Operation Townhouse Transformation

I. Have. Had. Enough. Of our townhouse, that is.

We have lived in a small townhouse for almost five years now. The plan was to vacate said townhouse within two years and move into our dream home that we custom built. Visions of sweeping stone terraces cradling a French Provincial complete with French doors and sweeping arches danced in our heads. We found the land. We found the house style we wanted. Our businesses (read:  funding) were humming along and then, bam. The stock market does its thing.

Thank you, stock market, for crashing right when we were ready to break ground on our 13 acres. Now we are stuck in this tiny little place for I-don’t-know-how-many-more years.

However, never to be deterred too long, I cooked up a plan. I learned, long ago as a single person, that if you want something you just have to make it happen. And, I had to make our current home livable.

Then I remembered I was married. Husband was going to have to buy into Operation Townhouse Transformation (OTT). Shoot. I could have had this place whipped into shape in two weeks. But, I knew that I couldn’t just spring construction workers on him without advance warning. (Could I?)  

At first, Husband balked at spending money on fixing up a place that we were ready to dump head out of at the first sign of economic recovery. After all, does a 1,500 square foot townhouse need a 400 square foot terrace and quartz countertops? And, is acquiring Stickly furniture going over the top? And, what about those stainless steel appliances. Too much?

But, I managed to convince him with three words: increasing resale value. (Amazing how that phrase has worked.)

From hiring closet organizers to putting in a stone terrace, from painting to overhauling the kitchen, from new furniture to new art work, the great transformation has begun. (He asked me not to go toooo overboard. But, five years ago he never defined “temporary living” so I’m not asking him to define “overboard,” either.)

It is probably true our place doesn’t deserve what we’re doing to it.

However, yesterday a friend told me at lunch, well, the town house may not be worth it, but you are. 

Yes, thank you.

I may be new to this marriage thing, but I have learned that there is compromise and then there is compromise. Don’t let it be you who always concedes – sometimes let it be the real estate.

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