Our Own Rebuild
A 1968 house. Seven months. This time, I was the client.
I knew what I was getting into. Mostly.
I’ve spent more than 24 years remodeling other people’s houses. Then my wife and I decided to remodel our own.
I knew the process. I knew the decisions, the surprises, and what happens when you start opening walls in a 1968 house.
I figured that would help.
And it did. But apparently, explaining a remodel to someone else and living through your own are two very different things.
For seven months, I was the contractor and the homeowner. I understood the schedule. I also caught myself wondering why something wasn’t finished yet. Both of those people were me.
There were drawings across the table, samples on the walls, and a few spirited husband-and-wife design discussions. We used blue painter’s tape to mark out walls, cabinets, and furniture on the floors so we could walk through an idea before committing to it. Sometimes you just need to stand where the kitchen is going to be.
We did the whole thing.
A new kitchen, bathrooms, relocated walls, doors, trim, custom closets, lighting, and a smart-home system. Downstairs got a wet bar, full bath, media room, and office. We bought a 1968 house and gave ourselves plenty to do.
Avery’s Flying Bathtub.
When we opened the living-room ceiling, we found a floor joist that old mechanical work had left badly weakened—and snapped. It was right under our daughter Avery’s new bathroom. The bathtub never flew. We reinforced the structure and fixed the problem. The name, unfortunately, was already established.
Of course there are horses.
My wife is a retired horse trainer, and we’re both lifelong horse people. It's how we met. The basement reflects that huge part of our life. The basement also has a real, used Heaven Hill bourbon barrel. Because, well, why not?
Here’s how it turned out.
What I brought back to work.
My wife and I ended up with a home that feels like us. We love it. I’m also very happy to be looking at the finished photos instead of another round of samples.
I’ve always known that clients have questions. After seven months on the other side, I have a better understanding of what’s behind them. Sometimes you need an answer about the schedule. Sometimes you just need to know that the person running the job has a handle on it.
That’s what I brought back to work: a little more patience, a better sense of when to check in, and firsthand knowledge that knowing how remodeling works doesn’t make you immune to worrying about your own house.