When Life Hands Your House Lemons, Make Home Improvements
In life, we’re often told that bad things happen for a reason. As such, most of us attempt to create something positive from terrible times. When we’re heartbroken, we focus on finding new hobbies. When we’re bereaved, we attempt to make more of our lives to do those we’ve lost proud. As the saying goes – when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
But, few of us apply this thinking when our homes come under fire from the lemon tree. Instead, we approach house disasters with a defeatist attitude. Instead of considering what changes we could achieve, we spend a fortune attempting to get our houses the way they were as soon as possible. But, what if, instead of paying to put things back, you made the most of the chance to spruce your home? To prove how tasty the lemonade you make here could be, let’s look at a few incidents where this thinking could come in handy.
Mold at home
The majority of homes have mold somewhere. But, there may come a time where small mold spores turn into a severe issue. We’re talking bubbled walls and a brown smear of shame. Eventually, you may have no choice but to get the professionals in. You’ll also need to repaint the area. Instead of reaching for that supply of spare paint, take this chance to get around to redecoration. You’re painting anyway. Wouldn’t you rather use that time to create a new image?
A leak in the roof
Roof leaks happen for a variety of reasons. Most often, they’re the result of broken roof tiles or cracks. But, instead of calling a company to repair the issue, think about doing something new up-top, too. Companies like Wildwood Roofing offer the opportunity to install architectural shingles which look much more appealing than traditional options. These also have the benefit of being sturdier than the tiles you likely have already. As such, you can be sure those lemons don’t cause issues here again. Or, you could make the most of that sealed roof by converting your attic space. Inadvertently, the leak which pushed you to take action could lead to a whole new room in your home.
A hole in the wall
While less frequent, holes in walls do happen from time to time. Bricks can crumble, and drywall develops holes if bulky items are dropped on it. When this happens, it’s easy to catastrophize. How on earth can you fix a hole in your wall? But, by applying positive thinking, it’s entirely possible to not only fix it but be better off a result. You could opt to knock the wall down altogether and go for open plan living. This is ideal for those living tiny as it’s the best way to get use of all space possible. Or, you could continue knocking down a section and apply a feature window to your wall. That’s another fantastic design feature you might never have considered if it weren’t for that accident!
I love that you’re looking at the positive side of things! Home improvements can definitely be a pain, but I’m always so glad to have made them.
Yes these are the most common issues that occur in a home and I like your approach on how to deal with that. I think that’s a nice suggestion.
When something happens, i always tell myself it could be worst and just get on with it. I do hope i won’t get bad surprises when i have a house but you never know so better be prepared and in the right state of mind!
Even the Bible made mention or reference to leaking roof. Can’t remember specifically how the Bible put it but am sure we all get the idea.
I completely agree that applying a defeatist attitude to anything, whether that be housing or work will not enable us to move on and progress. So even if it is something like mold there is always a solution.
A leaky roof can be problematic. And sadly, it gets worse.
These are great ideas! I’ll keep this in mind in case we need some home improvement to be done. Thanks!
Mould is just the worst – annoying and unsightly. When life give you lemons… make lemonade!!
Mold is the worst even in an apartment. I don’t ever want to deal with it. I guess to keep the air flowing in the room is the key. Hope everything stays dry and mold free this summer!
It’s hard to achieve the positive mindset around these issues that you see so clearly, especially if you’re in a situation like I am. I rent my place and the landlord doesn’t take care of his duties as the landlord. We have a leaky roof and mold, we are maintaining the mold situation on our own, but it is our landlord’s responsibility, not ours, and he does nothing.
I had a leak in my roof this past hurricane season (we live in the south) and I finally decided to suck it up and get a new roof! Best decision ever.
I clean houses for a living and I am absolutely shocked at the amount of people that have mold in their homes! It drives me crazy. Love this blog post and also, love the name of your blog!
A leak in the roof and a hole in the wall are common things. But Moles are absolute nightmare.
I try to have a whole bunch of dehumidifiers in my home throughout the year due to mold. This post was helpful for me
I have molds at home, due to incessant monsoons in Mumbai. Your post reminds me to take care of it before the next rains.
Oh crap mold is scary af. I feel like I am always worried about stuff like that and I honestly don’t know how you handle it. I really love your point of view and looking for a silver lining to it all.
I love you happy accidents of turning a hole in the wall into a window! Let that light in!
Molds are the worst, absolute nightmare, seeing makes me feel like I no longer have a home..holes in the wall are quite common too.. Great tips.
I have to admit there is so much I worry about going wrong around the home and what it means in the long term. Hopefully *touch wood* we won’t get anything like mold! That would be awful.
Eek, I hope we never get mold. Fingers crossed. But we do need to do some home improvements. Our major one is wanting to get hardwood floors instead of carpet.
Mold is always my fear, once I see it you would think that the world is ending just makes me think that everyone is going to be sick.