As luck would have it, my husband, Steve, injured his back late summer and I was not unhappy . . . What the heck! Did Zaino really say that? What kind of person is she? . . . because the only thing he could not do was play golf. Woo WOO! Absolutely nothing else bothered him. This meant that instead of spending my weekends as a golf widow, I could now a) enjoy his company, and b) get some chores and projects done around the house.
The top project on my list has been the master bathroom renovation. Initially, Steve thought the bathroom was fine and did not need a gut job. I can tell you that its current state is a hodgepodge of shades of beige, white, and almond, it has a large Jacuzzi tub that never quite gets hot enough, an old yellowed exhaust fan that doesn’t work, and a dark, unremarkable shower.
A few years ago, this project was a tough sell. Steve didn’t get onboard until he started watching HGTV with me and got to see what the future state could look like. Watching shows like Buying and Selling, Flip or Flop, and Fixer Upper, he saw the reactions of potential buyers to a range of bathrooms from ugly to mediocre to beautiful. This tipped the scales slightly in my favor because as we approach retirement age, selling is in the not-too-distant future.
What sealed the deal was when I explained that after a tough day of gardening, I’d be able to lower my aching body into a tub of soothing hot water and this would make me very happy – and you know what they say about a happy wife 😉 😉 It’s a win/win.
After reaching agreement to move forward with a complete overhaul, I needed to finalize decisions on every single component from floor to ceiling. For those who know me well, you know that the higher the price tag, the longer time I spend researching, analyzing, comparing, thinking that I’ve made up my mind, and going back to square one. We aren’t just talking a few weekends to decide on a car – I have been known to take more than a year. I have been planning the master bathroom project on and off for the past two years. During this time, I spent many hours window shopping online and visited kitchen and bath stores from Franklin to Natick. I reclined in a half dozen free standing tubs, vacillated between vessel and under-mount sinks, earthy or gray toned tile – there are so many items to make decisions on.
What helped nudge me forward was so very simple. I was given deadlines. My husband warned me, “You need to order the tub so we can see how we are going to position it and where the plumbing will go.” As a project manager, I could relate to this – the tub purchase needs to happen early in the project and is on the critical path.
This project is the first major project for us as a married couple. Someday we hope to design and build a zero-energy home, so this will be a good test for us – a proof of concept of sorts. So far, so good. I was able to get my husband onboard, he helped me overcome my analysis paralysis, and working together, we now have a solid project schedule which is aligned with a procurement plan. Let the project begin!
Future State
Bling!
