There's nothing like opening the door to your first home.
One step inside and you're already picturing the future movie nights and morning breakfasts that will take place there. This is where you'll relax after class and entertain guests. Maybe you're still just renting it, so it's not technically yours, but you still get to decorate it and sleep there for the next 12 months. All that you have to do to get it to Southern Living-standards is a bit of TLC and a few trips to Potterybarn.
Or so you think.
In reality, you'll soon be lost in Home Depot with your roommate, trying to figure out what caulk is and if you really need it. Trust me, I'm a month into my first home. Living in a house sounds amazing, but here are 12 reasons why it's not all cracked up to be, and one for why it is.
Houses require LOTS of effort.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-grey-shirt-holding-brown-cardboard-box-761999/
Unlike apartments that usually have a maintenance crew in-house, upkeep for houses is up to the person living in them. This sounds obvious, but that means there's no one but you to fix major or minor issues that come up (and trust me, there will always be something.)
Moving will test your relationships and your strength...
https://pixabay.com/en/girlfriends-hug-trust-girl-2213259/
Everyone hates moving. It's a necessary action that is even worse than going to the DMV. You never realize how much you own or how heavy everything is until you have to pack it all up and lug it from point A to point B. Many fights have ensued from trying to move a couch up a staircase.
... and everything is heavy.
https://pixabay.com/en/boxes-cardboard-carrying-overload-2624231/
Have you ever tried moving a bed? It's heavy, big and cumbersome. Try moving every piece of furniture in your house in one day, then spend the next week and a half constantly moving them around so they're in the perfect location. Your lower back and knees will hate you for your need for perfection.
The first few days are awful.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photography-of-white-poodle-735319/
Nothing is unpacked and everything is in disarray. You sleep on an air mattress and use boxes as a table. Your power isn't on, or maybe it's the water. there's always a missing major convenience you usually take for granted. Hopefully, it's not something too important, like the toilet.
HGTV instilled in you false confidence.
https://unsplash.com/photos/hE8Mog4qK4Y
Chip and Joanne make flipping houses look easy. You'll start to think you too can hang up some shiplap and transform your house. You paint the living room PERFECTLY? Good luck on the rest of the house.
Pinterest is your new best friend.
https://unsplash.com/photos/2FPjlAyMQTA
Need ideas for decoration or a DIY project? Pinterest has everything you need. Like any addiction, it can go too far. If you find yourself super gluing burlap onto Mason jars, seek help ASAP.
Most of your DIY projects will look more like kindergarten crafts.
https://unsplash.com/photos/mxBylrHQ4fk
No matter how many YouTube videos you watch, you'll never be able to recreate the perfected semi-weathered look that will give your room that rustic feel. You'll end up with furniture that looks like its pealing. Don't expect to be a crafting queen after a few projects with a paintbrush.
House = $$$
https://pixabay.com/en/packs-pile-money-finance-currency-163497/
Until I moved into my house I never knew how many things a house needs. From blinds to bedspreads there's hundreds of minute but necessary pieces that make your place complete. Of course, every one of them is going to be ridiculously expensive. Who knew placemats could cost so much?
Get ready to get handy!
https://pixabay.com/en/brush-roll-painter-painters-masking-1034901/
With a house comes repairs, which can get expensive if you count on a handyman to do it all. Quickly locate your nearest hardware store and summon your best Tim Taylor. Acquaint yourself with tools and at the least figure out what is wrong, even if you can't fix it yourself.
Which will come in 'handy', because things that you didn't know could break will.
https://pixabay.com/en/plumbing-pipe-wrench-plumber-840835/
Did you know your steps could snap in half? I didn't either until it happened to me. Anything manmade can and will break, it's just a question of when. If you are the person unlucky enough to be living in your house when seemingly everything falls apart, use your new found skill with tools or call your Dad to get him to fix it all for you.
Decorating is the hardest step.
https://unsplash.com/photos/6e5hgWV2DAo
Once everything is patched up with superglue and a coat of paint it looks like easy sailing. You're now able to make your house your own and decorate in any color and style you want. There are thousands of options to choose from, which sounds like a blessing but is a curse. How do you narrow it down to one look? It's easy to get lost in the long, long aisle of paint swatches, where there are three rows of beige that look identical. To make matters worse, your roommate has her own ideas and none of them agree with yours.
But in the end, all the hard work is worth it. You did all of this on your own.
https://pixabay.com/en/key-home-house-estate-business-2323278/
Maybe its stressful and frustrating, but by fixing up your house you've learned a lot about hard work and how to use a paintbrush. The house around you is finally a home and it's all because of you. It's still not perfect, but it's yours.
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