Seven Ways to Survive a Remodel (And Save Your Marriage) Tips from Pisa Design, Inc

Home
>
Marriage & Wedding
>
Seven Ways to Survive a Remodel (And Save Your Marriage) Tips from Pisa Design, Inc

Seven Ways to Survive a Remodel (And Save Your Marriage) Tips from Pisa Design, Inc

Remodels are tough on everyone. The house is out of order, the refrigerator is out of pudding, and the family wiener dog is out of sorts as he searches for his food dish. To help ease the stress of a remodel, we suggest you follow the list of tips below.

1. Invest in "his" and "hers" robes. During a remodel, your house in no longer your own. Everyone from Pete the plumber to Earl the electrician walks through your home at all hours with little regard for privacy. If you'd rather they concentrate on the work in front of them instead of you walking by them, we suggest you invest in some robes-preferable terry cloth for their comfort and thickness.

2. Stuff your speed dial with take-out. Even if the kitchen isn't part of your remodeling project, it's a good idea to create a robust file of take-out and delivery menus from local restaurants. Place settings and candles on a cardboard box where your dining room table used to be aren't motivation for anyone to prepare five-course meals. And you never know when you may find yourself without electricity, natural gas or water. Plus, delivery guys need the tips.

3. Get to know that guy with his name stitched to his shirt. Prior to starting your project, kindle a relationship with your local gas station attendant. Buying bottled water, dairy products and using the facilities will be a much more pleasant experience when you know the person behind the name. You may even get a smile every now and then.

4. Know when to drop everything and run. Just as you would for a double date with the couple across the street, devise a plan of escape. Even the best-run projects can try your patience and linger on with no end in sight. Tack the phone number and picture of a close friend or favorite hotel to your refrigerator (if you still have one). Knowing that there's an alternate site to the natural disaster that was once your orderly home may be all the therapy you need until the project is completed.

5. Hold off on conversations that start with "How was your day, honey?" Conducting heart-to-heart conversations around the dinner table during a remodeling process is like carpeting your bathroom-not a good idea. Even if you delay such discussions until later in the evening, you may find it difficult to concentrate as you gaze at the rec room through a hole in the floor.

6. Get-togethers are great-but not at your house. Family and friends, they mean well. But under no circumstances should you invite anyone over before the project is complete. Wait for the paint to dry before you break out the fondue set. Even if she wants to view the work in progress, you know full well Aunt Mabel is bound to say something about the entry tile that will send you into orbit and drop you back on Earth feeling sick to your stomach.

7. Do not open until X-Mas. You may be tempted to plan a party or host a family holiday shortly after the anticipated project completion date. Don't. If you thought picking out a faucet for the master bath made you sweat, try cutting up jicama for your party and then noticing a blotch of ceiling paint on the backsplash. Even under the perfect conditions, remodeling always takes longer than anticipated. There's plenty of touch-up work required up to a month after the tradesmen call it a wrap. And it's not like the perfect accessories are just waiting to be snapped up at your neighbor's garage sale. Our best advice to you is that you plan your first party six months after the estimated project completion date.

We hope these survival tips come in handy as you plan for your next remodeling project. If you're tired of survival tips and are looking for someone who will offer you a wonderful remodeling experience, hire top-notch professional interior designers or architects who come highly recommended by friends, family or associates.

Lisa Peck and Kristen Mengelkoch are partners and principal interior designers at Pisa Design, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are experts in both remodel and new construction residential projects.

In The News:

â€˜Bride Warsâ€™ is a failed marriage | 1 Â½ stars
Kansas City Star, MO - 15 hours ago
And their mutual friends will have to decide which wedding to attend. All would be well if only one of them would cancel (or if they would agree to a double ...
Video: Ann Hathaway's Stellar Year CBS
'Bride Wars' stars Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway are funny allies Los Angeles Times
'Bride Wars' A Marriage Of Mediocrity Tampa Tribune
Boston Globe - Washington Postall 819 news articles

Downtown Express
Manhattan's new Marriage Bureau earns wows as a place to say your vows
New York Daily News, NY - Jan 8, 2009
On Wednesday, Roney witnessed the new Manhattan Marriage Bureauâ€™s first wedding ceremony, between Carlos Sanchez, 27, and Jennifer Avila, 22, from Sunnyside ...
Eloping to Vegas? Why Not Lower Manhattan? New York Times
NY hears wedding bells, aims to compete with Vegas The Associated Press
Wedding Bells Ring In NYC Marriage Bureau WNYC
Downtown Express - Gothamistall 254 news articles

Boston Globe
"Not Easily Broken" a thinly disguised sermon
Reuters - 1 hour ago
Wedding-day dreams have taken several unexpected turns when we catch up with Dave (Morris Chestnut) and Clarice (Taraji P. Henson). They live an extremely, ...
Movie review: Cliches nag 'Not Easily Broken' San Francisco Chronicle
Not Easily Broken ( ** ) AHN
Movie Review: â€˜Not Easily Brokenâ€™ is a romantic soap opera that ... Providence Journal
Chicago Daily Herald - Pittsburgh Post Gazetteall 86 news articles

FOR FAMILIES: A guide for parents to Jan. 9 and earlier releases
Chicago Tribune, United States - 13 hours ago
By Roger Moore | Tribune Newspapers What it's about: Best friends become dueling brides when they both book the wedding they've always dreamed of in the ...

Wearing white and eating cake, Brides magazine turns 75
The Canadian Press, NEW YORK - 23 hours ago
"The magazine is realistic about how people's lives are today, but still the focus is how to have a successful wedding and start a healthy marriage," says ...

Wedding war: Las Vegas versus New York
KVBC, NV - 11 hours ago
The city has renovated it marriage bureau and even built a 24000-square-foot wedding complex with the hope of becoming the most popular wedding site. ...

New York Magazine
City to Make Your Shotgun Marriage Just That Much Nicer
New York Magazine, USA - Jan 7, 2009
Photo: Getty Images Perhaps sensing the economic downturn (and having eventually watched the Sex and the City movie), the city spruced up its civil-wedding ...

Former First Lady Cornelia Wallace Dies At 69
NBC13.com, AL - 7 hours ago
Just 16 months after their wedding Governor Wallace was shot. The assassination attempt left Wallace paralyzed. Fifty-four days later, he left the hospital ...

San Francisco Chronicle
'Late Late Show' host reveals his holiday wedding
The Associated Press - Jan 6, 2009
This is Ferguson's third marriage. He has a 7-year-old son Milo from his second marriage. Ferguson jokingly told the audience that his wife won't interfere ...
Craig Ferguson's Secret Wedding Star Magazine
Craig Ferguson Giggles His Way Into Marriage Actress Archives
Craig Ferguson ties the knot over holidays MSNBC
AceShowbiz - PerezHilton.comall 239 news articles

Bridezillas of TV, movies and real-life
Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX - 5 hours ago
Bridezilla cred: She wrote a book about how to re-create her wedding, but before you order it, note that the marriage didnâ€™t last five years and Simpson ...

marriage wedding - Google News

Your Ad Here

Seven Ways to Survive a Remodel (And Save Your Marriage) Tips from Pisa Design, Inc

Marriage & Wedding Marriage & Wedding