Once a year around this time, I’m going to repeat the question: What is your longest-running, unfinished house project? I asked the question last May… and now 14 months later, I’m super happy to announce: Yankee Doodle! My 8-year project to get my interior window sashes is Done! (Minor pandemonium in progress, pictured above.) .
Ummm, I need to ‘fess up that my DIY-skills on this particular project entailed: Writing a check to nice painter Jim. Painting is something I can and often do myself, and I actually enjoy it. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever hired anyone to do any interior painting in the house — I’ve painted every other room.
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The paint was peeling on the exterior gables — and exterior painting on tall ladders is something I don’t do. So at the same time we called Jim in to do the outside, I had him knock off a few small jobs on the inside as well. Jobs that had been a noose around my neck for years. And woah, outsourcing was worth it. My house has breathed a big sigh of relief. Readers: It is really really good feng shui to finish tasks once started. Bad feng shui to leave tasks undone. I have been bad. I will reform. I will I will.
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Now: moving up on the list to take pole position as my longest-running, unfinished house project is: Hem the pinch-pleat curtains that hang on the now-painted windows in the living room. I cobbled my pinch pleats from an estate sale find. For 7.5 years, the hems have been held together by straight pins. This project, I *will* do myself.
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What about you? Commiseration, please: What is your longest-running, unfinished house project — and why? (And oh yeah, did you finish the project you listed last year, yet?)
Palm Springs Stephan says
Finishing the bedroom. It has been exactly two years now, and the same blue painter’s tape is still outlining the doorwar! The crown molding has yet to be caulked and painted, as do the baseboards.
Then there’s the kitchen …. fixed the earthquake cracks in the ceiling and painted it, and pulled up half of the 1990s vinyl sheet overlaying the original 1958 linoleum, but have not gone any further.
I blame it (conveniently!) on the real estate market. Prices in my building have dropped from a high of $160,000 five years ago to about $60,000 today. With 60% loss in value for most units (and 40% loss on my own), I cannot bring myself to invest another penny until the market rebounds more.
CouldBeVeronica says
Watch out for that painter’s tape! After a few months, it sticks so fast to the wall that it tears off a layer of paint and paper when you finally get around to removing it. Learned that the hard way . . . sigh. Never did get around to spackling, sanding, priming, and painting the ragged, rough track the tape left behind before I sold the house. I’ll bet it’s still there!
Cara says
My projects are no older than 6 months and there are plenty – I guarantee I will have something to contribute next year! For now I will have to share my parent’s project.
They have lived in their house for 23 years. The top cupboard in their pantry is missing a shelf and the ceiling plaster. They fixed the leaky plumbing above the pantry and had a board for the shelf before they moved in but my dad promptly used the board for something in the attic and never finished the plaster work.
pam kueber says
Cara, so you are saying: 23 years? That’s the record so far, for sure! 🙂
Heidi Swank says
I think I can safely say that the entire interior of our house, which we moved into five years ago, is our longest running project. It had suffered from years of benign neglect. We knew we had a lot of work to do, but … By fall of 2008, we had removed all the carpet with the intention of getting our cracked slab fixed, taken down about 1/2 of the faded flocked wallpaper that covered every wall in the house except the kitchen, and begun removing the paint coated popcorn on the ceilings. Then we bought a foreclosure a block over and since then all jobs in our house have come to a halt. Happily, the rental house is all nicely restored and the yard landscaped, so we can finally begin work again on our house. Our first project is to yet our slab fixed, so we can finally put some flooring in. I never would have thought that five years in we’d still be living in a construction zone!
jaysmom49 says
My longest project started 18 yrs ago when I moved in. All the base shoe molding had been removed for wall to wall carpeting, the remnants of it show on every baseboard. Finally found enough to do the house at RESTORE last year, some is cut, some is pre-primed but still have to finish.
Joe says
Started our kitchen last June, we’re just now finishing up the backsplash, window trim, curtains. So, I’m in 13 month territory. We were jerked around for a bout 6 months by the guy who did our countertops since he was doing them as a favor, and we were sidetracked with a massive wedding to plan right in the middle. I’ve got some pics up on my site http://newfoundfreetime.blogspot.com and some pics in my flickr somewhere flickr.com/photos/joefultano We’re actually going to work on it a little today to since we’re having people over tomorrow night, gotta make it presentable.
CindyD says
Joe, your kitchen is AMAZING! You and Nikki have done a fabulous job – I think the counter was well worth the wait (I’m sure you had your doubts as you endured!). I love the teal tile with the pink Genevas! Have to ask – were they originally pink? I hope you share more photos when you’re finished
Alice says
Love your photos and that pink kitchen! Are the tiles blue, teal and yellow from ModWalls? Just curious…I’ve been considering that combo and thinking about how the colors might change or deepen once the the adhesive was behind them. Tell us more!
Vintigchik says
My husband and I had to buy a 1969 mobile home when we found out we were expecting our third baby. Ooops:) We were living in a one bedroom apt. We did waaaaay too many projects in our vintage mobile home. Five years later, we were still finishing projects the day we moved out. Luckily my sister bought the place from us, so she was pretty understanding. I have a new model I follow now that we are in a “real” house: One room at a time! This has really saved me. I cannot start another project until I finish the last one. We never got to really enjoy our little mobile home. It was in a constant state of rennovation, then we moved. It was an awful feeling walking into the house having a million unfinished projects staring me in the face. I definietly learned my lesson! By the way, retro rennovation is so much easier and cheaper than trying to bring and older home “up to date” as I discovered while doing my pink bathroom. Thanks Pam for giving us the encouragment that it’s ok to just go with what you like and forget about the fashionistas:)
Barbara says
Painting the OUTSIDE of the house. I’m planning to do it this summer, but we went from spring to over 100+ temps overnight. May have to wait until fall….
Marcela says
Good luck…we’ve been waiting 6 years to start that very same task. About a month ago we finally started. It should be finished soon. But today we have rain (much needed though) so hubby is off to paint the covered side of the house
Shane Walp says
My kitchen and bath are still in stud walls since last July 🙁 I’m ashamed. But I DID get my 1955 toilet installed yesterday after removing the Lowes toilet!
nina462 says
Well, after months of procrastination, I bought the paint for my shutters and am going to paint them TODAY!
And after years of living in my house, I finally put up some curtains in the bedroom …ha! I took down those bad mini blinds last year, and it took me this long to finally put up something new. And I love them–why didn’t I do that sooner?
Happy Yankee Doodle day!
Kelly says
I’m proud of you for calling someone in to knock out some chores. Sometimes, that’s the best feeling in the world! You’ll get those drapes done now. I know it!
During that post last year, we were under contract on our house so I am sure we had about a million things planned. I guess we still do – buying an older house is definitely about dedication. : )
Our longest running project has become our pink bathroom. We started it on March 4th of this year and I remember thinking that we’d have it knocked out in two weeks. Here we are in July and we have every single thing done….except for one major puzzle piece. We have a section of missing tiles in the floor where someone drilled a hole through to get to plumbing years ago. We keep a rug thrown over it and I call it “our dirty little secret”. It’s killing me that the entire bathroom is exactly as I wanted it to be except for what’s lurking under that rug! We have called, e-mailed and written letters all across the country to try and find matching tile with no luck. If I only I had a time machine so that I could go back to 1956 and buy up a case of that tile! : ) I’m not giving up though…but enough said – that’s our never ending project. I have faith that it WILL end. I just don’t know when. I know that I will never be able to call it “done” until that tile is done too.
pam kueber says
Hey Kelly, send me a pic of the tile you are looking for. I will post it, say a prayer to the retro decorating gods, and see if they (or readers nationwide) can deliver!
Kelly says
Thanks, Pam! Will do! We need such a small amount and that keeps me very hopeful that someone has some in a dusty shed somewhere. : )