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5 Tips for Surviving a Home Renovation

June 22, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

My favorite sneakers are $20 off with this link! You can toss them in the washing machine if they get dirty!

It has officially been five years since we closed on our house! It feels both like time has dragged on and flown by — and I think that has a lot to do with whatever stage of home improvement we’re in at the time! 2022 has been our home’s most transformative year yet with two bathroom renovations. I have a lot of emotions as a reflect back on the past five years: excitement, pride, frustration, annoyance, exasperation, appreciation … and so many more, but thankfully I’ve circled back to excitement and pride after we handed off our final check to our contractor and finally got to enjoy the end result of the projects that took so much time and money. Renovations aren’t easy and I wanted to share five tips for surviving a renovation if you have one of your own on the horizon.

PLAN CAREFULLY

I can’t overstate the importance of planning when it comes to your renovation, and it’s going to impact all aspects of the project. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Save more money than you think you’ll need, and have a plan in place if your project creeps and goes beyond what you hoped to spend. We ended up getting a HELOC to allow for cushion when our project went 100% over anticipated costs.
  • General contractors are in high demand right now. Expect to book at least six months out.
  • While you’re getting quotes from contractors, work on creating a mood board or source list for your project. (Here’s mine for the main bathroom and the one for the powder room.) You’ll want to have all of your products selected before work begins. While you’ll have some wiggle room when nailing down things like paint colors, it’s easier to have a solid direction right out of the gate.
  • Decide who is responsible for ordering products, materials, and fixtures. Is it going to be you or your contractor? For our project, I purchased the fixtures and our contractor was responsible for securing the other items. We had a shared Google spreadsheet to track my product selections, colors and finishes, who was responsible for ordering it, and where it was in the delivery process. Many products have a long lead time that you’ll need to account for. Other items, like a bathtub or vanity, are oversize and heavy. Do you have a place to store it if you order it? Can you even move it to the storage location if the shipper leaves it on a pallet outside of your home?
  • Make sure all of our items are in-hand by the time your project begins. Construction takes a long time as it is and you don’t want an unnecessary delay if something hasn’t arrived in time.
  • Consider pet or child care. Demo day is especially loud and not the best environment for sensitive ears. Can you spend the day elsewhere?
  • If your bathroom or kitchen is under construction, plan how you’re going to accommodate for those missing utilities. Do you have another bathroom you can use? Do you need a gym membership so you can shower? Do you need to find more slow cooker recipes so you can “cook” in another room?
  • Protect your home’s surfaces, especially the flooring. We had our contractor put down X-Board surface protector on each surface the team would be walking on to protect our hardwood floors and stairs. We ended up having one ding on the floor where something was dropped, but managed to avoid any additional scratches.
Minimize Construction Dust

Everyone warned me about construction dust, but I had no idea how bad it would be until we were in the midst of things — and that was even with daily vacuuming by our construction team! Talk to your contractor up front about ways to mitigate dust. They will likely be putting up a plastic barrier, but there may be other things they can do. On demo day for our main bathroom, they put a filter in our window that blew air out of the house and we turned the furnace off to avoid having too much dust circulating. Keep doors to your other rooms closed and consider getting an air purifier for your bedroom (we have this one). Despite all of that, though, you’ll have dust to clean up after your project is complete. Use that as an opportunity to do a deep “spring” clean, no matter what season it is! And, don’t forget to change your furnace filter afterward!

Communicate Clearly

The success of your project is going to rely on your ability to communicate with your contractor about expectations, design, and timelines. Choose a contractor who has a communication style that matches your own. Our contractor was around our age and would text updates and questions, and had read receipts on so I knew when my own comments had been seen. He was also respectful and receptive to my thoughts and concerns when hiccups inevitably happened. I’d also urge you to check in with your contractor whenever you have a question about the process or if something doesn’t seem like it’s going how you expected. You’re the client and you’re paying a lot of money, so you should feel good about the work that’s being done. It’s easier — and oftentimes cheaper — to correct a mistake or change course when you first notice an issue than it is to wait.

Clear communication also extends to your relationship if you’re embarking on a renovation with a partner. Renovations are inherently stressful with money concerns and routines upended — and you two might have different ideas of what’s “good enough” if you hit a snafu. Recognize that your partner may also be overwhelmed and do what you can to empathize with them rather than misdirect any reno frustrations. You’ll be a stronger team at the end of it!

Be Flexible

There will be hiccups along the way. There might be a product that’s out of stock or an item you ordered that just won’t work in your space due to what’s going on behind the walls — or, in my case, the brand of tile you picked for your walls doesn’t have a matching bullnose option and you have to figure out a new trim solution. Despite your best laid plans, something will come up that will throw you off course. Be nimble and open to your contractor’s suggestions — and be willing and able to make decisions on the fly (or at least after sleeping on it). I know you might want to replicate your inspiration board to a T, but every house is different and has different challenges to work around. The longer you wait to make a decision, the longer the timeline gets and the more expensive the project becomes.

And, even if you’re quick to change course, accept early on that the project will cost more than the quote. Save another 50% before beginning the work to allow yourself a cushion if it comes to that. If you don’t need to spend it, you’ve just given yourself a sweet little vacation fund to celebrate!

Create Renovation-Free Zones

Create a space in your home that’s free from renovation reminders — and renovation discussions. Your life is going to be chaotic during the process, so give yourself a refuge to mentally check out and enjoy your evenings!

Please leave any additional advice in the comments!

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Filed Under: Home, Lifestyle Tagged With: home renovation

On the Right Foot: Paris Syndrome, Juneteenth Flag Explained, Earrings I’m Tempted to Pre-Order & More!

June 20, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

Scenes from the weekend (clockwise, upper left): dined at Merchant, which recently reopened after a remodel; stopped for breakfast at Lakeside St. Coffee House before setting out on a 20-mile bike ride Saturday morning; capped off the weekend with friends at Muskellounge; and a scene from our ride.

The Juneteenth flag explained.

My favorite cocktail glasses now come in a bevvy of colors! I have a pair in amber and am crushing on the set in Rivera Blue.

The personal brand is dead.

I’ve been living in this menswear-inspired shirt I bought at Target last week. It’s nearly sold out online, but it’s worth checking to see if your store carries it. Go up a size for that perfectly oversize look. (Mine shrunk a little bit in the wash, but it became the softest after a round in the dryer.)

You have to try this recipe for slow-cooker pulled pork. I didn’t have fennel seeds and it still came out wonderfully.

Have you heard of Paris Syndrome?

Ritual vs. Routine

I’m inspired by the bedroom in this home tour.

Love the texture on this woven leather pillow.

I’m tempted to pre-order these beauties.

Enjoy your week!

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: On the Right Foot

On the Right Foot: A Great Drugstore Cream Blush, History of Wood Paneling, Hot Peppers for Your Garden & More!

June 13, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

Snapshot from last week’s evening bike ride in Madison, Wisc.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We were on the go for most of it with a neighborhood festival (the first of Madison’s festival season), my cousin’s high school graduation party, and a visit to a newly opened cocktail bar.

Last week, I shared the reveal of our main bathroom! Plus, the cost breakdown. Oof.

I tried this drugstore cream blush in “rose flush.” The buildable color gives a natural glow.

The U.S. lifted its COVID-testing requirement to fly into the States. (This makes our fall trip to Europe so much easier!)

Loving these sandals in the “natural burlap” with that statement-making gold buckle.

A list of the best hot peppers to grow in your garden. We have a jalapeño and a habanero this year.

This recipe for lemongrass chicken with rice and zucchini sounds wonderful.

The history of wood paneling.

Elvis’ Graceland is the second most visited home in America.

I have a crush on this petite bag. Look at that wood handle!

How to get beachy waves.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: On the Right Foot

On the Right Foot: A Must-Have Collab, This Summer’s Hottest Color, Dark Tile in the Kitchen & More!

June 6, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

My dwarf mock orange exploded in fluffy white blossoms last week!

In case you missed it, I shared an update on how our front porch stain is holding up after two years and a roundup of some seaside-inspired items. Coming up this week: the main bathroom reveal on Wednesday and how much it cost on Friday.

Love the use of dark tile in this home tour.

Did you know that Nordstrom has a service where you can buy split-shoe sizes or a single shoe if needed? They really do have the best customer service.

Landlords are embarrassed to be called landlords.

The latest Birkenstock collaboration is so good. There’s a double-strap style and a T-strap option.

On the menu this week: grilled chicken thighs with a lemongrass glaze and sticky ginger sesame chicken meatballs.

Cobalt blue is this season’s must-have color.

I bought this Target dress over the weekend.

If your dream destination is too expensive, here are some less expensive alternatives.

Flared leggings are back. (I’ll be sitting this one out.)

A super cute, on-sale basket bag for just $50.

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: On the Right Foot

On the Right Foot: History of Subway Tile, iPhone’s Built-in Plant ID, Used Hotel Soap Gets Second Life & More!

May 31, 2022 by jessica Leave a Comment

Photo credit: Vickholius Nugroho

We spent the long weekend celebrating my birthday with bike rides, dining out, antiquing, and an overnight stay in Milwaukee at the Iron Horse. It was a wonderful way to ring in year thirty-nine and I’m excited to see what the next year brings!

And now that I’m on the cusp of what will likely be my best decade ever (or at least I’m channeling that energy), there are two choices that keep a midlife crisis at bay.

On the blog last week: what I bought and loved this month, and the main bathroom progress report part three.

The history of subway tile.

What happens to used hotel soaps.

With iOS 15, your iPhone can identify plants you have on your camera roll.

Bob Mackie was not thrilled that Kim Kardashian wore the dress he sketched for Marilyn Monroe.

AI is being used to predict what you’ll order at a restaurant.

How to paint a dresser and avoid a streaky finish.

I’m eyeing this pair of beautiful earrings.

Have a wonderful week!
–
Let’s keep in touch!
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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: On the Right Foot

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Hello!


Jessica Hamm
Hello there! I'm a first-time homeowner updating a 1920s house in Madison, Wisconsin. I have a penchant for travel and a love of costume jewelry. Follow along for personal style, travel, and lifestyle content.

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I wouldn’t let #InternationalCatDay pass by with I wouldn’t let #InternationalCatDay pass by without sharing my love for this cutie!

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Staying at four Graduate Hotel properties last yea Staying at four Graduate Hotel properties last year solidified my love of the brand. Each is located in a college town and the brand does a wonderful job bringing in each city’s personality by way of thoughtful design finishes and kitschy details. In recent years, the brand has done a summer promotion to attract travelers to university towns during a typically quiet time of the year. This year was no different. For 30 hours in May, Graduate sold $30 rooms for the month of July. (Each person was limited to one booking.) We thought about going somewhere outside of the Midwest, but with a trip to Europe scheduled for this fall, we opted to stay closer to home and choose a location that we could drive to. And with that, a trip to Evanston, IL was on the books.

I didn’t know much about Evanston attractions, but I figured we’d find enough things to fill 48 hours. If not, Chicago was only a short train ride away. I’m happy to report that my low expectations were unfounded and I was won over by the city’s charming gardens, quaint neighborhoods, and access to Lake Michigan. It’s not to say that there’s a lot to do in the city. There isn’t, at least in the summer. But it has cute pockets all over that make a stay in the suburbs worthwhile.

Find a list of what we did in Evanston on the blog. (Use the search bar and type in "Evanston" to find it.) 

#visitevanston #evanstonillinois #graduatehotels #bahaihouseofworship #newportcoffeehouse #wanderlust #travel
A few moments from the weekend. A few moments from the weekend.
A small moment of peace from the past weekend. I A small moment of peace from the past weekend.

I feel like I’ve been doomscrolling since the news broke of SCOTUS’ decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. My emotions run the gamut from sadness to frustration to unadulterated rage. I’m deeply disgusted by conservatives and evangelicals, but especially by liberals who supported Bernie Sanders and refused to vote for Hillary Clinton at such a crucial moment in our history. Did you know that 12% of Sanders’ primary election supporters voted for Trump in the general election? In Wisconsin alone, 51,000 of them voted for Trump — a state Trump would win by just 22,000 votes. 

Your vote matters. It matters in national elections, statewide elections, and local elections. It’s crucial that Democrats organize as strategically as conservatives did and restore reproductive rights. 

In the meantime, donate your time, talent, or treasure to help those facing an unwanted pregnancy. @thecut has a great list on their site with organizations to support in states likely to prohibit abortion. I’ve donated to @plannedparenthoodwi.
Reveal day is finally here! It’s been a long pro Reveal day is finally here! It’s been a long process that started back in April 2020 with a kitchen ceiling leak that was attributed to water leaking from our tub faucet and working its way through the floor and into the kitchen. Our bathroom was never anything to look at (before photos on the feed), but the leak really accelerated our plans for a full bathroom renovation when timelines — and budgets — allowed. It feels a bit surreal to have it done and I don’t think I’ll ever stop admiring it whenever I walk past!

#bathroomremodel #1920shouse #1920shouserenovation #bathroomdesign #bathroomrenovation #kohler #schoolhouseliving #thetileshop
A peek into the garden kaleidoscope at @olbrichgar A peek into the garden kaleidoscope at @olbrichgardens by @rcandersonsculpture.
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