Last week, my friend Emily at imperfect compared my weekly renovation posts to the posts by those of you who are having a baby.
You know the ones – the ones that compare the baby to a piece of fruit? (No offense, friends. But, I will never be able to look at a grapefruit the same way again.)
But it got me to thinking, having a baby and renovating a house are a lot alike –
You gotta have love.
It takes a lot of tender care for a house to become a home. When you renovate a really ugly house into a beautiful home, you have to look past the cracks, the dust, the smells and the leaks. And we all know it takes some love for a baby, too. I’ll leave that one to your imagination.
When we renovate, we do a lot of reading, searching and researching. The Internet is our friend. We’ve also learned to rely on friends and family for help and have had the privilege of connecting with tons of inspiring home renovators online. When you have a baby, I’m sure that the support system you have is more important than ever. And I know that every friend of mine having a baby reads “What to expect when you’re expecting” and visits The Bump.
You gotta have money.
I’d imagine that having a baby can be expensive – doctors, classes and delivery. Not to mention the fact that you have to pay for the actual child when it comes out (I hear). Same with a renovation. Everything is twice as expensive as you expect, but still totally worth it. And let’s be honest, once you think everything is done, a pipe busts or you need a new furnace or roof. You know the drill.
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yeoldesandwichshoppeva says
It’s a good comparison. And sometimes I feel like my house is my baby. That is a TON of snow. I’m jealous. We haven’t had enough snow for an igloo yet this year. Keep up the good work!
Freckles Chick says
Could you also post weekly belly pics for each room too?
OK fine, I’ll just crane my neck to catch a glimpse on my nightly stalking drive-bys.
(I 100% agree w/ everything you wrote. Renovating is such a labor of love.)
Erin @ Domestic Adventure says
I’ve been meaning to comment on this post for days…somehow I’ve become a lazy commenter!
Let’s be real, the renovation is your baby! Love the comparison…so funny.
jen @ homeinthecountry says
Love the baby-house comparison. Really true. If only babies would sleep through the night like houses (usually) do. 🙂
Great progress!
Shanade says
It’s coming along nicely. I’m loving watching your progress. I’m really excited to see how the kitchen comes together.
Ally says
You must have been SO so psyched to see that drywall when you got home. They look like REAL rooms now! That’s exciting.
Amy@My Front Porch says
P.S. We are lucky enough to have a relative (aka my dad 🙂 who is in construction and can be called upon at any time for all our drywall needs. He’s done it so much he said he actually kind of enjoys it…which is crazy because it’s sooo not fun! He did the drywall for us when we installed our fireplace. If you lived just a leeetle bit closer I would totally recommend him 🙂
Amy@My Front Porch says
So funny! I was actually thinking the exact same thing about your renovation posts a couple of weeks ago — kind of like weekly pregnancy posts — and wondering if it would take you more or less than 40 weeks to be finished with your “baby” 🙂
Shannon says
As usual, I’m with Em. Beside my own preggo updates, I could care less to read anyone else’s. But this? I wanna know all about this bouncing baby…boy? girl? Do we know what we’re having? Do you have a name picked out?
Three cheers for snow days! I’m amazed that 17″ shut down the midwest like it did, I thought this was normal for you guys!
Dude, way to go on hiring someone to do the walls. Walls make everything better and from someone with an anal retentive husband, I know trying to get them perfect is next to impossible.
Oh! And we’re thinking maybe early August for a visit out to IL, so maybe we can schedule a saturday or sunday to visit?
-Kasey says
Lol. Think of it as giving birth to a home. That’s kind of what your doing right? haha.
Looking good my friend!! [the house, not the snow].
Leigh says
Great comparisons! I HATE dry-walling and wish we had sucked it up and paid someone to do the tap/mud/sanding steps because it doesn’t look good and now needs to be fixed. Can you hear my wailing from there? Glad you are warm, safe and enjoyed a snow day!
*claire* says
haha i like the comparison! so glad you are sharing your house pregnancy with us! 🙂
again, that level of snow baffles me. i would be hibernating – certainly not leaving the house.
Michael - Innkeeper says
kim – you continue to amazing me every week! you are making amazing progress! even through the snow.
Our Little Beehive says
Looking good! I’m jealous of your snow 🙂
Stephanie says
i love the renovation-baby comparison 🙂 never thought of it that way, but i see it!
Stephanie says
i love the renovation-baby comparison 🙂 never thought of it that way, but i see it!
Jen@Notes From the Heartland says
Lookin’ super awesome Kim! Ah, drywall….does your guy do ceilings? 😉
Aubrey says
Never thought of that before, but so true! If you look at it that way you are in the home stretch and starting the third trimester! You should have a contest to guess the completion date like people do to guess the birthdate, weight, and length of their unborn babies. Could be fun to see who guesses the closest!
Chelsea says
Hilarious! I love the comparison, and can totally agree on alot of your points. 🙂
Too funny!
~Chelsea
Jenny @ DIY Newlyweds says
You guys are doing great! I’m impressed with your progress every week. I can’t imagine undertaking such a huge project, and you guys are moving along so well!
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
Kim, this post was spot on!! I’m going to feature it on WBR tomorrow. 🙂 This is going to sound cah-razee, but I am actually a little envious of your snow. I’d love to have a good excuse for staying in and getting soe stuff done around here. 🙂
Emily says
Um, let’s not forget that I was so brazen as to say I much prefer your renovation pregnancy posts to real pregnancy posts. Uteruses are cool and all, but drywall is cooler.
I just lost about 50 readers. Awesome progress, and I think hiring out the last of the walls was a fabulous idea! The kitchen looks just about ready for some silver sage.
Kristen says
sometimes it’s worth the money to just hire someone else to do some of the work… especially drywall stuff!
Mrs. Adventure says
Wow you guys are chucking right along – I can’t wait to see paint in your new kitchen :+)
Liz @ It's Great To Be Home says
Heck yeah!! Your progress shots are blowing my mind. And it’s crazy that you guys only got 1 day off work for 17 inches of snow, and Dallas has been shut down for 3 days because of a little ice!! We Southerners are wusses. 🙂
P.S. I have a friend who every week posts a recipe that involves the fruit/vegetable that is the same size as her unborn child. Freaky stuff.
Deb says
Drywall sucks and it’s so hard to get a nice clean seam. We always hire someone if it involves more than one wall:) Saves our sanity and it’s a lot faster!
Melinda says
Although this baby you can turn around and sell when you are finished with it. There may be times when one may want to sell their child, they would get arrested if they did. Great job on the progress.
Cindy @The Flipping Couple says
HECK YA!
And I think it’s a great comparison. But I don’t have a baby, so what do I know?
But anyway, the walls look great. Hurray for progress! And holy cow, that’s a lot of snow. That storm missed us completely, which I’m really grateful for. I probably would’ve had a day off but the hubs would’ve been at work for like, 48 hours straight. Which is no fun. Hope you guys can dig yourselves out and that Spring comes soon. Like, next week.
Biz says
So exciting!
Now that you say it renovation does sound a lot like having a baby.
In face I’m pretty sure that people refer to renovation projects as their “baby” all the time!
I love seeing your progress!
Biz
Wendy says
Cute post…it is alot like having a baby!
Paying someone to finish the drywall is worth every single penny! (saved us from a few arguements, too!) Looking great!
Wendy