Snowball

I forgot about the home improvement snowball effect.

We decided refinishing/adding hardwoods was a good idea before we move in. And I'm pleased with that decision.

But so far doing the hardwoods has snowballed into the need to:

• replace all the baseboards
• replace the door trim
• replace closet systems
• build a built-in bookshelf where a coat closet used to be
• call in a plumber to replumb for the dishwasher (DIY gone wrong--not my DIY)
• call an electrician to decommission some terrifying DIY electrical work. (I know nothing about electrical work, but I'm taking a wild guess that extension cords should not be hard-wired into the home's electrical system.)

I've of course been moaning about the financial aspect of the snowball effect. But my nice hardwood floor guy just pointed out the flip-side---the cosmetic snowball: how much better everything is going to look once those unexpected improvements are done. New baseboards, new bookshelves to complement the spiffy new floors. That's all fun. I just don't like the plumbing and electrical part. Nobody cares if I have sexy new copper pipes behind my dishwasher, although they might appreciate not getting shocked by those live wires hanging around behind the new bookshelf.