Under Construction

Any homeowner or flat-letter would know that a house is never really complete. There's always something to be done - new furniture to be bought, redecorating, recolouring, redesigning and renovating. Those are redevelopments that we willingly choose to do. We put our creative ideas forth, start a home refurbishment fund and set a systematic plan into action. The outcome is (usually) what we imagine it to be. And then there's the unplanned upgrades. You know, the ones that sneakily spring up on you, like the leaky roof, cracked tiles, chipped paint and broken window. It happens when you least expect it and has to be fixed without delay, or else the problem worsens. The cycle of repair and restoration never seems to stop, whether it's by choice or mere bad luck.

These little household fractures require you to hire a hard-to-find construction team, buy all sorts of expensive building material you've never heard of and have your home turned into ground zero. The site of construction is a nightmare, covering all your belongings in a desert of dust and dirt. The end result takes weeks, sometimes months to become a reality and by the time it's done, you will discover that there's something new to be fixed. 

With all the torrential rainfall recently, we had to have our roof redone, as it was turning our upper level into somewhat of an indoor swimming pool. It took ages to find a reliable contractor in Small Town, SA and when we finally did, they could barely work a day a week due to the storms. They got ahead eventually and retiled the roof; however in the laborious process, the ceilings were badly affected by the leakage and fell apart. I had a skylight in my room without even asking for one. This meant we had to redo our ceilings - another unplanned event with many more woeful weeks of building. We were knee-deep in rubble and wreckage; displaced from most of our rooms and needed to wear safety helmets, as the 'sky' literally fell down onto our floors. It was a stressful and straining experience and I thought Hurricane Home-Improvement would never end. 

When it was time to put up my new ceiling, I had an interesting design idea. I thought, why not use this predicament and turn it into something beautiful. I had my eye on a crystal chandelier I'd seen in a catalogue and always wanted but never had the appropriate opportunity or reason to purchase it. Since my lights were slightly damaged by the fall, this was the perfect time to get it. The agonizing months of decor disaster was actually worth it in the end, as with a flick of a switch, my room (and day) was lit up by the grand chandelier. Sometimes, all it takes is a small significant change to uplift your home-space and spirits.

Renovating your home is a lot like renovating your life. We too go through break-ups & breakdowns, crumbling complexities, splintered emotions and shattered dreams. We feel so despondent and down in the dumps during the difficult times, that we often can't see past it. With a little ray of hope, revived vision and some constructive thinking, you can mend your mindset and you will realise that something better and more beautiful is destined for you. It may sound cliché, but there is light at the end of every tunnel, or in my case, a chandelier.