It’s Finally Here! Moving Day
After seven months of non-stop DIY renovation, we took advantage of the long Fourth of July weekend to move into our two-flat! We spent Friday and Saturday packing up our apartment, comforting the cat, and doing our best to wrap up projects at the house before the big day on Sunday.
Our apartment two days before move-in day. Bella, our 10-year-old former alley cat, was very distressed, staring at the chaos in our kitchen!
When we closed on our home in December 2021, everyone advised us to double our timeline and prepare for a year-long renovation. As first-time DIYers and homeowners, we felt wildly optimistic and imagined moving into the unit in just three to four months. How hard could it be to renovate two kitchens and two bathrooms and maybe replace an outlet cover here and there? Right?!
Well, it turns out DIY renovation is not as simple as YouTube makes it out to be. One week into the renovation, we realized our 1910 home had galvanized pipes, cloth wiring, and un-level floors that couldn’t be tiled over. We had been so excited to hang new cabinets, install new baseboards, and pick out our tile but quickly realized most of our work would be spent “behind the walls.”
We tore down plaster, replaced our pipes, upgraded our electricity, built a new bathroom subfloor, and soon, we found ourselves creeping into spring in Chicago! Looking at the calendar, we realized we needed to make a compromise. We would move to the house in July, it wouldn’t be perfect, and we would be okay with that.
Sure enough, the house is still in transition. Our goal is always to share authentically and be honest about the good, challenging, and just not-so glamorous aspects of a DIY renovation.
On move-in day, Corey was still building a vent and hanging the original bathroom door. We moved in without door trim or new paint! But hey, our shower looks GREAT.
Before moving in, we were able to get our gorgeous countertops installed, but we weren’t able to get the backsplash done… or power wash those very dirty windows!
At 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, we got the text that our movers from Dolly had canceled on us and that our move was being re-listed. Devastated, we extended our availability to 8 p.m. and kept our fingers crossed. Happily, Dolly was able to reschedule us for an evening move quickly. Already tired but determined to get it done, we said yes.
The late move gave us enough time to deep clean everything and Bella-proof as much as possible (cats get into everything - honestly! A story for another day).
We built our new bed just hours before the movers showed up!
After 14 hours of cleaning, building, and packing up last-minute items, the movers arrived and started loading the truck. There we were, fireworks, drunk people roaming down the alley saying, “I can’t believe these people are moving on the Fourth of JULY!” and our buddies over at Dolly working SO hard to get the job done before midnight. We were physically and mentally exhausted, but as we packed up our apartment, that giddy milestone feeling set in.
Our dining room was full of boxes at 11:30 p.m. Emily was on the floor trying to stay awake while Corey quietly ordered some pancakes.
So, here we are after seven months of renovation and two days of unpacking. Tired, in need of a nap, but officially living in the home we’ve put so much love and labor into. We’re soaking it in and appreciating every part, even the unfinished things that keep us creative and imagining big.
