Why Illumination Should Be a Priority in Any RenovationGreen Renovations That Save You Money 54
It started small — a shelf. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the suggestion of one. My partner said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of doing the obvious, I decided I'd go big. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Functional. Or whatever people call it when they're about to poke holes into a wall.
I marked the spot beside the door, took one step back and thought, “Easy” Ten minutes later I was eyeballing the suspicious darkness of the wall, wondering it looked like someone had stuffed an old sock next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the drywall crumbled more than expected.
That's the thing about home improvement — it doesn't stick to the script. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, you're repainting. I just wanted a shelf. By the end of the week, I had a dust mask permanently stuck in my jacket pocket.
There's no clear moment when it all flips. It just unfolds. You go to the store for anchors and come back with a bag of stuff you didn't know you needed. That's how I ended up repainting a perfectly fine wall because the guy at get more info the store said, “People are doing sage now.”
Receipts get longer. You buy that same trowel because you can't remember where the other ones went. Spoiler: they're all in the laundry, behind the ironing board.
It's messy. Not just physically. One night I crashed on the floor because the walls were drying. I also cried over a crooked towel hook. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.
But you get through it. With forums full of questionable advice. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the power outlet leans “for character”.
Eventually, though, things feel right again. Not perfect — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still look suspicious. But now, I look around and don't duck. That's progress.
The shelf? Never built it. We use a bowl now. Same one we always had, sitting on a slightly sticky sideboard. But the wall's patched. Mostly.
And that's renovation, isn't it? Not what you expected. But it's lived-in. With all its cracks and odd colors.