Sunday, April 13, 2008

Lessons Learned from Bathroom Reconstruction

I'm reached the final leg of my epic bathroom reconstruction today. For about a month, I've been scraping, sanding, painting, caulking, sweeping, dusting, removing, and attaching almost every day. And now, I'm about to be finished.

There were many times during this project that I didn't feel like I wanted to go on. Of course, a bathroom is not like a novel - it's a bit harder to give up when your toilet is disconnected and you can't use your shower. Now that I'm almost done, I find myself wondering the big wonder that comes at the conclusion of all great journeys: was it worth it?

Granted, the bathroom is beautiful. The ugly, peeling wallpaper is gone, replaced with the perfect shade of blue paint. The 80's style wooden cabinet and vanity have been updated with several coats of glossy white. I've replaced the mirror with a sexy upscale version that TILTS! There's no comparing the before and after versions.

But still - the project turned out to be much, much more expensive in terms of time, money, and stress than I had expected it would be. In fact, if I had known in the beginning how much it would cost me, and how frustrating it would be, I can't say for sure whether I'd have taken it on. Not only that, but now that I've gotten up close and personal with my bathroom, I know all it's flaws. I know where the paint dripped, where the scraper slipped, where the screwdriver missed it's mark. It was and continues to be rough, to say the least.

In the end, I would have to say yes - it was worth it. I don't believe there's any way to reach the end of a large project and say, that was perfect! Everything turned out exactly how I planned! It's just not going to happen. If you can come out of it having learned a thing or two (how to caulk a joint, for example, or why it's important to flip the breaker switch before installing a light fixture), and have some fun along the way, you can consider yourself a success.

So now I wonder - what does the journey of writing hold in store for me?

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