Oh boy, I don’t know where the time has gone…but we’ve been in Montez Manor for a whole month already! Looking back on month one, I’m SO proud of what we’ve accomplished. Hopefully throughout November I can begin sharing more about the spaces in our home, but above is a peek at our outdoor dining space! We still have more to do outside before I share a full reveal, but it’s currently our favorite place of all. The month has gone by quicker than I ever expected, and a lot of things about the house still give me some major anxiety, but mostly I’m a million times happier than I was in our apartment. It wasn’t a good situation for us. This just feels right. I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned in one month as a homeowner. Some of them might be really obvious (and I think I expected them), but they still hit me pretty hard.
1. Everything Costs More than You Expect
First up, literally EVERYTHING is more expensive than you think it is. Tree trimming? Yikes. Furniture that isn’t from IKEA? Goodbye money. Paint? Don’t forget about the accessories! Landscaping and pool help? Crap. It adds up real fast.
Simultaneously, you also learn that everything is more difficult than you expect it to be. More on that below. All of the expenses we’ve unveiled this past month (most of them “unnecessary” but very wanted) have made me EXTRA thankful that we got the house for less than we originally offered. Every penny helps.
2. Murphy’s Law
Ever heard that expression “everything that can go wrong will go wrong?” Yeah, it turns out that’s the definition of homeownership. I swear, not a single project has gone as planned, including simple paint projects. WHYYYY?! It definitely has made me feel like I can’t do anything right. Yes, it’s frustrating. I just try to remind myself it’s part of the process. Of course, it sucks when those hiccups also mean money….
Granted, we’ve tackled a lot. Maybe too much. It’s just very frustrating when nothing is easy. Geez, why can’t things just be easy? Well, I guess that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?
3. There’s More to Paint than I Thought
You guys. I learned something about myself in this process. Apparently I can’t pick a good paint color. Honestly, I can’t even trust myself anymore. Thankfully, the main shade of white we painted 90% of the house with came out as envisioned (color wise). Welp, then I painted Andrew’s office. Not what I expected. Then I painted the bathroom. Woah, that was not what I thought it would look like – I’m actually considering a repaint! Finally, the bathroom vanity came out lighter than we hoped. After THREE colors turning out too dark/bright, I tried to play it safer and the color came out too light in the end. What’s wrong with me?!
I can no longer trust my paint judgement. Here’s to hoping I can get it right in the end.
Finally, the overall process of repainting the entire house did not go as planned. I thought I’d use a borrowed paint sprayer to give the entire house a clean coat of white (most of it was beige plus some very unflattering colors). Ultimately, I couldn’t get the sprayer to work and we had to hand paint it all, which took a very long time and A LOT of help. My poor sisters-in-law, mom and aunt helped significantly. When we discovered just how wonderfully tall our living room and bedroom ceilings were, we were left with “how on Earth are we going to get up there?!” My brilliant sister-in-law came up with the solution to tape a paintbrush to a broomstick and BAM, that’s how we finished the painting. To say it was challenging would be an understatement.
4. Comparisons are Inevitable…and they suck
Being in this business, it probably comes as no surprise that I follow a million amazing bloggers, designers and creators who share their beautiful homes. Despite knowing full-well that each situation is different and I can’t make my dated 80s home a masterpiece in a month, the comparisons are difficult. Jealousy kicks in after seeing beautiful photos plastered on Instagram while my guest bathroom smells like a rat died in it after stripping the wallpaper. The hard thing about anxiety and jealous is it’s simply not rational. I want that beautiful home I picture in my head, and it’s a constant battle to remind myself that it takes time to get there. After all, I still have to worry about time and costs to get these things done.
5. Decisions are Hard
This was a problem I faced with wedding planning too. *sigh* Wedding planning…
I don’t normally see myself as an indecisive person, but when it comes to decor, I WANT IT ALL. Like, what do you mean I can only pick one dining room table?! Sometimes, I see things and just know. Then I see the price tag and realize NOPE. More often than not, I agonize over the decision before picking one, which just adds to the anxiety.
For example, trying to pick a wallpaper for our guest bathroom was a loooong process for me. I liked one, but it was too expensive and I was convinced I would find something I liked better for a different price. Well, that turned out to be an agonizing decision that took me several days to finally make. Fingers crossed I love the final result!
All in all, I’m loving this homeownership thing and continue to feel grateful every day I wake up in this home. It’s the one good thing to come out of this horrible year. Andrew and I still pinch each other regularly because we can’t actually believe we live here. What lessons did you learn when you first bought a home?!