X, Meet Y

In the twilight years of her life, my grandma used to sit in a living room chair and tell me all about the projects she was going to do.
 
                “When I feel a little better, I’d like to find a new ottoman for that chair,” she would start. “If I’m not so tired tomorrow, I’m going to pop out and look for a few new pillows.”

​From her perspective, she had full view of all the things she would like to do and felt frustrated when she was unable to. Five years later, when I had my first baby and was stuck on the couch all day (and night!), I experienced similar feelings. The term “trapped under a baby” felt quite literal and I spent much of my mental energy on composing to-do lists for the small amounts of time when I had full use of my legs and both arms. The ability to survey and focus on your surroundings while being totally unable, for whichever reason, to accomplish change or make an improvement is incredibly discouraging.
 
The concept of “I’ll do X when Y happens” is prevalent and has many variations:
 
“I’ll cut back on coffee when work settles down.”
 
“I’ll start an emergency fund when I get a raise.”
 
“I’ll get back to the gym once Girl Scout cookie season is over.”
 
These are only examples but in each case, the positive action is being postponed pending an action that is controlled by a secondary source. These chain reaction scenarios happen at home too –
 
“I’ll get some artwork when the curtains are up.”
 
“I’ll hang curtains when we paint.”
 
“I’ll paint when the kids aren’t so hard on the walls.”
 
So begins years of living with bare, builder-beige walls and without window coverings. After awhile, you stop seeing it – it’s as though you’ve become snow-blind in your own home. But when others come over, they wonder how long you’ve lived in the home or if you’re getting ready to move?  You see posts on Instagram, on blogs, and are overwhelmed by home décor advertisements where everything is pulled together, coordinated and cozy.
 
How close are you to loving your home?
 
I’m willing to bet you’re not far off. In most cases, you chose this home from a pool of others, and there are features that please you and are appreciated. But – and there’s always a but – there are some things you’d like to change. I have built and lived in custom homes – never have I met the perfect plan, or had a homeowner design one without at least one flaw. The most perfect home and design that I have built to date had an extraordinary feature – laundry chute on BOTH floors that landed in the basement laundry room – but suffered from a terribly shaped corner linen closet that forced me to fold all our towels into triangles…I can’t make this stuff up! After all of these experiences, I believe there is something that can be improved in every home to better suit you – its occupants. Sometimes these are small and easily manageable, sometimes it’s a large-scale purge and deep-clean, and sometimes (my favorite time!) it requires construction.
 
So, what do you need? Additional cabinetry in the kitchen? A vanity in the powder bath? Built-in desks upstairs for the kids? Thicker carpet underpad? A fresh coat of kid-friendly paint? 

Big or small, we would love to help with an in-home consultation. Please contact The Ashbury Construction Company by phone, text, email, or through this site today.

​And remember...