Our mid-mod reno . . .
It’s been a long road of ups, downs and sideways tangents. We’ve learned a lot along the way, usually through trial and error. If you’ve read any of our previous updates, then you know that renovations aren’t for the faint of heart. Would I choose to do it again? That’s a very good question. The short answer is both yes and no.
When we bought our mid-mod reno in June 2017, our initial plan was to do a mostly cosmetic update. We’d remove a couple walls, take out the carpet and liven things up with current finishes and fresh paint. This sounded like a good idea at the time–we were so excited to start living in our first family home.
Turns out, our architect had other plans. Instead of a simple six month overhaul, he presented a completely new layout that’d double (maybe even triple?!?) the amount of work and significantly increase the budget. I’m talking a complete gut, removing everything down to the studs. This seemed scary at first, but it made the most sense when we thought about our future goals. We’d get a completely renovated house, suited to our tastes and ideal for everyday functionality.
Fast forward to today. It’s been nearly two years since our first walk through, and I’m thrilled to see the pieces come together. We officially have a kitchen with countertops + beautifully finished bathrooms, painting starts the end of this week, lighting goes in next and exterior work picks up after that. Stress levels have been high, but this is the part we’ve been waiting for.
Yes, it’s gratifying to have the end in sight. I really like this part. But the rest of it? Ah, I don’t want to think about another renovation ever again. Give me some time. I’m sure living life each day in our new space could help change my tune.
Have you ever tackled a home reno?
photos by Gentri Lee
I cannot wait to see what the finished product looks like! I’ve always thought a reno would be cool to do one day but I’m not going to lie…it’s terrifying!
Looking for Fritztile residential install info…we bought an odd lot of tiles, but company is closed, so need install help diy. Are you happy with your fritztiles, pros/cons & what adhesive did you use for install? What did you cut tiles with? Did you seal tiles? Do they bend enough for slight slope in floor? Any regrets? Thx so much, Kim
P.s. I also reached out to you via youtube
Hi Kim! I’ll copy and paste my response from YouTube. Hope it helps!
Here’s our advice based on our experience. We highly recommend adhering it to the concrete slab if possible. Yes, it allows for slight slope (but always better if you can get a level surface so everything lines up and looks as good as possible. We used the Fritztile adhesive for ours–seemed to work well. It was fairly easy to install (smear on glue then lay tile). We had our tile guy install it, but even he had to go back and fix a few corners that weren’t laying flush. We also applied the Fritztile finish that we applied over the top of it (like a clear top coat in the manicure process). We’ll be a year in come August. So far, so good! It’s been really durable and great for kids.