Renovating Houses Brings All The Turkeys To The Yard
Let's be honest, renovations are like a bad (or really good) reality TV show: dramatic, messy, and full of unwelcome surprises. But hey, that's the price of turning your fixer-upper into a fixer-masterpiece, right? In this blog, I'll unleash the eight renovation "turkeys" who tried to turn our project into a gobbler-filled nightmare, all to save you from a similar fate. So, grab a beverage of your choice (wine pairs well with frustration), settle in, and get ready for a wild ride (with some helpful tips sprinkled in, I promise).
Turkey #1: The Feathered Intruder
Ever demo a bathroom only to be greeted by a majestic (and slightly terrifying) wild turkey strutting through your backyard? Welcome to the wonderful world of Atlanta wildlife! I’ve mentioned before that my neighborhood backs up to the Lionel Hampton Wild Life Preserve. So, its not unusual to see deer, hawks, turtles and other wildlife. I was surprised, however, when I was demoing a bathroom to see a wild turkey in the back yard. I just happened to look out the window as some movement caught my eye. There it was, gangling, tall, just chilling. It looked nothing like a Thanksgiving butterball. He was just roaming around and went on his merry way strutting down the middle of the street as if he owned the place. While this encounter may seem like something out of a fever dream, it's a good reminder to expect the unexpected.
Lesson Learned: Keep your head on a swivel. You never know what kind of creature might decide to supervise your plumbing project.
Tom the Turkey. Source: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/wild-turkey-given-warning-for-causing-georgia-traffic-jam
Turkey #2: The Tile Trap
Ripping out the old bathroom vanity in the main bathroom felt like a classic renovation moment – a seemingly simple task that quickly spirals into large scale overhaul upon uncovering hidden issues. Originally, I planned to keep the dusty rose 4x4 wall tiles, as they were charmingly mid-century modern and in good condition, except for a soap dish that needed replacing.
Upon removing the sink and vanity, however, I discovered a nasty surprise: the wall tiles that covered most of the bathroom didn't extend behind the vanity. This significantly limited my replacement options for the vanity itself.
Luckily, I had an antique-style sink cabinet that never got used. While it was originally intended for another bathroom, it turned out to be the perfect height to cover the exposed gap left by the limited tile coverage. The only downside? It was slightly wider than ideal for the space.
This unexpected limitation sparked a creative solution. I decided to remove a small section of tile and mortar (roughly 1 1/2 inches wide) on the sidewall to create enough clearance between the vanity and toilet. With the sidewall tiles successfully removed, another issue arose: a 1 1/2 inch gap in the corner behind the vanity. Between adding more mortar and tile to fill the gap and removing the tile behind the vanity, the most attractive option seemed to be removing all of the tile over to the shower.
Lesson Learned: Think outside the box (or toolbox in this case!). Sometimes limitations can lead to ingenious solutions.
Turkey #3: What Lies Beneath
I thought I'd wrapped up the main bathroom demo, but surprises lurked beneath the floor tile. While cleaning debris, loose floor tiles caught my eye. Water damage, I figured. I planned to salvage the tiles, but near the sink, a major crack snaked across the tiles and mortar, reaching the toilet flange. Further inspection revealed most tiles around the toilet and the mud bed were compromised. So, I decided that the most prudent approach was to tackle the whole floor.
Little did I know, the real trouble was hiding below. As I started to peel back the layers, I found that the wood subfloor was rotted all around the toilet as well as in front of the sink. One piece just inside the door actually broke while I was standing on it exposing the garage below. After I got all the tile and mortar up, it appeared that someone started to address the rotted subflooring before. Instead of correcting the issue, the person laid a new tile floor over a thick mortar bed. A terrible idea, as it buried the problem instead of solving it.
Lesson Learned: Don't bury problems. Address with them head-on to avoid a bigger mess later.
Turkey #4: The Power Play
After a falling tree limb pulled the power lines off of the house, I hired an electrician to restore the demarcation point and upgrade the panel box. The power company then came out and ran a new line from the power pole. Thinking that renovations would resume, the lack of power to the house stopped progress dead in its tracks. I called the power company and they assured me that the electricity was on and that the electrician needed to correct the issue. After my pleas to my contractor, he and the electrician showed up around 5pm the next day. They did some testing and confirmed that there was no incoming power from the main service line. I called the power company back and after a lecture from the representative regarding his “more than 20 years of experience” (his words, not mine) that lead him to believe that it wasn't a power company issue, he agreed to send out a technician.
Lesson Learned: Double-check everything. Don't hesitate to question assumptions, even from those with a long and feathery track record.
Turkey #5: The Upside-Down Contractor
While waiting for the power company, I took the opportunity to talk to the contractor about other crappy, lazy work that he performed when he installed my front door. He incorrectly installed the door leaving a 1/2" gap at the bottom for lots of air to flow in, the lock set was installed upside down and the latch on the door handle kept getting stuck so that the door could not be opened. He had the audacity to cop an attitude with me about it. (This of course says nothing of the security door lock set that he didn't fully install & locked everyone out or the hole in the bedroom ceiling that one of his workers caused when they were removing the old insulation).
Lesson Learned: Rework does not pay off.
Turkey #6: The Power of Mistakes
Thankfully, the power company eventually discovered their mistake and restored power. This reinforces that everyone makes mistakes, even professionals. The key is to identify and rectify them quickly.
Lesson Learned: Mistakes happen. The important thing is to find solutions and move forward.
Turkey #7: The Bubblegum Blunder
I’m not sure if the next turkey is me, Vince or the bubbles on the wall. Needless to say, Vince roasted me for putting these bubbles up. While I thought that it was fine for a rental property, Vince with his bougie aesthetics thought it was quite tacky.
Thus, when we made the initial decision to make Cativo our forever home, the bubbles had to go. I had no solution to make up the 1” mortar bed that bumped from the drywall. This meant that the classic, mid-century, 4x4, dusty rose tiles had to go! The floor had already been laid with marble tiles. So we went on repeat for the walls. But of course if you don’t buy all of the tiles together you run the chance of color differentials especially with natural stone. So the walls tiles are definitely more grey than the rosy hued floor. It took several trips to different locations of the tile store to get enough tile in the grey hue. Can you spot the mistake? Just a small tile shortage issue. We worked it as best we could into the design.
Lesson Learned: Open communication is key. Discuss design choices upfront to avoid costly rework.
Turkey #8: The Warranty Woe
After all the blood, sweat, and (let's be honest) tears poured into laying a beautiful marble floor in a diagonal pattern, and walls with its details, our current contractor dropped a bomb – it all had to be ripped out to ensure a leak-proof warranty. Ugh! This one truly made me sad as a lot of effort had gone into the upgrades. In the end, however, the peace of mind of a guaranteed leak-free bathroom won over the aesthetics.
Lesson Learned: Sometimes sacrifices are necessary. Prioritize long-term functionality over short-term aesthetics.
The Final Takeaway: Don't Let Renovations Gobble Up Your Sanity!
Renovations are rarely a walk in the park – they’re more like a wild turkey stampede through a garden party. But by being adaptable, resourceful, and maintaining a healthy dose of humor (because seriously, what else can you do?), you can overcome any obstacle. Remember, these "turkeys" are just temporary setbacks on the road to your dream home. So, grab your tools, channel your inner MacGyver, and keep calm and renovate on!
