Being your own contractor means that you are in charge. The buck stops with you, and you have to make all this work happen. In addition to the work, you also have to make sure that you stay on budget. Or close to that.

In lining up subcontractors and figuring out our budget, we found that there were going to be some aspects of our little project that we ourselves would have to do. Most of this decision was based on saving money and conserving the budget. But, some of this decision had to do with recognizing that despite how specialized some of this work was for our little office, there were things that we actually could do. I learned this many years ago when I was first introduced to the world of remodeling and renovation. For my second year of law school, I moved into town. I moved into an old, early twentieth-century house that had been sectioned off into apartments. I lived in one of the second-floor apartments. I loved this apartment. My bedroom overlooked Main Street, and we were situated right next to a cemetery. I am not creeped out living next to a cemetery, especially during a time of my life when I needed quiet and serenity (the dead tend not to have wild parties). Next door was a beautiful, grand old Victorian house. It was gorgeous, and I marveled at it every time I pulled into the driveway of my apartment. I came to learn that my Bankruptcy professor at law school actually lived there. One of my best professors, I got up the courage to tell her I lived next door and that I was in awe of her beautiful old home. Because she was AWESOME, she invited me over to take a mini tour of her house. Touring her home was such a treat. It was magnificent. During the tour, she talked to me about the condition of the home when she first bought it and all that she had to do with it. This is where I learned that it is important to do what you can to fix up your home and not just always rely on contractors to make your vision come alive. She admitted to me that she did all the painting in the home. Doing things that you are capable of in a renovation ensures a certain level of quality work and has a tendency to marry you to the work of transforming the space.

So, I carried this practice forward into the renovations that I have completed thus far. Our little law firm project would be no exception. We are at the point in our renovation when almost all our trades rough-ins are complete and we are on the cusp of closing up walls and getting to the sexy part of our renovation. One of the things one must do prior to closing up walls is insulate. Insulating a space in the summer is tantamount to torture, but we rolled up our sleeves and did it anyway!