Childhood Memories and Summertime Home Renovation

Posted by: Allison West, 6/18/2018

Summertime…. and the livin’ is easy, right? Most summers, yes, they are. So why do I still feel a little bit guilty about this? My childhood. Blame it on all those memories of summer days spent weeding the vegetable garden, stacking wood and holding sheetrock (yes-true!) for our new kitchen – the list was long. There was always a home improvement project going on at our house and we have the Polaroid pictures to prove it.

My father raised his three daughters according to his strong work ethic. His rule was simple – finish your work before you had fun. That included helping him with chores and improvements. Although he passed away 20 years ago, my younger sisters and I still laugh over the memory of him shouting down the bedroom hallway at 7:00 am, “Girls, better get outside to hoe those potatoes before it gets hot.”

Remodeling Perfection

Dad was a perfectionist with our home remodeling projects. He always worked alone because he didn’t think other people were up to his standards. His “extra muscle” was supplied by a willing neighbor or more often, my mother and their ready team of three daughters. Dad’s method of estimating project difficulty was to assess it a on a beer scale; i.e. “I think that’s a two six-pack job.”

An engineer by trade, he knew how to wield his craft at home for outstanding results. Our home renovation costs were minimal because design and labor were included. The summer I turned 11 he designed, drafted and built, stage by stage, a three-car garage/workshop home addition, from footer to floors, walls, trusses and roof. I supplied the correct tools and snapped chalk lines.

So in keeping with Dad’s mantra – but also because my sad, neglected deck is the scourge of the neighborhood – I decided repairing, refinishing and repainting the deck would be my summer remodeling project.

The Chaos of Clutter

I should mention here that, unlike my father, I’m a strong believer in hiring out those home remodeling tasks that I’m not able (or willing) to do – such as spending hours in the hot sun power washing, sanding and scraping. What I enjoy is the gathering of all of the pieces and parts of planning the project – finding home renovation ideas. And I have a lot. I picked up brochures and paint store sample cards to browse through at home; I tore photos I liked from decorating and home improvement magazines; and collected business cards and other referrals from neighbors and friends. Gathering great home remodeling ideas is my project happy place.

I’m decidedly unhappy, however, with all the stacks of stuff that I’ve collected over 18 months of collecting. Don’t ask me where things are because I can only guess. Home renovation costs are somewhere in the kitchen mail basket. Paint card samples and articles are piled on the office desk; my magazine samples found a home in the family room in a basket underneath a few books. I crammed paint store idea guides in the junk drawer, with three or four outdated household appliance operating guides and old cell phones.

My father would not be impressed.

Collect and Create in One Place

If this tale sounds familiar, then you know how frustrating it is to pull together all the “bits and pieces” and important items of any home remodeling project. How do you keep all your “stuff” organized, stay focused, and still get everything done that needs to be?

I discovered that UniKeep offers a great solution for collectors of clutter. With its innovative design and high-quality binders, planners, sheet protectors, and accessories, the items you collect over the lifetime of a project will be protected and stored in an attractive, durable kit. UniKeep’s customization allows you to choose a binder that matches practically any specific plan, occasion, event, or official affair.

The Unikeep Home Remodeling Binder Kit proved perfect for my project.

Manufactured in Marysville, Ohio, this fully-enclosed planning kit has 8 content pages, 8 divider tabs, 5 pocket pages, and 10 page protectors. It can hold 260-280 pages, providing ample space for all of your ideas. And the outer case features a beautiful digitally-printed full-wrap overlay, with two remodeling-themed designs to choose from.

A Complete Storage and Archival System

What makes UniKeep different? It functions as a completely customizable, planning, identification and storage system that includes pages you need to organize and plan a major home remodeling project. Use the special insert pages to record performed tasks; itemize all your purchases; jot down ideas and store pictures – even arrange furniture. One of UniKeep’s best features, in my opinion, is its durable poly rings. These rings snap securely and best of all, they don’t pinch, crimp or rust.

Now that’s something even Dad would be impressed with.