We love helping folks prepare for a renovation so that you can head into your remodel feeling confident and prepared! But… what is it *actually* like to remodel your home?

That’s a tricky question to answer because every remodel is going to be different: each house has its own story and each homeowner has their own hopes. Even as the Happiness Coordinator at an Interior Design Company, *I* had a lack of awareness of what happens to the home after I send over the design plans. I see the before photos, I see the carefully crafted design files, and I see the after photos. There was a huge gap about what happened in between steps 2 and 3.

And I’m sure a lot of folks heading *into* a remodel feel the same way! That’s one reason why I’m *highly* recommending House Lessons: Renovating a Life by Erica Bauermeister.

Author Erica Bauermeister in her Writing Shed

The book isn’t meant to be a renovation tell-all. Instead, it’s a thoughtful and beautifully written memoir of Bauermeister’s experience renovating a dilapidated house in Port Townsend.

From the get-go, it’s obvious that Bauermeister knows houses as she throws around precise nouns and detailed descriptions. This is likely because after renovating the Port Townsend home, she also had a career as a real estate agent, before she moved on to her noveling career.

The inclusion of this reading nook was magical to read about!

Folks gearing up for a remodel will recognize themselves in her hopes for the house’s transformation. And I hope, as Bauermeister’s hopes and plans turn sideways (as they inevitably will in any project of this scale) this book will help prepare folks for some expectations getting dashed. But by the end, even though the house doesn’t immediately become their home as they intended, it’s clear that the actual outcome was for the best.

So if you or someone you know is planning major adjustments to their home in the future, I suggest grabbing a copy of House Lessons from the bookstore or library for some secondhand experience and reassurances about the upcoming challenge.

And remember, after you feel confident about what to expect, we’d love to guide you through all of the design decisions involved in the process! Whether it’s a Quick Action Session (for folks in North Seattle), a Design Helpline (wherever you are in the world), just let us know how we can help!