Taking On Risky Challenges Is The American Way

There’s something very American about wrapping yourself around a challenge that comes with some risk.  Christopher Columbus ignored naysayers and set off to find a better route to the east by traveling west.  That was a larger than normal undertaking with the flat earthers expecting him to fall off the edge before he got to Asia.  What about the American Revolutionaries who decided to go it alone and break away from the mighty British Empire?  There were certainly more than a few who thought that idea should be reconsidered.  And then there's the Moon.  Seriously.  Who did we really think we were setting our sights on that goal?  That thing is way out there; no water, no oxygen, and then re-entry comes with all that crazy heat shield vaporization action.  Whoa.  But we checked the math and then did it anyway.

The thing is, as Americans growing up in what President Reagan described as the shining city on the hill, we have this belief that we can do these things.  We're Americans.  We set a goal and have the freedom to try to find a way.  I get a sense of that when I take on a house that other people don't want or a property that others believe is beyond repair.  People around me try to talk me down.  "Don't do it," they've said.  "Find a place that's not so bad."  But those doubtful pleas are part of what get me going and in this country, there's nothing stopping me from trying.  It just feels right to set my sights on something not so easy and then persevering through the obstacles.  For someone else it may be restoring a junky vehicle, helping someone who's down and out, saving a troubled business, or some other goal that others think is a hopeless mission without a big enough safety net.  For me though, it's rehabbing run-down property.

Now, I hope it doesn't seem like I'm comparing myself to the early nautical explorers, our rebellious Founding Fathers, or those astronauts who made the moon landings.  I'm just saying that I learned those stories growing up like all the other kids in our country (and maybe around the world) and they meant something to me.  They still do.  They inspired me.  So, if you have a lofty goal lingering on the horizon, something that get's you excited (but may worry others), I want to encourage you to go for it.  You don't have to be an American to set a goal, break it down, and find a way.  Plus, it's fun.  It's exciting.  It's what life's about.  Take on a big challenge and make it happen.  And if/when you have a tough day and it seems like you're not getting anywhere, look up at the moon, take a deep breathe (w/out help from NASA), and then get back at finding a way.

Welcome Back Rehab Addict

As I've written plenty of times before, I like listening to sports radio while I'm working and my preference is discussions about college and pro football over anything else. 

The completion of Super Bowl XLVII marks the end of football season and the return of the DIY network to our house.  Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis and the network that broadcasts her popular show are not two things that get considered together regularly, but around here they do because of our pay television packages.  In the fall when football starts back up, we upgrade our pay channel package to include the sports channels.  I only want ESPN and ESPN2, but I have to pay for ninety-eight other channels and to make things worse, they pull DIY from our list of options as part of this upgrade.  We still get HGTV, but Rehab Addict is really a DIY show. 

If I wanted to have ESPN and DIY we'd have to jump up to an even bigger package, and this doesn't make sense for our family.  It's just a waste plus a lot of what we'd get is no good for a house with small kids.  And along with this I'm not interested in writing checks for hundreds of TV channels we won't watch any more than I like wasting time or throwing away building materials that can be salvaged.  

Rehab Addict is a show I really like sitting down for.  I love the attitude of the show and the can-do spirit of NC.  Rehab Addict features my kinds of projects and the people who watch Curtis' show are the same types of DIYers that read my blog; hands-on rehabbers or people with a dream of renovating a rundown home of their own.

Like Nicole C. I love the challenge of buying and resurrecting houses most others don't want and we consistently preach similar messages; we share a fondness for ignoring naysayers, we're big on salvaging and recycling things others send to the landfill, we each take pride in solving issues with our heads and stretching our dollars, and neither of us hesitates to roll up our sleeves to get down and dirty when we're the best person to knock out a task.  In addition, we each have our own time-tested approaches we're proud of and comfortable with.  And I think Nicole enjoys encouraging others to do what we do as much as me.

I really love to renovate run down homes and I feel like I get a little fix of my own each time I watch an episode of Rehab Addict.  It's great to see someone take on their projects the way I do, and I especially love the moments when my wife watches along and says, "Hey, that's what you always say."  

So as much as I'm sad to see the football season end, I'm glad to have the DIY Channel back. 

Appreciation for the Radio (January 26, 2012)

Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis on DIY  (April 24, 2012)

The Bungalow

The Bungalow was part of a larger, three building renovation project that also included the Detached Garage (see The Detached Garage at The Bungalow) and a rental property next to it that we call the Duplex.  Although this 50 year old home had a countless list of pressing issues (some clear and obvious, but others hidden behind drywall), it had great potential.  It had four bedrooms, two closets, and one bathroom.  It also had a living room in the front and a large den in the back of the house (that I really believe had been originally added as an attached garage). 

The property held one beautiful live oak tree in the front yard and another in the back between the house and the Detached Garage.  These grand trees (and the oaks around the Duplex) created a canopy above the three structures that made it feel like you were inside even though you were outdoors.  The world above my dilapidated challenges was home to families of squirrels, bluejays, cardinals, and a pair of woodpeckers.

I have renovated properties that have been officially condemned.  This experience leads me to believe that The Bungalow would have qualified for the city's red tag if a code enforcer from the building department had come by for a visit.  The roof leaked, there were floors collapsing in more than one room, the heating and cooling system had been replaced by window units and space heaters, and the plumbing and electric were functional, but were hodge-podged through-out and not up to code.  

Along with the issues that would have made the home legally uninhabitable, there were other things that made the flow of foot traffic awkward and thrust the Bungalow into the Pig's Ear category.  It was a wreck.  Half the outside was painted blue and the other half was brown.  There was no uniformity with the doors, windows, or the interior and exterior trim.  It had two back doors, the fire place ate up too much valuable square footage in the den, and the chimney was falling away from the house in the back.  There were unfinished handy-man projects inside (drywall, painting, misc. carpentry) and there was trash, debris, and left-behind belongs by previous residents everywhere.  

I felt at home immediately.  There was no where to go but up.  I knew what to do and how to do it.  All I needed was time.

The Picture Window at The Bungalow

Subdividing The Bungalow and The Duplex

Nicole Curtis Going Non-Conventional on Rehab Addict

How do you place value on the whatever it takes attitude?  It sure goes a long way in new construction and maybe is a little more significant in construction renovation when things rarely go exactly as planned. 

Case in point:  Nicole Curtis solving her minor bathroom dilemma on The Terrors episode of Rehab Addict.  How did she keep moving forward when she needed a smaller water closet for Rachael and Adam's bathroom?  She traveled a few blocks home, yanked out her own smaller commode, and put it to use at R&A's home so she could stay on track.  I loved it.  This is what you have to be ready to do.  I'm not talking about given your bathroom fixtures to someone else, I'm talking about doing whatever it takes. 

Before I was working in residential construction renovating old homes, I worked on the commercial side of our industry.  Once, we were building a distribution center up in Northern Virginia.  It was a huge building, over eighteen acres under one roof.  At times I'd be thankful to hitch a ride on a golf cart to get me from the project's office trailer to a far off destination somewhere in the gigantic place.  Anyway, we had these over-sized fans to keep the building cool when it was finished and had to set them on their openings all over the roof.  They were heavy and we anticipated that a crane would be the ideal way to move them into place.  However, physics and basic leverage would prevent the traditional equipment from reaching the bulk of the openings in the roof because with the fans at the end of a crane boom, the weights and distances made this plan unfeasible.  So what did we do?  We hired a helicopter pilot to fly them into place and it all got done without a hiccup.      

So sometimes you have to be ready to go unorthodox or non-conventional.  I'm talking about out-of-the-box effectiveness you won't find in the handy-man guides (or construction management textbooks) at the bookstore.  It's an attitude that regardless of the challenges, things will move ahead and get done as needed some way and some how.  It may not happen as originally planned, but there's an understanding and commitment to finding another solution that's just as good or better.  This is part of renovating houses others don't want and another reason we're wild about Rehab Addict on DIY.

Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis on DIY  April 24, 2012

NC's Bathroom Redux on Rehab Addict  May 5, 2012 

You Can Do It

I wrote in my preceding post (Step 9) that renovators working solo or as a team need to get a handle on their own capabilities before banging away at the walls.  Although I believed that it had to be included as the next step on my list, I also felt conflicted about posting it because I want to encourage people to renovate and writing about limitations feels like it's going against that attitude of encouragement.  I love resurrecting the run-down properties I buy and really want others to experience home renovating as I have.  My bottom line message is: You can do it.   

 

There's nothing wrong with getting a hand from friends (or hired help), but don't sell yourself short either.  What you're able to do is likely somewhere in between doing every task on the project and getting out of the way, watching all the action from a safe distance, and then writing checks.  Step 9 - Know Your Limitations is intended as a reminder of that.  

Most of you probably learned to ride a bicycle as kids, but you certainly have a few stories about spills you took as you learned to ride.  The first time I rode a two wheeler, I was clueless about the breaks and stopped when I rode into the side of our barn.  As you arrive at the down and dirty truths about what you're capable of as a do-it-yourselfer, you may have some wipe-outs. (see Vinny Had the Right Attitude).  Furthermore, you might find yourself in a jamb and maybe you'll have to call a professional to get you out of your predicament.  It's okay if that happens and just remember that it's part of the business of renovating your own house.   

If you have a home renovation dream of your own, go for it.  Just remember to be careful and exercise basic caution, discretion, and common sense.