Moving is very unsettling. It turns your world upside down and maybe even more than your world, the world of your children. We aren’t moving far which means schools and friends and activities have stayed the same, but just the act of our girls leaving the only home they have known/can remember has been tough.
When we moved into Stagg Reno, we knew we needed to have Ruby’s room finished first. She was only 2 1/2 but she had some big changes happening. Moving, but also becoming a big sister for the first time (I was pregnant with Anna). We pushed hard to have her room pretty much done when we moved in and it made ALL the difference in helping her feel right at home.
Our girls are a bit older than that phase now. When we make the big move into Stagg Mountain Modern, Ruby will be 10, Anna will be 7, and Vivie is 5. Their rooms won’t be 100% finished by design standards when we move in, mostly because of the current construction and supply chain climate, but we can get them put together, comfortable, and familiar for move-in day. Here is how we’re approaching the girls’ rooms:
Sheetrock, new windows, fresh paint, lighting, closets, flooring, all of those things will be complete before we move our little ladies in. We’re going to see how far we can get with the other stuff like wall treatments, wallpaper, paint selections, etc. but I’m not super concerned about that level quite yet.
We’ve already ordered some new things for their bedrooms. Ruby is upgrading from a full-sized bed to a queen to fit her space better. Vivie is upgrading from a twin to a full. Two of the three girls are getting new dressers. But beyond those items, I don’t feel pressure to switch out their furniture before we move in. There are a few reasons for this: first, their furniture from Stagg Reno is pretty. Secondly, it’s familiar. It will make them feel like this is their home with their things in their new space. It’s not going to be perfect right away, but it will be great!
Yes, this means our Primary Bathroom won’t be completed when we move in. The Jill/Jill Bathroom is pretty awesome though. It’s large– basically like a second Primary space. It will have two vanities, a tub, and a separate shower. Eventually, Anna and Vivie will own this room, but for quite a while it will be the family bathroom. Why? It’s in close proximity to the girls’ bedrooms and we again felt like we wanted them to jump right into feeling like SMM was their home, not a construction zone.
These bathroom photos are from the girl’s adorable bathroom at Stagg Reno. We never actually got around to officially revealing the space!
I’m going to go through a design process with each of my little designers and let them play a big role in how the room comes together. Everything from design boards to budgeting, timeline to install, I want the girls to really get involved. Ruby has always had a big interest in design and has had a folder with ideas for her room running since we told the girls about the house.
With the current delays in the supply chain and the crazy price increases in everything from labor to supplies, I’m good with this process taking longer than we were expecting. Jon and I both feel it’s important to get this home right rather than compromise just to rush things through. A lot of pieces we want aren’t available right now or are nearly a year out and we don’t want to just try to get what is in stock if we have the luxury of taking our time, which we do for much of the home. This approach is for the whole home, not just for the girls’ spaces and it’s something we’ve had to warm up to but now feel good about.
Everything is taking longer than it would have a year ago. Everything is costing a lot more than it would have a year ago. And while those things are frustrating for sure, it’s not anything we can control. We both felt like this was the right move for our family so if the process takes us longer, that’s ok. We are still excited!
Some benefits to taking our time: we can live in the home and experience day-to-day life to see how we will settle into life and evaluate space priorities and function. We can do more of the work ourselves because we aren’t under a deadline, therefore needing to hire out more projects. We can tweak and mull over all the details, which are the things that take your home to the next level.
We’re feeling good about this approach and are just crossing all our fingers and toes we can get our family moved in and settled sometime next summer. That sounds comical to say out loud because in “the before times” that would have been totally feasible. But in the current construction atmosphere, it’s ambitious. Good thing we love a challenge:)