In the words of Lucy, “Waaahhhhh!”.
Leave a commentJuly 31, 2012 by Decorum DIYer
“Waaaaahhhhhh! I didn’t win.”
Well, if you haven’t already heard, I wasn’t chosen as a finalist for the House Logic “Boost Your Roost” contest. Yes, $20,000 to help finish our basement would have been nice, but life goes on. I’ll admit, I am pretty bummed, but hey, it isn’t the end of the world. I must say, the entries that were chosen as finalists are pretty deserving. I couldn’t compete with individuals with disabilities – clearly they have more of a need than me. I was impressed with the entry chosen by the “Making It Lovely” blog. Clearly those entrants have special skills and time that the rest of us, well, at least me, don’t have. Chris and I kept joking, prior to the entry deadline, that if we had more time we would have a comedy/musical skit as our video entry. Sorry folks, we were lucky to make a submission at all – we are pretty busy people. If only….
I am however, very thankful for our friends and family for supporting us in many ways during our attempt to get the basement in order and submit our entry. Special thanks to my mother for watching my children, helping me with the yard sale, and generally being ‘there’ for me. Also, thanks to sister-in-law, Erin, whom has taught me the Jedi ways of the blogging community, put up my incessant questions and concerns, and was my biggest cheerleader. Lastly, thank you very much to my husband, Christopher. The last thing he wanted to do with his precious time off from work was to help me clean out the basement, host a yard sale, and make a silly movie about our basement. For the past month, Chris has been burning the candle at both ends just to get it all done. An honestly, Chris and I haven’t been sleeping in the same bed either, as I stayed up to the wee hours of the morning, whilst he slept. Many mornings I would just be crawling into bed as his alarm sounded for him to get up for work. Thankfully, we had a nice family Myrtle Beach vacation to round it all out (thanks, MomMom).
Anyway, be sure to cast your vote for your favorite entry. I am partial to those with disabilities and/or children, but that is my opinion. You can cast your vote here or by clicking the Boost Your Roost graphic below. You may vote once every day per IP address. Happy voting!
Vote today! Vote everyday!
So, you may be asking yourself (or maybe not), “Self, so what are they going to do about the basement now?” Well, we still want and desperately need to finish our basement. We simply do not have the space a family of five requires in a modern household. Preparing for the Boost Your Roost contest has forced my husband and I to evaluate how we want to use the space in our home and has also opened our eyes as to how little space we actually have. We can’t afford a basement remodel on our own and honestly aren’t thrilled about the idea of obtaining another mortgage to finance the cost (even though we have the equity). We will need to take things in baby steps. We are currently awaiting an estimate from a contractor, whom happens to be a former dancer/dance parent of mine, and that should give us an idea as to how much our dream basement will cost. It will also give us an idea of how to go about finishing our basement in steps. I have no idea what needs to happen first, but I do have a loose plan.
Step 1: Clean up and organize our workroom.
If we are going to begin work, even in small amounts, we need to get organized in the workroom. The ‘work’ needs to take place somewhere. The workroom is yet another space for our family that has sentimental value, as it was Christopher’s grandfather’s workroom and he was an avid woodworker. Chris and I are both excited to tackle this project. Good news is, it is relatively a no money fix. While we are in there, we should probably do something about the flooring. It is currently concrete – dusty, old, concrete. I think it just needs to be sealed/painted. I have visions of the workroom looking something like this:
Step 2: Completely clean out the basement (workroom excluded). We need a clean slate, if we are going to start any type of work.
Step 3: Speak with the contractor regarding the estimate and work involved. We need to find out what the necessary steps are and if they are something we can do alone or with minimal assistance. Chris and I have the drive, just not the skills, nor time. So, this is a pretty important step.
I’d like to say that I have more steps in mind, but honestly, I just don’t know the hierarchy of finishing a basement. I have a terrible feeling that checking one thing off at a time as budget and schedule allow is impossible. Whenever Chris and I have completed small projects in the past, one thing always leads to another (is that song in your head now, too?) and it seems like a three-ring circus. Well, we shall see. Chris and I will never have a finished basement, if we don’t start somewhere. Most of the work is knowing the facts. Have any of you finished a basement or have a similar renovation story/quandary? If so, please feel free to share. I love hearing from others (okay, now I am thinking about LOST. Still annoyed with that ending.)
I’ll keep everyone posted. You know I will! Until then, have a great day!
Decorum DIYer 