Day 9 February 23

It’s Saturday so bring on the work! We had a majority of the wall dividing the mudroom and kitchen completed minus the end cap. As most of the projects we do on our own, it didn’t quite go as would have liked the first time through. Because of the design of the wall it made it difficult to make it straight, without any bowing. The first time it was put together I stepped back and had to say something, it just wasn’t straight. I was hesitant to say something because I realized the steps backward we were taking, as well as me not really knowing the exact way to fix it, but I didn’t want to regret not saying anything in the end. So after some bickering back and forth about our dilemma, we agreed to fix our problem, or at least to try. We did what we thought would work, and in the end while it may not be exactly straight, it is an improvement from the original. 

After spending more time on the wall than we would have liked, we were ready to move on to something different. We went ahead and attached the light fixtures for the recessed lighting. We put them where I originally had marked out, and then came another moment of considerable time unexpected. As we were walking around the room, assessing their spots, sliding here and sliding there, I came to a realization. I realized how easy and enjoyable demo was compared to projects that require making decisions. As I stood there contemplating if that light was in the perfect spot, I wrestled with the idea about whether this really mattered, whether I was being too critical and perfectionist. As I debated in my head, I came to the conclusion that this is a decision that requires considerable forethought and details, but by the time it’s completed we will live with and enjoy what we designed as a couple. I also figured that anything we do will be better than what we had originally. We came to a decision, agreed, and said that’s that.

While it can be easy to be indecisive or prolong a decision because I feel it may not be the best one, it sure does feel good to finalize a decision and move on. So after setting the lighting, David got onto planning the plumbing. There was excess plumbing from previous designs of the kitchen/mudroom which was going to be removed, as well as additional plumbing being put in to supply the kitchen sink and refrigerator. We marked hot and cold lines and by the end of the evening David had a plan for the rerouting, as well as a list of supplies to pick up at the hardware store. While David was plumbing planning, I installed most of the electrical boxes, leaving a few spots open for boxes that we needed to get at the store.