B the Builder

I like to think of myself as a moderately handy man. I‘ve fixed the few mechanical and structural issues that popped up at Bandmeltun (as I have dubbed our country estate here in New England. Or Mandbentun, I think they both sound pretty good…) Fortunately, our relatively new condo has only needed minor repairs. I managed to unclog our plunger tub style drain without losing the plunger. I adjusted our hot water heater temperature without a call to the plumber. I even managed to disassemble and hotpatch the water control assembly in the men’s bathroom toilet when it started making a lot of noise. I’ve had epic failures too, like the ’07 molding mitre cut battle and the great potato peeling garbage disposal explosions. Home ownership has been a work in progress.
M and I knew my limitations early on and we decided that buying fixer-upper was in no one’s long term best interests. Good thing, too - we barely survived the first room painting adventure.
Recently though, I have been feeling less Norm Abrams and more Ming Tsai. My creative forays tend towards finding a place to get primal cuts of heirloom beef rather than choosing a table saw over a radial arm saw. Bandmeltun is geared more towards comfortable living than manufacturing, and we don’t have a space for ongoing projects. When the weather is warmer, our neighbor turns his back porch into a workshop, while M and I prefer our deck to be more BBQ pit / alfresco dining area. I really don’t know what he’s doing to his condo – M and I almost bought that place and we didn’t see anything really wrong with it.
I grew up in houses that had lots of room for improvement and participated in more than a few projects. Some of them were even enjoyable and satisfying. This Old House is one of my favorite shows – I’m always filing their advice away in the bin – but aside from putting in a 3 floor fireman’s pole or turning the guest room into a 150 sq/ft shower-steam room, I don’t know when I’ll be able to use their wisdom. We know we’re going to buy a bigger house someday. Deep in my mind I know we’re going to want to expand the kitchen or have a media room. But I also know that I don’t want that to be my first project. I don’t like the idea of ‘practicing’ on an investment. The TOH guys are a little frustrating because it looks a little too easy. Sure they’re highly paid professionals, but they format their advice in a way that’s digestible for the average homeowner. I have some peers who have taken on major projects. Some people like to stay up into the wee hours and get the project done as fast as possible so as to not impact their lives too much. Others take an artisanal approach and leave portions of their homes covered in tarps and sawdust for months while they handcraft everything. I think my style will fall somewhere in between. We just have to get M her own grout trowel and pink hammer first…