"Sheshore" (on another forum) is absolutely right about not soliciting for business on forums. I should have thought more before posting about my new online interior design services. I don't know where my head was. My sincere apologies to everyone and it won't again. Sincerely, Rebecca Mitchell

I think, Dreadocrator, your dilemma's title says it all. You've got the cart before the horse. Like others have said, address the things to be fixed before you get all depressed about decorating. Unfortunately, you won't be able to "see" the things youput money and hard work into, but it will pay off in the long run. Angie's list is a great resource, as is the "Find Locals Pros" button here on Houzz. Just remember, a handyman might be a cheaper resource than a general contractor, and might just be able to let you do a lot of the work. Just remember to get references. And if they don't want to give references, find another one. I have used Handyman Connection (a national franchise) with good results.

Well! it is a tough job to design a house and it could be exhausting, but there are few things to remember:
- The architect and the interior designer are working for you, so their job is to bring up ideas and suggestions, but you are the only one that can confirm the final plan. so when you hire one, just make sure you have good communication and he is open to hear your preference, the rest will come as you go.

- Designing a house is something you do once or twice in your life. remember to enjoy the process and see the fun in it.

- third and last, not everything you see in the design magazines is practical for your house, so dream big, but not bigger than your space.

I had a client who was overwhelmed with it all too once . ( probably more than once - but only once was it described just as you have put it !) so we took things slowly - one room at a time - with me generating the master plan as it were - so able to guide in the right direction so the entire project flowed well in the end ! ( as this was part of the brief - a cohesive look throughout ) If you have one trusted friend with good taste and a willingness to help - and not just agree with anyone about anything - that can help if hiring in a pro is out of reach at this time . Good luck with it all ! :-)

Baby steps - that's the key! I help privately, if you are interested. We can exchange email, I have an 800# for you and we can take it slowly. Simple, hourly rate is the most reasonable you'll find - pay me at PayPal. Sorry all, if that is too crass and commercial! I have helped others directly here at their request.

You are all very kind to give your time and generous counsel to my dilemma! As I read your comments, thought about it, discussed it with my husband, and took a (millionth) look around my house, here is what I have come up with...
1. It isn't exactly the design of my house that depresses me. It's mainly the frustration of not having a resource to find good pros. Houzz doesn't list many people in my area, angies list hasn't been very reliable, and BBB isn't either. I'm tired of websites making my head spin. I have made my priority lists, resolved not to get into the design until the structural issues are taken care of, and I'm stuck because I can't find the company that can help.

Possible solution as suggested by you fine folk- good old fashion word of mouth. A neighbor told me the house I adore in my neighborhood is occupied by an architect. Let's see if an introduction can work any miracles! Hopefully from them I can find a structural engineer, drainage pro, etc.

WORD OF CAUTION: this isn't failsafe, for anyone reading. After a discussion about what I took from this post, Husband and I decided today to head up to the roof and re-survey condition, measure for shingles, etc ( he has done roofs since he was a teenager, and I've even worked with him on a good few). In an odd turn of events, our neighbor next door was getting his roof redone! Without getting into roofing lingo, this company we've seen around before, and they not only did unnecessary work, but undoubtedly overcharged by thousands. We spoke directly with the owner of the co., even catching him in lies, and now we have to live next to our neighbor who we know got taken advantage of! My fear materialized right in front of me....

There are areas in this country where finding affordable reliable contractors is not as difficult. I envy you who live in those areas!

2. Time. There just isn't enough, and that is disconcerting. We definitely don't have the money, and we knew coming in to this we wouldnt, but we didn't account for schedules changing, family needing attention, and other outside variables. For the record, am I the only one that wants to do some reno rather than celebrating holidays?!?! Birthdays, holidays, with only 4 weekends in a month -- AAARGH!!! Nonetheless ... Happy Mothers Day to all you women out there balancing it all!

Possible solution derived from your input - we realized we neither find time to enjoy, nor physically work, on our house as much as we'd like. We agreed that it was important to do both, and commit to it. Make a realistic plan within our timeframe, stick to it, for both. Work majority, and enjoy even in the slightest minority, and we should be on track to a happier process.


3. We decided to work bottom, top, then inside, out, as long as we can afford it. That is how I decided to concentrate even for estimates.

I also realized my depression comes from having design and construction as my main personal pastime. I enjoy it too much. So I will be looking for a career in it. I am not currently working, and it might be the career transition I need. Or will you advise me against it ;)?!

why choose a career that stresses you out ?! life is for living ! do something that is enjoyable to you !!! :-)

Wow! You solved it all! Now to implementation! All the best!

Ah yes, implementation... And hopefully these answers are ones that will work!

Solutions will of course help my mood and outlook, but I think I was driven to write the post because being depressed about house is different than being down about anything else in life. It's always around, inefficiencies staring right back at you at all times, the overwhelm is hard to avoid.

We have moved and remodeled a lot over the years, and I understand exactly what you mean! A couple of things we have learned over the years. At least one room needs to be a sanctuary, comfortable, functional, and attractive. It doesn't have to be expensive or forever, but it needs to feel Ike a finished room. We usually pick the TV room. The master bedroom is another good choice. We also like to live in a place for a while before making big changes. You learn a lot that way. And finally, once you find a good plumber, he will know the good electrician, and so on and so forth.

Here is a way to find a good contractor. I just recently fired a contractor that was half the price of the one I am using now. I have a lot of little stuff to finish so I didn't ask for a bid but am paying him time and materials. The new guy and his helper are absolute gems. I only go over to the house now when they need a decision made about something or when we are making a design plan for something. In spite of the increased hourly rate, I am writing smaller checks every week and seeing more work done. When I knew I had to get rid of the old contractor, I talked to the salesman I use at ProBuild. I've known him for years and when I asked him the names of the good contractors, he gave me three and said there are no more that he knows of that will do the quality of work I am looking for. He said two of them were involved in big projects but that one of them had a couple weeks of semi-free time while he was waiting for a home owner to make a window decision so that he could order them. I feel fortunate for every hour I get out of this guy. His work is flawless, he is organized, he thinks ahead and he's used to working with picky women. He seems to instinctively know when I will want to make a decision about a small detail and doesn't hesitate to call or he just does it right on his own. He has managed to make time to continue working on my job while taking care of his other clients and let me tell you, after the first week of working with Louie, I just felt such a sense of relief. So don't hesitate to quiz the salesmen that work with the contractors. And one other thing, when you get a bid, make sure it outlines the scope of the work so when comparing bids, you are comparing apples to apples. Sometimes the higher bid is the best deal. And quiz those subs, they know who does the best work, too.

You said you wanted to sit around a table drinking coffee and discuss your dilemmas.....well Houzz is sort of like the table & you can drink whatever you want while you get input from others.

I like to add my opinions to other people's dilemmas. Sometimes they like my advice & sometimes they don't. That's okay. We all have different opinions, tastes, & budgets. Usually someone adds something that is useful to the discussion. In the process of adding things & following with updates of the poster, I have learned a lot myself. Just keep posting your dilemmas when you decide to tackle a new project. I've noticed the best way to get the most feed back on Houzz is to keep posting updated pictures as you do things. People like to feel like they have helped & are more likely to keep helping if they can be a part of your progress.

I agree with the poster above who said to prioritize. Sounds like you are on the right track with checking the roof first. After that tackle the foundation & mold problems. Unfortunately those things aren't really noticeable things that will make you feel good looking at them, but it should make you feel good about protecting your investment & any future investments inside.

Good luck to you! Whenever you post a new dilemma, post the link on this discussion so the people already willing to help you will get email alerts.

I hope you don't mind, but I looked through you kitchen ideabook. It seems you like white cabinets & light walls. Are you planning to purchase new cabinets or is that a far off dream until other things are done? Maybe you can tackle the kitchen on your own once you find a contractor for things you can't do. You & your husband sound like you could be handy. If you can make some inexpensive but important changes that you see everyday, it could give you a mental boost.

1-Paint your cabinets white. In the search box at the top, type in white painted cabinets. Look at pictures, ideabooks & discussions on this topic. Read the advice on what to do & not to do. Almost anything home related you can think of has been posted on here & people who have done it themselves have probably relayed their experiences.

1b-To make your peninsula more interesting, add wainscoting/bead board to the back & end of it. You can even take it all the way down to the floor & put trim around it. I'll try to find a picture for you.

2-Paint your walls to a color that suits you, including trim. If you go with white cabinets, white trim looks really nice & makes your paint color pop. I just did this myself. I've always like wood stained, but the white is beautiful.

3-Replace cabinet hardware.

4-Replace light fixtures & add under cabinet lights if your kitchen is dark.

This is a start. The kitchen is a room you walk into every morning. If you brighten it up, it will also brighten your day. What I suggested above isn't that expensive, but does require some work. Don't work every day. You will burn out! Take at least one day a week off from house stuff. Go to a movie, park, watch a favorite tv show, or sit outside & just breathe. You need mental breaks to make it through! I know. We've spent the last 6 months remodeling a house that we just moved into on Sunday. We had the luxury of taking our time & there's still things to do, but we did it ourselves. We saved a lot of money & are proud everywhere we look.

After you do the above things to your kitchen, start on more expensive things as they fit into your budget. Counter tops, flooring, a window seat, etc. can be added later.

(Sorry for the lengthy posts-I try to be brief, but I'm not good at it!)

I've never heard of ProBuild, but I see they do have a location in my state, about 45 min. away. I'm on their website now, reading who they are. Thank you for letting me know - so they are a building resource? Suppliers of construction materials more than the big box stores would supply? How is pricing/ quality?

Here's a few ideas. I had all of these saved in my kitchen ideabook because we did something similar. I first wanted white cabinets too so I have a lot of those in there, but ended up with dark ones because we found them for a good price. Feel free to check out my ideabooks. I have one for every space of my house. I just noticed that the kitchen one is ridiculously big. I should probably de-clutter it a bit! I hope this helps you!

Chrisinsky, I don't mind at all about seeing my ideabooks, that's actually pretty nice of you to do! And your ideas are pretty great, some that I didn't even consider...

We have been in this house a year, and had at first bought supplies and made plans to update the kitchen. But then we realized, for us, it wasn't worth the effort, time, expense(about 300 in total). Literally, I have to watch every dollar ...
We returned everything we bought for it, and put the money towards something else more pertinent. We started thinking " Sometimes, you just shouldn't put lipstick on that pig."

Funny enough, I love the look of a white kitchen, but am going for dark stained cabinets. Houzz doesn't have that many pics of dark cabs, so I look at layout and door type more than anything...

BY THE WAY all, please let me know any of your experiences with kitchen cabinet companies. If I can at least narrow down a cabinet company that would help greatly! Wood Mode in particular is a front runner, and though I know many are fans, I am not for IKEA. Also looking at Plain and Fancy, KraftMaid, Armstrong, Decora. Rutt and Clive Christian are gorgeous but too custom, too expensive.

We also kept it looking like this for motivation to change it! Kind of a hard punishment!...

dreacorator: I use ProBuild because I live in a small town and that is what is here. I don't have access to Home Depot or Lowe's but I can drive two hours to them. They may be cheaper than ProBuild. Because I have some rentals and also do some big projects, I buy my stuff through one of their salesmen and get a contractor's discount. I always price stuff online and then go to my local stores where I try to shoot them the business and I never fail to ask for the contractor's discount. One of the things I like about ProBuild is that the salesperson I use will actually come out to my jobs and give me advice. For instance, he came out a couple months ago and measured for my interior doors. They were spendy doors and he didn't want any screw-ups. He designed my deck for my warehouse and has done lots of things for me for free that I would have had to pay someone else for. Find out who the salespeople are that deal with contractors at your local stores and make them your friend. Many in the trades are willing to give advice and believe me, they know who the good contractors are! I once hired a guy to do sheetrock and when I complained to someone that I wasn't happy with his work, he replied, "Oh, Lance? He's a foundation guy. Don't hire him for anything else!" And don't be afraid to use the internet. I bought 2" stainless steel tile mosaic for a backsplash last week online for $7 a square foot less than my contractor could get it for locally. And one more thing. Sometimes you can get screaming deals on remnants. I just bought the last 270 square feet of Daltile Kimona Silk at a local place for an incredible price. All the little savings count.

I'm with you, Runswithpoodles! I have great resources for the superficial asthetics, great ways of getting discounts (especially living in NYC area) , but will be a long time before I can use any of it! Thats the stuff I have down pat! Its the nitty gritty construction/ architectural part that has me bonkers. I have long had the process of finding out the best possible product, no matter how expensive, and working my way to either finding it at fraction of cost, or less expensive alternative. It's an art form, really ;)

Here's my cabinets. I bought them at a contractor's auction as a set, but I was able to order a few extra pieces to finish it out. We got them for $1200 & only had to add 2 small uppers & the board over the sink & the toe kicks. We used an extra base cabinet & a wide upper turned to open on the end to make the bar. We only needed to add a base to the upper to make it tall enough, then we finished the back out with beadboard that we stained the same color. Originally the kitchen had soffits above the cabinets so we took those out & my brother in law built the display shelves that you see. Basically he built a box out of pine that I stained & the back is beadboard which I painted the wall color. We also built a small pantry in the corner by the bar. I am really happy with it all. I got a lot of my ideas on this site. We didn't have the sink in when this picture was taken. I have a stainless steel one basin that I love. I added brushed nickel pulls. I wanted solid surface counters, but settled for laminate because of cost. I think they look great. I have the tin looking sheets to put up as my back splash, but that's not done yet.

The cabinet brand is Kitchen Kompact. kitchenkompact.com
I really like the look of them and they seem to be very well made. They are a cheaper cost cabinet but still good quality. I ordered my extras from a local lumber company that sells cabinets, but they are also available at Lowe's. They are not with the rest of the cabinets, they are with the cabinet kits. (They are finished though). If you go on the above website you can ask where they have dealers near you. They even told me the stain color so I could match it.

My pantry & a before of my kitchen. We took out part of a wall where the bar sits now.

Looks good, chrisinky! Quite an improvement. Nice find on the cabinets.

Here is a part of my project. I have Diamond cabinets. Bought them originally five or six years ago for another project and didn't use them. Had to add more for this project. There is a peninsula that is not visible in the photo. We moved an exterior wall to increase the size of the kitchen. It was originally a very large pantry. This house was a foreclosure.

Nice job on your kitchen too runswithpoodles! Our cabinets look similar. I really like a simple cabinet door because they are timeless. My house was a foreclosure as well.

Agreed, chrisinky. The Shaker style can be in virtually any kitchen from traditional to modern. Just change the pulls.

Hiring a Design Firm is always a big step unless the designer has been referred to you by someone you know that is happy with their designed house.

Good responsible designers always have many of their jobs published by the important design magazines and they should be able to take you to some of their finished projects with no problem for you to get an idea of their finishes and quality work.

We invite you to see some tips given to people in need to come up with important decisions on their new house transformation. http://www.jdesigngroup.com/tips.php

J Design Group –Top Interior Design Firm Miami - Modern - Contemporary Interior Decorators.

Thank you for sharing, and great job to you both! My house was actually a short sale! Funny that we share that in common, and maybe why you guys have been advising me so well! No negotiating with buyers to fix before moving in ... runswithpoodles, did you have to test the kitchen tiles for asbestos, or remove the sub floor?

I feel your pain! It is overwhelming and take things a little at a time. It's OK, others have been through it. Take a deep breath and assess your resources.

I really think it helps to have a master plan. Sure the kitchen looks a little worn, but it is functional. Structural things should be done first, starting with the basement (if required) and the roof and gutters, and making sure you don't have leaks and moisture problems. Then go to cosmetic. Do small things like painting, along the way to lift the spirits.

You house inspection is a starting point and follow up with local contractors to follow up on any noted issues, and to see what they recommend. Then research the recommendations to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you have some friends who can give recommendations for reliable folks, that is terrific. If you can find a good small general contractor who can give overall recommendations and a phasing plan, that it ideal. Some home inspectors do this as well.

Walk around and make lists, and rank according to importance. The bathroom or whatever may be ugly, but if it is functional, then it is a lower priority. An experienced person can tell you if something is small or a symptom of a larger issue. Don't put your head in the sand, and don't put money into cosmetics before addressing important stuff. Can't tell you how many old houses with crooked floors with new vinyl or laminate I saw. Better to save to fix it right than to slap cheap stuff on top without fixing the underlying problem.

I've learned a lot just at the library and reading every book I can find. Those old general books from Time-Life and Reader's Digest are good. Get to know the era and architecture of your house (70's?) and what to look for. Ask everyone you know if they know a good handyman, preferably an old-timer who can fix almost anything, and get his feedback. If you are dedicated and willing to ask for help, it can be done.

BTW, it may be better to just cover up old floor tile than to tear it up. A lot of it had asbestos in the glue or the tile, and it is OK if you leave it alone. When you tear it up, it gets in the air and is dangerous. It is always best to test first if you aren't sure.

Thanks victorianbugalowranch, better save to fix right than to slap on is where our plans landed as well.

Often, I think design depression has absolutely nothing to do with your actual home, design issue, or decor.... it is in our heads.

dreacorator, it is entirely possible too that you are fatigued from the short sale process. It can be long and frustrating. And then to move in and discover you have the repair items to complete before you get to the fun stuff can exacerbate the stress. Agree with the others, take a deep breath and come up with a plan like victorianbungalowranch suggests. Once you have the repairs done, then the fun stuff is truly fun because you don't have to worry about underlying problems. You can take your time and get it perfect for you and your family. :)

Another option for help is by trading out work. We laid hardwood throughout the main floor & tiled 2 bathrooms. The guy that knew the most about laying the wood & also brought the tools had a house he was flipping for profit. After they did my house, my husband went & helped him lay the wood floors in his. We've been very fortunate that my husband works with some talented guys & we have a brother in law that will build almost anything I ask, even if he thinks I'm crazy when I tell him. My husband went last week & helped him put a roof on a garage. The other guys that helped with the floors know that we owe them if they ever need anything. I also fed them well for the days that they were there!

No, dreacorator, no asbestos issues, thankfully. The ripped flooring in the pic is vinyl. The rest was painted subfloor or subfloor under carpet. The room you can see through the door in the pic was a small kitchen and a small living room. We removed those walls and made an open floor plan with a vaulted ceiling over the dining/living area and moved one exterior wall to enlarge the kitchen. We did have to make the floors flat, we couldn't level them. There is actually a several inch drop from the rear kitchen wall to the front door. We did do some work under the house to make sure we could support the tile. We removed and replaced some subfloor and the tongue and groove under the subfloor was in good shape so no issues there. We did have to make sure all the floors were the same height so we have no odd transitions from room to room. The pic on the left is the original kitchen and the door leads into the pantry which is now the kitchen. This is a small house and I have to continually remind myself of that.

Literally ... you runwithpoodles! I thought it was a metaphor for something ! Great dogs:) Did you consult anyone on the floor levels? Architect, structural engineer for under the house ?

chrisinky- you have no idea how much perfect sense that makes to me. I'm not working at the moment and would LOVE to trade services. Ideally, I would work for a design/ build firm and learn about all the things that confuse me about the process. It's a recurring fantasy in my head ... The only forum I know of is craigslist and that's just too big a risk! Anyone else know of an organization or website ?!?!?!?! In these times where money is such an issue, I wish we could barter services, it just makes so much sense. Unfortunately, I have to meet people first (geez, that sounded antisocial!) most contacts I have have lead me to dead ends on that front.

No, I have a good foundation and support under there. We just beefed it up made sure everything was correct and intact. I have a tendency to go beyond minimum code with everything I do. My engineered beam in the vaulted ceiling is overkill for sure. My guy at ProBuild came out and did the calculations for the beam as he did on another ceiling we vaulted in a different house.
Are you familiar with the book Women Who Run with Wolves? Yep, I run with Poodles! And they are indeed great dogs!

dreacorator and chrisinky: I agree about bartering. The computer store that works on my computers barters for tons of services, even bartered the costs of her obstetrician for the births of her three daughters. But everyone with a biz needs computer services. I sell wild mushrooms. How many can one person eat? ;-)

We are closing Monday on a fixer upper that needs a lot of work, including a new kitchen - as in the existing is just not an option - original to the 1957 build, including all appliances! I think not having estimates yet for much of the work is what stresses me the most right now.

Leemiller, Congratulations! I'm you in a year :) And even in a 50's house! We actually wanted a house with a tear down kitchen, couldn't possibly live with how it looked, but here I am, because other things have taken priority. We had to replace appliances as well, but we did so without thinking of spatial layout. If you are thinking of changing the cabinet configuration, then purchase with those Measurements In mind, Because We bought our french door fridge @ An Awesome price (900) But I now feel like it may be too big for our kitchen we want, and more than that, I would have gotten a slide in range rather than the stand a lone. Just food for thought ... (haha, in the kitchen ...)

Like suggested in this post previously, save for the big stuff and counter balance that with two rooms that you fix up enough to give you reprieve (we chose master bedroom and living room where we spend most time. Above anything, communication with your significant other is so key. Make individual lists of priority on paper separately, and discuss jointly. And those lists are destined to change, but keeping organized about your thoughts and plans helps the stress. And be careful of freakin' asbestos. Read up, because it's unfortunately more than likely to be there. Good luck!!!

Here is some other fun pix of my masterpiece ...

I am a design coach, and I can help you. If you want to call, take time tomorrow after 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. I would be more than willing to see if we can come up with a direction for you.

I live in a rural area with a lot of vacation homes, and it is hard to find anyone around here who is willing to work on an older home. So I am teaching myself window repair and whatnot and am on a five year plan for those (year 4 is coming up so I better get cracking!) Not much competition either, so the contractor prices seem high to me for anyone decent.

And yes, life always comes up. I've had illness and death in my immediate and extended family and that keeps me from the home improvement stuff. I too dream of working for a design/build firm or something, and am working on becoming a certified home inspector, with a goal of becoming a certified historic home inspector some day, and am travelling to learn from some of the experts. Fortunately my husband is supportive, and I have a goal of hanging my shingle in about a year.

runs with poodles: awesome pic of your dogs on the beach!

dreacorator: I understand the antisocial, what I have to meet people? mentality. I've lived in a small town for the last 14 years. I love it but if it wasn't for my social butterfly husband & my outgoing kids I wouldn't know anyone. Most people I know are parents of my kids friends that they play ball with. You just can't walk up to someone & say "hey, will you be my friend?" Of course they would think you were an idiot & run away! Making friends as an adult is hard.

I'm still thinking about making your kitchen happier. If you aren't going to be able to remodel it within a year, then pull off the wallpaper yourself & paint the walls. I know you don't want to put a lot of money in it since you are going to remodel the whole thing anyway, but a bucket of paint is pretty inexpensive. Wait for there to be a paint sale or rebate (Lowe's does that a lot). You could also watch for mistints that the store marks down to see if they might have a nice color or one you can re-tint to suit you. My thought would be a really soft turquoise. It would give it color, but you don't want too much with the dark cabinets. Also if its light, it won't be any trouble to cover up later when you paint again.

What color is your counter top? It looks like a light green to me so I attached the last picture to show how light green & turquoise look together.

Take a deep breath, you are among friends...the suggestion to write it down room by room so you can see what you've identified will go a long way to giving you a grocery list of something to accomplish.....there's so much to juggle. After 10 homes in 4 cities, a mental list still needs tweaking. But in your case, the list is a working guide, with gold stars as you progress, and budget timeline. There's the short time frame/inexpensive items: replace a missing light switch cover for safety. Med time frame/modest expense: fresh paint on empty closet, powder room, or laundry room. Others suggested planning for major, time consuming jobs that are best handled by pro. My friend replaced her roof, but not me. Hubby watched (after working all day) pro painter redo our living room and noticed all the steps taken that can be time consuming for HO. PS...the list is like a good recipe, it can be tweaked regularly. Take a deep breath, take pix and enjoy. It's been said that owning your own home is a way of life!

I agree with making a list for each room. I have 6 pages of lists from when we started our remodel & I would have been lost without it. I would no doubt have forgotten things otherwise. I actually did lose the list for a couple of weeks & I was lost! Thank goodness I found it. I have everything on there from flooring & paint to switch covers & curtain rods. The list is still in use because we just couldn't get to everything before we moved in.

You may want to get a notebook so its harder to lose. You could also write down estimates, phone numbers of contractors, websites where you saw something great & budget tracking in the same notebook. I like the notebooks with a folder pocket inside the cover and an elastic band attached so you can keep it from flopping open.

Don't forget to hang onto receipts for things you can take off of your taxes. Energy efficient things like new windows & insulation are usually deductible. Talk to your tax person first to check what can help you.

Paint is your friend :) Therapy in a bucket, I used to call it! Finding the style you want goes a long way to helping you find what you want. I have finally accepted that I love everything and while the glossy pictures of perfection are tempting, I really need to accept I am an eclectic at heart. Always buy what you love. Good Luck!

Been a while since I've been on houzz, thank you all for checking in on this post! To chrisinsky, your design makes a lot of sense, I never would have thought there was a way of working with the counter! But we're eagerly wanting to demolish it all. We've lived here just over a year, so it's time & we are ready for reno, thankfully!

A great thing happened this weekend - we finally got some backyard furniture. We decided it doesn't have to be forever furniture, or seat everyone we want to visit, just enough for us. We set a budget, came in way under it :), and finally sat outside together ... after a year. Yes, we were looking at the 300 ft of fence that needs desperate replacement, and some trees that are dead and need to go, but we were able to see past it and breathe in the air, watch the birds and chipmunks, and appreciate that it was spring. My husband pointed out that it was the first time I bought a new piece of furniture for this house, and I acknowledged that it felt incredible to do so.

Now that the backyard space has some sort of personal "design" specific for this house, it is making the creativity flow a little easier into the design of the other spaces. Am I any closer to design decisions? A little. But more importantly, more optimistic.

And yes, I will be concentrating on the safety necessities before design!

Sounds great dreacorator! My in laws gave us a swing a few weeks ago & I try to go out and sit on it as often as possible, even if its for 5 minutes. I am looking at a deck that desperately needs painting & trees that need trimming, but its still wonderful! Congrats on your "breakthrough!"