Jan 23, 2017 3 min read

I live in a constant construction zone. I know that all homes require near-constant maintenance, but I believe old houses may be the worst. The way they were constructed – like barns – makes every attempt at remodel or repair a major undertaking.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this old house. Its beams have hand-chiseled grooves, there are built in cupboards and closets, and there are brick fireplaces in four rooms. It’s a lovely house, and I wouldn’t trade it for any other house on the market today.

It is a challenge, however, to do anything to it. My husband is a gifted carpenter, so we do most of the work ourselves. (Please understand that this is one of those instances where “we” means less the two of us, and more just me taking credit for my husband’s handiwork.)

Most fall and winter seasons see us take on a remodeling project inside the house. Last fall, we took the upstairs storage room and turned it into a bedroom for our middle child. She had one, of course, but it was small – made when she was small – and she had outgrown it.

We tore down shelves, patched plaster, built a closet, scraped trim, rewired, put up a wood ceiling, installed a ceiling fan and painted. When it was finally time to lay the carpet, we were all relieved, thinking it was finally finished.

Unfortunately, when we stapled the carpet down, we apparently hit the co-ax cable that feeds the satellite box, and which we were trying to hide underneath. (Please understand that this is one of those instances where “we” means less the two of us, and more just me sharing the blame with my husband.) The television went out.

When the repairman came out to replace the cable, we were not only required to tear the carpet back up, but reroute the cable through the closet in her room. That meant we had to drill a hole into the newly built wall. See? It never ends.

In addition, I had moved the ­­­­­furniture in our bedroom around, so where the satellite box had previously rested, it was no longer able to be. The box has been inside of the closet, nestled in my pajamas and socks, for the past three months. Because the closet doors prevent the remote from reaching the box, the door has been open for three months, making any attempt to leave the house free of cat hair a lesson in futility.

Finally, last week, I ordered a shelf to mount on the wall. When it came, I mounted it, unplugged the wires from the satellite box and fed them through the wall. I reattached everything, reset the box and held my breath. I was pleasantly surprised when everything worked.

The project can finally be called complete, although several of the tools used in the bedroom remodel are still piled in the foyer.

It’s probably just as well, though. I’m sure there’s another project coming up where we’ll need them soon.

Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.