Home Remodeling With Our Kids
We've been in our house here in Fort Collins for 11 years now, and have completed a number of home improvement projects. Master bathroom update, landscaping, changing out door and cabinet hardware, interior and exterior painting, replacing the old worn out deck with a new one, garden beds and compost piles, and a host of other projects have made our home cozy. But one thing that we have always been mindful of is including our kids.
The Pros:
1. Our son and daughter get to use real tools-power tools, sharp chisels, paintbrushes, trowels, shovels. Providing them familiarity around serious implements instills maturity and trust in them.
2. It is cliche, I know, but they are only young for a little while. I will always have those memories-goofing off by pushing my son in the wheelbarrow as we hauled mulch to the backyard, our daughter sponging grout off of newly laid bathroom tile, both kids painting designs onto the living room walls before eventually filling them in with solid hues.
3. Respect for the trades. When we lived in Japan, a chimney sweep guy would sit down next to a three piece suit guy in a bar, and there was not one inkling of distinction. That is what we teach our kids-somebody troweling mud all day onto a floor is just as helpful to society as a banker.
4. Slow down. Working with kids leads to slowdowns and imperfections. It makes me sit back, watch them, and appreciate them for who they are.
5. Real skills! The image above is not a stock photo. This is our daughter, sponging off grout residue, after having troweled and laid tile. Not only will our kids be proficient in cooking, doing laundry, cleaning the house, etc. upon leaving our house, but they will also have some basic skills in tiling, painting, and tending vegetable gardens and fruit trees.
The Cons:
1. Maybe imperfection? But I see a lot of imperfection by adults as well.
Conclusion
As you can see, for us, the pro's vastly outweigh the con's, in having our kids get involved in home improvement projects. Try it out, and let me know how it turns out!
James Sack, REALTOR®
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
1109 Oak Park Drive | Fort Collins, CO 80525
C: (970) 217-9705 | O: (970) 223-6500 | E: James.Sack@coloradohomes.com | W: www.JamesSack.com