Autumn is by far my favorite season in the Queen City. This season brings an intoxicating mix of cooler weather, football, pumpkin beer, and the anticipation of impending change as the year begins to close out. The kids are back in their school routines and adjusting to all of the new experiences that come with moving up in grade school.
Community festivals, school sports, and football tailgates dominate the weekends. Transition is in the air, and for many people, so is the thought of home remodeling.
In our remodeling business, the start of fall also brings a frequent question at initial consultations: “Can you be finished by Christmas?” Understandably, most homeowners want their house to be complete and undisturbed during the holiday season.
Their home is the place where they can enjoy some peace and order in an otherwise disorderly outside world. Not to mention, for many, the holiday season is the season of
entertaining. Remodeling is disruptive and messy, and the thought of the project impacting their routines, especially around the holidays, can be stressful – even when the outcome is set to produce lasting and positive changes.
Maintaining sanity during your remodeling project requires that you channel a “remodeling state of mind.” When remodeling a home, just like in life, it’s not a question of whether or not things will go precisely as we planned or expected, but instead, how we will manage our thoughts and emotions when they do not. Reflecting on her own home remodeling experience, Jennifer Kunst, a clinical psychologist, said it best in an article she wrote entitled Life is Like a Bowl of Remodeling: “Even the simplest project has its unanticipated challenges; they are not disasters. They can be seen for what they are – just problems to be addressed. I find that this attitude works well when it comes to thinking about myself, my relationships, and my daily work as a psychologist.”
I cannot and will not glamorize living in a home under construction – let’s be real. Remodeling is messy, loud, and time-consuming. It’s performed by an orchestra of human hands installing products that were fabricated by human hands. And in the same way that humans are imperfect and sometimes fail to perform how we expect them to, so too can a home remodeling experience. A “remodeling state of mind” means maintaining vision for the final outcome and working through obstacles as they arise. Just like dealing with any of life’s challenges, perspective is everything!
Brad Little is the President of Case Design/Remodeling of Charlotte and has been leading a team of award winning designers and craftsmen since 2005. To view more of their projects and schedule a free consultation visit www.CaseCharlotte.com or call 704-759-3920.