Bathroom model updates

So I'm about a third of the way through the big remodeling job of the kids bathroom and while it's going fairly well, I'm beginning to rethink some of my attitudes concerning home projects. No doubt, my oft-painful back these last bunch of months coupled with me hanging on to 30-ism is contributing to these thoughts.

I have ALWAYS been a DIY-er. Why pay someone to do a project that I can pretty easily do? Where I generally draw the line is on safety and efficiency. The access in the bathroom is tight and work has been bananas busy the last few weeks, so I opted to sub out the electrical and plumbing. Good move because what would have taken me a whole lot of time was nothing more than after-work fill in for the pros....

Demo-ing the absolute shit that was there previously then framing out the new walls, hanging sheetrock and mudding the walls is all pretty easy stuff, so I've attacked that with an abandon....I would have preferred to use a plasterer because I can't stand flinging mud but the best price I got was 500 bucks to plaster. Nahhh I thought, that's crazy.

Here's where "wisdom" begins to take root....how nice would it have been to spend that 500 bucks and arrive home from the office and be ready to paint? In my earlier 30's the thought would never have entered my mind. Now.....MAN do I wish I had spent that dough! I have one more skim coat to do and I should be able to get that done tonight, but had I just paid the damn plasterer, I'd be getting ready to lay tile instead of getting ready to prime the walls.

What I'm learning is that I need to be more cognizant of the opportunity costs associated with my time. There's not a lot of simple carpentry jobs or landscaping work that I will EVER out-source.....to me simple is pretty much anything that doesn't move the weight bearing structure of the house-those things are just too much in my wheelhouse to do.....but my kiddo's are not going to be the cute little dudes they are forever and I need to remember that. Install a new window, build a wall unit, a deck, a patio, whatever, I'll do that stuff. Rip a rug, re-do a floor, ditto. Hang kitchen cabinets (next big one on the list btw), easy. And with the internet I have a virtual trade school at my finger tips to answer a question I may have.

But today is a landmark day because I'm DONE with hanging board. And frankly, I'm ok with it. From now on, I'll do the jobs that I sort of enjoy (I don't really enjoy any of it frankly....but still) and can whip off pretty easily. I want to make sure my kids also have a good level of self-sufficiency in these areas. But from now on, I'm gonna pick and choose more carefully-life's too short.

Where does the time go?

MAN, what a long time it's been.....

1. Work is crazy - I'm more about motion right now rather than action and that's definitely frustrating. I'm working much harder but I am having a tough time working smarter. Quotes are flying out the door, but we're not selling much...
2. While work is crazy, I'm grateful to be employed...there's a lot of really great, really talented folks that are not working and I remind myself of that every day.
3. The girls bathroom is coming along slowly....hopefully the plastering contractors won't kill me on the estimates....I really do NOT want to mud that whole thing myself....wimpish, I know, but I just don't like slingin' mud.
4. While I feel like I have a great fitness base this year, probably the best I've ever had, my gimpy back has me feeling disconcerted about 'cross season. I don't want to skip a season, but I can't keep living this way. My back is weak and sore pretty much every day. It doesn't bother me when I'm on the bike, but every morning when I get out of bed....oh man.
5. TOTALLY looking forward to a couple of shows coming up....U2 and the Allman Brothers/Widespread Panic.
6. Family camping trip number two coming up soon....this one will be 5 nights. WAY curious to see how the boy manages....

That's it for now....I'll post up some photos of the BR project as it progresses...