story has three large bedrooms that share a jack-and-jill bath. That means we can have as many as six adults sharing one toilet, three sinks, and one tub/shower.

Rather inadequate, I think, for a large family house. My dear husband Allan is quick to note that families lived for generations with a single bathroom. I am even quicker to remind him that we no longer live in the 1950s and our children really don’t want that when they come to visit. They wholeheartedly agree!

In order to compensate for the loss of the storage closet, I floored and insulated the walk-in attic. Hung a ceiling fan. Put in an area rug. Raya has a perfect little stage to put on shows for us when she is ready. In short, our renovated attic is one cool attic now.

At the same time, I pulled the floor throughout the jack-and-jill because I disliked the choice of flooring I made when I bought the house in 2015 and raised the cabinetry 3 inches. That means I also replaced the poured clamshell countertops with natural stone, which is being installed at this moment. (To save money, ha ha, I am using the same faucets I installed when I bought the house.)

All of these shenanigans also involved closing two walls and cutting a new door to the new bathroom. And let’s not forget the small bathroom in the FROG (finished room over the garage). I am also raising that vanity and putting in the same natural stone countertop as well.

Did I mention that we are replacing a wall of windows in the kitchen — truly needed replacing — and installing a tile backsplash?

So the germ of a good idea just multiplies and leads to a series of good ideas that runs throughout the entire upstairs. And perhaps down the stairs to the kitchen. And perhaps up the back stairs to the FROG.

But my home is my castle. And there is no place else I’d rather be.

Truth be told, I’d probably never do any of this remodeling stuff if I didn’t exercise and watch so much HGTV. But that’s the subject of another post. So stick with me, please. Here’s to a healthy, happy spring….

P.S. I already have next year’s project in mind.