Where to Renovate First When Updating an Older HomeWhere to Renovate Initially When Improving an Older Home 28
It began with a shelf idea. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the offhand comment of one. My husband said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of doing the obvious, I decided I'd go big. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Functional. Or whatever people call it when they're about to drill blindly.
I marked the spot beside the door, took one step back and thought, “Easy” Ten minutes later I was eyeballing the guts of the wall, wondering it looked like someone had shoved insulation next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the hole got bigger.
That's the thing about home improvement — it doesn't follow a plan. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, you're repainting. 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 unfolds. 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 a third roller 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 slept in the lounge because the bedroom smelled like plaster. I also cried over a wonky cabinet hinge. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.
But you get through it. With sheer willpower. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the bathroom window frame isn't attached to anything.
Eventually, though, things settle into place. Not perfect — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still wobble. But now, I walk into the kitchen more info 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 chipped 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 cracks and accidental charm.