Why do a DIY Remodel?

(Another interlude for a Carrie Bradshaw moment..... )

Everything you have heard about remodeling is absolutely true. Over schedule? Check. Over budget? Check. Discomfort while living in chaos? Check.

So, why do it?

The NYTimes article got me thinking about this question. Is it really to prove that us young, ambitious go-getters can have more house than our wallet can afford? It is just being too cheap to pay someone else to handle this project? Is it the enjoyment in seeing a project that you have labored over finally come together? Or is it the pure utility of what you get at the end?

Partially this project was a test. To see if it is worth it at the end. To see if we could figure out how to do everything. To see if we could work within budget and our schedule (that test failed, btw, but I pretty much figured as much -- atleast there are no disasters yet).

The question is still not adequately answered for me. I am very impatient, and also not very handy. These two qualities do not fare well for my handy partner. He atleast is finding some satisfaction in doing the work (while also being overwhelmed by it), while mostly what I find is impatience. I am trying to be more patient.

Time will give a better answer to this question. I'm hoping that it's going to turn out like the story that my friend Holly told me last night. She was talking about a trek she took in Laos. The climb was impossible, draining, and a test of her mental and physical strength.

But in retrospect, it was the best thing that she did there. Let's hope this damn kitchen project turns out like that.