The curse of "we will do it later once we get......"

Abrowneyegirl · ‎03-15-2010

The gals and I were out for fun evening and many asked about our recent move. (We moved down the street earlier this year.)

Some were surprised that I spent 5 months getting the new house ready to move into. The new house is new and beautiful, BUT I learned that the curse of, we'll do it later once we move in and get settled is usually measured on YEARS as life is a series of twists and turns.

Before we move into any new place now we do everything I even think I want because it is 100X easier to do before you are living in the house. You are also very motivated to get everything done on a timeline.

One of the ladies just moved 2 months ago and said the "we will do it later...." and the other ladies squealed with laughter as they told their tales of living with ugly wallpaper or flooring for decades as 'something else' always came up.

The older gals we learned our lessons, just pull the bandaid off and do it before you move in.

Anyone else here plagued with the curse?

wagirl · ‎03-09-2010

@Abrowneyegirl---yes I too have been afflicted with--oh I can do that syndrome BS for the last 33 years!! the hubs built our house in 1986 and to this very day---many things have not been done----small things too---, altho, we had a huge tree fall on our house so have been going thru reconstruction and things are getting done- due mostly to the contractor-----my biggest thrill is getting the pulls put on 2 pocket doors---I was so happy!!! We are moving back in now and still little things need to be done---we will see

judy0330 · ‎01-03-2011

@Abrowneyegirl What great advice!! We had all the closets in our house painted before we moved in. In hindsight -- if we had it to over -- we would have replaced the carpeting. It didn't need it then -- but does now -- and the thought of everything having to be moved is overwhelming.

jeanlake · ‎03-10-2010

Yes. We quickly moved into our patio home, maintenance provided, in 2016. The young couple who bought our home needed to move quickly so we moved quickly. I don't mind doing that, but replacing carpets and painting interior didn't happen right away. Life got busy and family member temporarily moved in. Gone now. Today's excuse is 'when hubs (like that term, thank you, earlier poster) retires. Well, he retires at the end of the year. I'll work a year longer while he gets projects done. Okay -- let's do this.... Yes, it is a trap we walk into.

"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." Henry David Thoreau

dex · ‎03-09-2010

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:
The gals and I were out for fun evening and many asked about our recent move. (We moved down the street earlier this year.)
Some were surprised that I spent 5 months getting the new house ready to move into. The new house is new and beautiful, BUT I learned that the curse of, we'll do it later once we move in and get settled is usually measured on YEARS as life is a series of twists and turns.

Before we move into any new place now we do everything I even think I want because it is 100X easier to do before you are living in the house. You are also very motivated to get everything done on a timeline.

One of the ladies just moved 2 months ago and said the "we will do it later...." and the other ladies squealed with laughter as they told their tales of living with ugly wallpaper or flooring for decades as 'something else' always came up.
The older gals we learned our lessons, just pull the bandaid off and do it before you move in.

Anyone else here plagued with the curse?

We seem to only get those things done before we sell.LOL wouldn’t want the next family to put up with those annoying little jobs.

VaBelle35 · ‎03-10-2010

I agree. I think it goes much faster that way, too.

I repainted my entire house a year ago and even something as simple as that is a pain to live through.

And if you can knock out what you want to do with your bathrooms first, they can do it all at once instead of having to work around you having one working bathroom at all times.

And being without a kitchen, even for 3-4 days while it's packed up for painting is not fun. I can't imagine an entire kitchen reno.

===================================
QVC Shopper - 1993

# IAMTEAMWEN

queendiva · ‎03-12-2010

The woman who bought the unit across/ next door to me is of like mind to the OP.

It has been about 2 months. Contractor is there 6 days/ week. Just started to demo the master bath. I saw that the old washer & dryer were in the garage, likely on their way out. My W/D are ancient- from the original owner 20 years ago. They work and I am keeping them until one dies, then they will both go.

Cleaning the floors, kitchen and baths were done by pros on day one, with custom closets following the next week. The rest: painting, lighting, kitchen etc. etc. was done while living here in the first 6 months. As I did not make a local move it was necessary for me to research and hire contractors and order fixtures and some furniture. It did seem as if every time a project was completed another started, turning everything upside down and creating a mess each time. I did not have the luxury of working on one home while living in another. Very fortunate that my house sold a day after being listed.

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@judy0330 wrote:
@Abrowneyegirl What great advice!! We had all the closets in our house painted before we moved in. In hindsight -- if we had it to over -- we would have replaced the carpeting. It didn't need it then -- but does now -- and the thought of everything having to be moved is overwhelming.

@judy0330- I'm right there with you on the flooring. We built our home, but the carpets need to be replaced with hardwood or vinyl plank flooring. It's the thought of everything having to be moved and all the baseboards having to be removed that's held me back from getting it done. DH can't handle anything like that; I can, but it's the disruption that I balk at. I wish we'd had different flooring put in when we originally built it. Hindsight's 20/20. We were moving here from England and were in a temporary rental until the house was completed.

And, of course, there will be retouching all the paintwork to be done after (which I'll do). I know I have to bite the bullet and get some estimates; the workmen around here are booked up many months in advance.

My advice to everyone would be: get it done before you move in!

ECBG · ‎01-08-2011

I know that curse very well. I'll bet it's also the root of resentment and having to repeat requests (harping).

Lucky Charm · ‎03-09-2010

You had the advantage of being so close! We've remodeled houses hundreds of miles away!

But like you, everything had to get done before we moved in.

Only outside and garage and landscaping projects remain (working on that this weekend!)

I'm lucky that my husband can do most everything himself and I am a stickler for not only attention to detail, but the cleanliness as it's being done.

Ever see contractors install brand new kitchen cabinets? Filthy tools, filthy hands, omgosh it's disgusting. These same tools have been used on other's kitchens and bathrooms and some homes they work at don't have water, much less hot water. So the tools are a walking petri dish to begin with.

And the homeowners will walk right in with their pretty new dishes and start stacking them on the shelves exclaiming the whole time how beautiful the kitchen looks.

I've never kept carpet in a house from the previous owner. We usually kept the carpet in place and painted the walls. No need for drop cloths!

I also don't want anyone else's toilet. Out they go! And that is a disgusting job. Think a plumber's tools are clean?---guess again!

I've been told I could write a book on what to look for, what to avoid. How to get an understanding and amicable dialogue with contractors. I've been general contractor several times. (But no one is as compliant as my husband....lol.)

So, yeah, some things do get put off. I'm sitting here looking at a beautiful MacKenzie-Childs butterfly on my dining room table that needs to be hung on the wall. All summer!!!