When you dream up a new re-modeling project, do you mean you want to start it some day, not RIGHT THAT MINUTE!

I think it’s a game to get you to stop bothering them about getting them to remodel things
a pretty funny tactic if I might add

I think you should consider yourself very lucky. Most do not have your “problem”.

That being said now that you know how eager they are to please you perhaps you should not speak till you are ready for action. :)

@patg7590 In the projects I mentioned I DIDN’T “bug” them! Really! I was thinking out loud! Especially the fireplace one….I begged him not to rip out the window! But he did… However, I DO have a tactic for getting them to work on projects that are important to me…I grab the chop saw, the drill, the socket wrenches, whatever, and get to work. They always come to rescue the lady! Either that or to show her how to do it “right”. HUMPH!

@Dog I know. And I agree. I’ve been without. The thing that bothers me, however, is I don’t jump into things without careful planning….and they don’t plan, especially my husband. As a result, it can be literally years before a project is fully finished. The wall isn’t quite finished, the fireplace isn’t quite finished (but it’s usable)...the hallway didn’t get finished out…..and trust me! They’re not as much eager to please me as they are to just tear shit up! Especially my son! When he starts cracking his knuckles I know I’m in trouble….

Sounds like you have a wonderful husband and son to me! No yanking their chain to get things done, and that is hard work too!

On the plus side, they do jump right on it and it makes for pretty funny stories, too. However, I can see where the ‘starting but not finishing’ thing could be a problem. Maybe you should have a talk with them about finishing up the old projects before starting any new ones. Also, remind them that you think aloud and really don’t mean you want it done right now… that you’d like to have a plan in place before any work begins. @Dog‘s tactic of keeping your musings to yourself is a good one, too. Good luck with this, and have fun with your old house! :)

Oh, would that I had that problem. My son agreed to do the landscaping for me, if I would quit watering the yard, so it would be easier to remove the weeds. Well, that was five years ago, and I’m getting really tired of the dog tracking in mud whenever it rains.

My wife and I discuss these things, and since our house is very small and laid out in the most illogical way, any remodeling project becomes a nightmare of logistics. Can you imagine having to move a bunch of things out of the kitchen to do something as simple as rearranging the living room? We are in the middle of a remodel project right now, and the only thing holding me back is where am I going to put the kitchen table when I move the base cabinets into the kitchen out of the back room where they have been stored for over 3 years? we have too much crap for just two people.

I really need a garage, but it would be filled with stuff instead of a place to park my truck out of the weather. I have three weeks to clean the attic, and I’m not sure that is enough time. =)

Maybe you should muse about the fireplace. Hmmm. What if the fireplace was decorated thusly? Or, I wonder if we could find a way to paint this wall (or spackle it, or whatever). I wonder how the hall would look if it were finished out?

I WISH I had your problem. My fiancé likes to take his time and “plan” for a long time before starting a project. I’m the opposite. I want it done asap!

I would suggest not to muse out loud until you are ready to get the work done. It is so much fun to tear stuff up that I don’t blame them for digging in right away. But if it is bothering you, I do have several projects that I would love to have done right this minute, so you could send them my way any time.

Do they know anything about laying limestone patios? Adding clerestory windows to a brick wall? Turning a half-bath and laundry room combo into a full handicapped-accessible bathroom with a European shower room, but still with a place for the washer and dryer? How about laying sod?

My husband brought all sorts of kitchen gadgets and one screwdriver to our marriage, while I had 24 different types of screwdrivers, a Skilsaw, a table saw, and a number of other tools.

@Darwin My husband’s the cook and I’m the handyperson, too. :)

@RedPowerLady As far as not having to yank their chain to get stuff done..depends on what needs to be done! They both just love the tearing stuff up part, not so great on the finishing/detail part. My son is better at finishing than Rick though. They’re making decent headway….It’s going to be pretty cool if/when it gets finished.

@augustlan Your suggestion is completely totally logical, makes perfect sense, therefore it won’t work with them! :)

@daloon How’d you know that’s exactly what needs to be done??!! LOL! But, see, that’s kind of boring stuff. If you can paint or spackle with a sledgehammer, then they’d be all over it!!

@Darwin No, they don’t know anything about that stuff, but they’ll be more than happy to jump right on it!! I bought a tool box at a garage sale the other day, $2.00. I’ve been looking for one, especially one that has a freaking LOCK on it!! It makes me so mad when my husband “borrows” my tools and never returns them. And it’s always MY tools he borrows because he has no idea where his are!!! Geez, we closed out a mower shop two years ago…we must have $3000 worth of tools lying here, there and everywhere, but nobody can find them!! So he takes mine, and I have to steal them back. My son is more organized than Rick though.

@Val123 – Is my son related to your husband? I have to hide my tools now if I want to have them when I need them. He has his own tools now, but he has no idea where they are and neither do I.

@Darwin Yes, they are related!!! What is so hard about simply putting them away where they belong????