Remodeling our homes and other big projects while living with pain.

Home Page Forums General Discussions on Pain Remodeling our homes and other big projects while living with pain.

Viewing 6 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • #5269
      TPC_YaYa
      Moderator

      Big projects around the home like remodeling can be a big adventure for those that do not live with pain….so how does one manage to accomplish these adventures while living with pain? Please share your experiences and tips about remodeling and other home projects.

    • #5319
      bd
      Participant

      I’ll try and answer in shorter posts and I’ll try even harder to not ramble.
      First, I’m a workaholic that can’t. Ms. Kitty is the only one to complain and she’s pretty easy to ignore or at least out vote.
      You need to have reasonable expectations. There WILL be setbacks both health and technical. The weekend job will take 6 months. So what? We do the best we can and the heck with the rest. We set the timetable. It’s important to give yourself credit for things done even if we don’t get to finish them. My mother complained that after 30 years of marriage the only time the house was finished was just before it was sold.
      The how is easy for me. I started building and remodeling when the only jobs I could do were sweep sawdust and sort nails. Saturday mornings were spent with my grandfather marking house lots with screwdrivers and 200″ tape measures.
      Fortunately there is the internet and thousands of “how to” videos. Remember don’t trust the first one you watch. If it sounds funky it probably is. Watch a bunch! Also every house was built with it’s own weirdness. That’s why it will take 6 months for that week end job. Go slow Rip things out enough to learn what might be lurking then sit back and watch a new bunch of videos.

    • #5320
      Noki4
      Participant

      Wonderful advice. I think for some and maybe even most of us, it is getting over the being scared to take the first step on a big project. We fail ourselves before we even get started by thinking out loud about all the negative things that could or will go wrong. Like you said there will be setbacks, we must learn to pick up the pieces and try, try again. Thank you for sharing your journey, BD.

    • #5553
      petmom1
      Participant

      I am blessed to have great neighbors. We help each other with projects. This fall they helped me build a raised garden bed for my veggies. I now have an 8×16 space waiting to be painted and filled with new soil & “mushroom dirt” this Spring 2015. To go with it, they made me the coolest garden bench made of old split rail fence posts, re-cycled wood pallets and a section of picket fence they had leftover. Painted black except for the picket fence section which is different colors and all covered with several coats of poly. It is solid and will weather nicely. I cannot wait to use it. In turn, I helped them put up a new fence and together we helped another friend gut a house for renovation. Whew, I am tired just typing this. Sore at night, but a nice shower and relaxation b4 bed helped with the recuperation.

    • #5608
      bd
      Participant

      Great job petmom! Now if warm weather would only arrive.
      With the sale of my house I’ve moved on to boats and a whole new set of potential problems lurking. Time for more videos to remind me of all the things I’ve forgotten. One thing I’ve found is people tend to discount my claims of pain because of the work they see me doing. What they don’t see is what happens when I’m out of sight. The nights of whole body muscle spasms the fling me about the room. Fortunately I see that as their problem not mine.
      I shouldn’t be, but I’m constantly amazed by the ignorance and miss-information being spread. I once had a doctor tell me that I couldn’t possibly be in as much pain as I claimed. His reasoning “if you are in that much pain you would be on medication. you aren’t so you can’t hurt that badly” What would his reaction be if I asked him for meds?
      Push ahead when you can, lay back and recoup when you can’t. Ignore the ignorance and agendas others may have.

    • #5613
      Noki4
      Participant

      Bd,

      I have had folks say things to me like, “how can you be in so much pain and still be walking” or one of my favorites “but you don’t look like you are in pain”.

      For some folks if they cannot see it, touch it or smell it, then it isn’t there.

      Noki4

    • #47318
      ian butler
      Participant

      Hi, its a just a piece of advise and also base on my experiences. Why not try stucco coats with fiberglass lath or mesh and a stucco bonding agent for stronghold for your walls. This is what I am using and it also gives out exterior house a unique designs because of its tinted primer stucco base. You can check its products specifics and price list at http://www.sunlinemesh.com/pail-and-bags-products-price-list/.

Viewing 6 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.