My Battles with Renovation Addiction

Today is a special, yet difficult post to write since I am sharing something that is more personal. Since I sold The Duplex, I have been traveling on my own path of recovery from Renovation Addiction.

 

RA is not something people discuss openly, but those days are on the horizon, and I am honored to be part of the solution rather than the problem. Pretending has been unhealthy, unfair, and frankly just plain wrong. So, I am writing this as part of my own multi-step program for healing, but also to help others come to terms with their own circumstances. 

My happy smile was masking the sad truth
... my burning need to build stuff.

It may come as no surprise that my issues are rooted in my childhood, playing with blocks while watching Captain Kangaroo or in the backyard in the sand. Soon, I moved onto more challenging play, became obsessed with Legos, erected towers with my baseball cards, and teamed up building hay forts in our barn lofts. My family didn't intervene and I realize now that they were my first enablers. I still love them, but as part of my recovery, I must identify those who've aided me on my travels down this dirty, dumpster lined road. This is not blame, I'm just trying to move forward. 



Getting my fix w/ harder
things in the 90's.

Simple maintenance tasks may not be of concern though. For example, regularly changing a burned-out light bulb, switching the heating and air filter every thirty days, or using a Phillips screwdriver to tighten a leaky faucet. These are routine, normal, and perhaps fulfilling chores for a homeowner or even a renter. But the gateway tasks that can lead to renovation addiction are the things that DIYers need to be mindful of, perhaps even with vigilant awareness.     

 

If you or your loved one is regularly

covered in grime from demolition or

other DIY endeavors, it may be time

to have a serious talk about

Renovation Addiction

For me, college was when things really escalated. I lived in a rented house, and one weekend, someone punched a hole in the wall. We were young and needed to save the money. I was up for the challenge and repaired the damage. It looked good and my roommates were pleased, showering me with praise. Once again, I was surrounded by enablers who were unknowingly adding fuel to my RA fire. Adulation with the rush is part of what comes with the gateway tasks and from there I found myself working summers traveling with construction crews pouring concrete foundations and erecting water tanks. Before I even realized what was happening, I was hooked.

 

Other examples of gateway projects may be wainscoting in a dining room, ceiling fans in every room, or crown molding in the master bedroom. Replacing things in the house that are not even broken or damaged are signs that someone may already be on the slippery slope that is RA.



These non-honey-do type chores are dangerous because for many, they lead to harder and harder challenges---kitchen renovations, master suite additions, decks, pergolas, and extensive landscaping. Construction of detached outbuildings! The madness can be all consuming with families watching helplessly. 

Many people can do small projects recreationally and stop there, but others miss the red flags and lose control. People like me suffering from RA simply fail to know when to say when. 

Building an 8' house of cards as a way of coping with
the occasional March Madness blowout... this may
be a Red Flag for someone suffering from RA.

Nicole Curtis, the host of Rehab Addict on the DIY network and HGTV is the most famous person to step up and opening admit that she is "addicted to rehab." Congratulations Nicole! You're on your way. As I've written before, I'm a big fan of Rehab Addict, but if you find yourself dumpster diving for building materials like NC (or myself), you may have a problem.

In addition, if you find yourself falling in love with the challenge of buying and saving a condemned house (I'm here as well) then maybe you need to talk to someone; a close friend, a member of the clergy, a counselor, or perhaps someone in your family who has struggled with a DIY compulsion of their own.

The thing to remember is that if you are showing these signs, you are not alone and there are people out there that will help you. But you have to come to terms with your overpowering desires to fix stuff that isn't broken or your obsessions with re-doing things that look good already. Admit that you have a problem, look in the mirror and say, "I am a renovation addict." Then, get help. Tomorrow is a new day and April 2nd, but today is the first, so Happy April Fool's Day.

Step 23 - Interior Skin

Drywall is the same as sheet rock which is no different than wallboard, just like soda is a soft drink, but also called pop.  It's all the same, but it's also regional terminology that varies from one part of the country to the next.  As some are overly insistent that a carbonated drink has one correct nickname, there are folks out there that will debate that plaster pressed between paper in 4' x 8' (or 12') sheets is called drywall or wallboard or sheet rock.  I'll just suggest, that if the people in your part of the world call it 'wallboard' then call it that and if the construction community around you say it's 'drywall' then latch on to that label.  They may even call it gyp-board, durorock, plasterboard or some other comb-derivation.  Just go with the flow and keep moving ahead. 

After insulation & before sheet rock

With that out of the way, let's talk Step 23 and understand I'm using all these tags for plasterboard interchangeably.

The day after the drywall is complete is one of my favorite days on any rehab or new construction project.  It's so great.  Everything takes shape in a matter of a few days.  What I've imagined and seen in my head is suddenly a lot closer to reality.  Sure we're not all done yet, but on these mornings, it feels like we've made a gigantic leap toward the finish line. This is such a huge payoff day for me and I meander happily for a while from room to room.  Back and forth between the kitchen, bedrooms, and baths.  Up and down steps and hallways.  I see how things look and take in how they feel with me standing inside them.   All my projects have been very different, but this satisfaction after the drywall is the exception since it's always the same.  I love it.  Those who've been in this position know what I mean and if you're heading this way get ready to enjoy this moment when the wallboard has been hung.   

The same window on the left.

The sheet rock phase goes through a couple stages of it's own before Step 25 - Flooring.  The drywall gets hung.  Then the tradespeople tape, bed, and skim the joints.  After that they come in to sand before any touching up is done.  It's not uncommon for these three different parts to be knocked out by three completely separate crews of workers.  My sheet rock contractor is awesome, they run a well-oiled operation, and I've gotten really comfortable with the way they do things.  (Perhaps they've spoiled me.)  However, I've had to work through some not-so-great drywall teams that made Step 23 more difficult than trying to build a house without a tape measurer.  So, let me encourage you to be grateful when you get hooked up with a good contractor and, as I've said before, don't keep that appreciation to yourself. 

Painting can inadvertently accentuate dings, dents, and wallboard imperfection.  Our drywall contractor always gives us a 30 day window to trim/out and paint before calling them back for touch-ups.  I should also say that every job is different and this touch-up arrangement can get navigated/negotiated slightly depending on the project.  However, even though it's never been a major issue on my houses, I know sometimes this can be a contentious area between general contractor (homeowner) and drywall sub so be ready to do what's needed to work your way through this touching-up issue to get the finished home you want.

Finally, while the drywall team does their mud work and sanding, have the attic blown with insulation - Step 24 (if you didn't insulate the ceilings with Batt in Step 22) and start gearing up for the flooring that has to be done before the cabinets and counters get installed in Step 26.

Jump to Step 24 - Blown Insulation