How to Blend Modern Upgrades with Historic TouchesThe Surprising Price Tag of Renovating Your Full House 75
It started with a shelf. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the impulse of one. My girlfriend said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of buying a bowl, I decided I'd go big. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Stylish. Or whatever people call it when they're about to poke holes into a wall.
I marked the spot next to the entry light, took one step back and thought, “Simple enough” Ten minutes later I was staring into the suspicious darkness of the wall, wondering it looked like someone had stuffed an old sock next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the situation escalated.
That's the thing about projects like this — it doesn't stick to the script. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, your hallway looks like a crime scene. I just wanted a shelf. By the end of the week, I had paint samples taped to the wall.
There's no clear moment when it all flips. It just happens. You go to the store for one nail and come back with a basket of grout samples. That's how I ended up repainting a not even that bad wall because the guy at the store said, “People are doing sage now.”
Receipts get longer. You buy that same trowel because you can't remember where the other ones went. Spoiler: they're all in the laundry, behind the box labeled “misc”.
It's messy. Not just physically. One night I stayed at a friend's place because the dust was everywhere. I also cried over a nail that wouldn't stay in. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.
But you get through it. With check here sheer willpower. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the bathroom window frame isn't attached to anything.
Eventually, though, things start to look better. Not perfect — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still tilt. But now, I look around and don't trip. That's progress.
The shelf? Never built it. We use a bowl now. Same one we always had, sitting on a slightly sticky sideboard. But the wall's patched. Mostly.
And that's renovation, isn't it? Not Pinterest-perfect. But it's lived-in. With all its weird corners and odd colors.