I went back to our house in Rhode Island over the weekend and realized that we bought it exactly 5 years ago. I remember that time like it was yesterday. So much excitement, anxiety, and fear. It was our first house, a massive purchase and commitment. While I was there the last few days, I was reminded how much I love it. The moment I step inside it feels like home. Every little detail, big and small, feels personal and thoughtful. It hasn’t always been that way though.
Sure the house isn’t perfect. There’s still things that need to be fixed or updated. There’s always work to be done, but it’s a space that makes me feel happy. When you buy a home, especially a fixer-upper, that can take time. It’s easy to forget that making a house a home is a process. There’s usually something that draws us to a house, maybe it’s the location or the architectural charm, maybe it’s just a feeling we get when we step inside. But when you’re living in a space that’s knee-deep in renovations it’s normal to think, is this really worth it?
It Takes Time To Make A House A Home
That’s the thing about owning a home, there are times when it’s really not fun. Like the unexpected pipe burst or the “simple” project that turns out to be harder or more expensive than you thought. When the contractor doesn’t show or you can’t even find a contractor for a small job. When you’re renovating a home yourself, it can wear you down. Will we ever be done? Will we ever love this place? Will we ever have a weekend that doesn’t involve a project?
Our house in Woodstock, it’s still kind of just a house. Don’t get me wrong we feel so lucky and we love living here, but it doesn’t totally feel like home. We’ve done a lot of work and there’s so much left to do. With fixer-uppers, so much of it isn’t sexy or fun. Renovating a bathroom is great, but we also need new siding, new windows, and a new roof. HGTV shows and social media give us the immediate satisfaction of before and afters, but often without all of the mess in between. We’re currently in the mess, if you are too, hang in there. It takes time to make a house a home. In my experience though, it is worth it.
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