No, not that Project
2025. Instead, I’m referring to my own Project 2025, which is to buckle down in
the new year and finally attend to sorely needed home improvements. Because I
am now retired, I’ve run out of excuses. The list of maintenance needs I’ve
deferred for far too many years is embarrassingly long.
My wife Lynne and I purchased
our house in 1989. Like many young couples at the time, we expected the little
3-bed, 1-bath rambler to be our “starter” home, eventually trading up as our
needs grew. Fast-forward 35 years and here we still are. We chose not to have children,
so that impetus to pursue a bigger residence never arose. Our lifestyle has always
been very modest. We seldom have guests over, obviating any requirement for
generous entertainment space. We don’t have so much stuff that we’re bursting
at the seams. At some point it became clear to us it would be our “forever” home.
It remains perfectly adequate to meet our foreseeable needs.
Most would charitably describe
our house as bland and characterless, one of the countless nondescript post-war
tract homes built during the early 1950s on what was then the south edge of a
rapidly growing Eugene. While undeniably plain and simple, it does have its
charms, specifically the elements of its original interior décor that remain.
These include the pink and black tile in our bathroom, the metal-trimmed Formica
countertops, custom built-in shelving, its brick fireplace, and vintage light
fixtures. Lynne wishes to see any renovation we undertake not erase these mid-century
features or at least replicate them.
So, it’s a light touch that we’ll
apply to our improvements, architecturally speaking. No grand makeover is in
the cards. That said, there are many significant fixes desperately requiring
our attention, first and foremost being repairs to our one and only bathroom.
The bathtub and shower plumbing are shot, which will necessitate tearing open
the wet wall and entirely replacing the controls and piping. On other fronts, the
gutters and downspouts need replacing, as does our kitchen flooring. I fear we
have some dry rot and carpenter ant damage to address at the roof eaves. And the
metal roof over our back deck requires repair and the deck itself needs
refinishing. For safety and reliability reasons, we are also considering modernizing
and increasing the capacity of our obsolete electrical system.
Future-proofing our home is another
goal. We intend to age in place, so including provisions now to make this
possible is sensible. It helps that our house only occupies one level. We can add
grab bars during our bathroom renovation, replace our traditional faucets with
lever-style types, and plan for the eventual installation of ramps to
complement the stairs at our front and back entrances.
Our front and back yards are
also in desperate need of some TLC. What exactly we will do is an open question.
One thing for certain is figuring out why so many of our old shrubs and bushes are
dying recently. I suspect poor drainage may be one issue. Poor soil quality or
diseases may be others.
Will we undertake the work
ourselves? Mostly, no. I’m no handyman, nor am I a contractor. I will be happy
to hire professionals to do the job right. Lynne is not looking forward to the
disruption the project will cause. My plan is to work with our contractor(s) so
that we can limit the time we need to be away, taking advantage of that opportunity
to go on a special trip somewhere.
It might seem unusual to some,
given my professional background, that I am not interested in a more architecturally
ambitious renovation. Why shouldn’t I view refreshing our home as an
opportunity to stretch my design muscles? After all, many architects have done
so themselves, sometimes with enviably impressive results. Cost is not the issue,
nor is any lack of confidence in my abilities. The reason is two-fold: 1) Lynne
likes our house exactly as it is, and indeed it has provided us with all we have
asked of it; and 2) I want to avoid paralysis by over analysis. Designing a
renovation for our own home would undoubtedly lead to overthinking and
perfectionism. It’s already bad enough that I’ve kicked the can down the road
this far.
By tackling our very personal Project
2025, we’re going to ensure that our humble abode remains comfortable and
functional for years to come. The end result will be worth it, even if it won’t be
an architectural marvel. The improvements will extend our home’s useful life
while enhancing ours. I simply have to remind myself of this and set aside the
associated anticipation and trepidation. My New Year’s resolution is to stop
procrastinating and just do it.
Here's to a productive 2025. I
wish all of you a Happy New Year ahead!
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