home renovation Archives - Jessica Ferguson

Q is for Questions

April 20, 2015 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

I can’t believe we’re on Q already. As you can see, I’m hanging in there with this annual A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. And believe me, it hasn’t been easy! For more information on the challenge and its creator visit: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com.

I’ve covered this in all my posts I think, but Q can be for nothing other than Questions. No matter whether you’re renovating a house, interviewing for a job or determining where you’re going on vacation, it’s imperative that we ask the right questions. I believe communication has diminished considerably. Why are people so lackadaisical about asking questions these days? Do they feel they’re prying? Maybe they feel all the right answers will be forthcoming. Not so. If you don’t ask ALL the right questions, you will not get all the right answers. What do I mean by right answers? The answers that matter to you–those that directly affect you.

Example: I know a lady who’s dad was in the hospital. She noticed he didn’t get a particular medication that he’d been getting days before. If she had assumed the doctors had changed his meds, hadn’t bothered to ask WHY, then she wouldn’t have learned that it was an oversight on the part of the staff.

Another example might be: you’re signing with an agent. You’re thrilled that one is taking you on but you haven’t asked many questions. If you don’t ask if there are hidden fees, charges or up-front costs, then you’ll probably be surprised a little later down the line.

When it comes to asking questions, don’t worry about stepping on toes or sounding like you’re hard to get along with. We can’t expect our doctors, lawyers, contractors, dentists, agents, publishers, editors, nursing home staff, wedding photographers, caterers (and the list goes on and on) to actually remember to tell us all we need to know. ASK QUESTIONS! If you don’t know what to ask, get some advice from Facebook friends or Google “What to ask a contractor?” Knowledge is power. Don’t be caught off guard.

F is for Flooring and Flooding

April 7, 2015 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

We’re into our sixth day of the A to Z Challenge. I hope you’ll check out the other bloggers and leave comments on their sites. As much fun as this is, it also takes work and commitment, but comments make it worthwhile to us. We love to know what our readers are thinking!

My A to Z Challenge theme is Renovation. Hubby and I went through “renovation hell” and I’m sharing it with you. Today is F day and it stands for Flooring and Flooding. You can imagine where this is going, can’t you?

Yep, we got our new floors down all through the house, and then a pipe burst and flooded them. Water gushed in our bedroom and down the hall. What a disaster. Our floors were beautiful. We had to turn the water off because, of course, this all happened right before bedtime. The plumbers came out the next morning and it took awhile to find the source of the break. The floor was pulled up and four large squares were cut in my beautifully painted walls, searching. Finally, they determined it was in the slab. I don’t know the correct lingo, but they had to do some rerouting to be able to give us water again. What a mess! It didn’t just affect the bedroom and hallways. It affected the kitchen because it’s on the other side of the bedroom. Soooo, this is what my new kitchen looked like for more than a week with loud fans blowing, to dry the water. Yep, had to cut holes there too. In Louisiana, wetness can cause black mold to grow. We took every precaution.

If you ever have a pipe burst in your house, don’t waste time, turn off water, take pictures of clean up and call a plumber, of course. And then, it’s in your best interest to hire a remediation company to help you identify wet spots and deal with your insurance company. Your homeowners policy does not insure you against mold damage, and mold begins growing within 36 hours. Remember, you as the homeowner are responsible for limiting the damage to the property. That’s why YOU start the clean up immediately and take pics to prove it! Your agent will not be concerned with mold in your house since he doesn’t provide coverage. Regardless of how your agent resists, get him out there to VIEW the damage as soon as you can–not a day later, not two days later, as soon as possible. This renovation project has been one year long head-ache but we’ve learned a lot. The main thing is … you’ve got to look out for yourself. Many (most?) people out there had rather lie to you than tell you the truth. Some people are just lazy workers. Others just don’t know what they’re doing and bluffing their way through life. Do I sound pessimistic about the human race? More every day! That’s why my E word was Educate yourself!

I can’t wait to tell you what the plumber found, but that’s on down the A to Z road. Hey, got any questions for me?

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal

March 23, 2015 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

Today is my mom’s birthday. She lives in Texas and she’s 91 years old. One of her very favorite things to do–when she was able–was home decoration and bargain shopping. And she could sew anything! I wish she was still capable of making curtains, shopping for just the right lamp or piece of furniture–arguing with contractors. I’ve really missed and needed her this past year.

In March 2014, hubby and I started renovating our home. Let me just say… I’d rather go through natural childbirth…AGAIN! Our renovation ended this month. Yep, one long, miserable, frustrating year later. I refer to it as the renovation from hell and can’t help but wonder how my mother would have handled it. Obviously, I wasn’t too good a taskmaster, and neither was my husband. So in honor of my mom, I plan to take you through our renovation experience, give you questions to ask and things to be aware of and consider, if and when you start your own home renovation. There’s certainly no need for you to make the same mistakes I made. If there’s a particular subject you want me to discuss, let me know. I may be able to share some info. I hope you’ll join me every day during the month of April as I race through the alphabet and share my construction experience.

Mom, happy birthday, and I dedicate my 2015 A to Z Challenge to you.

Welcome to our renovated home.

A Pen and a Phone

February 5, 2014 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

Today is IWSG day. IWSG stands for Insecure Writers Support Group and was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. You can follow other IWSG members here and on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG. We also have an active Facebook page.

Our purpose is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds.

I’m not feeling insecure, but I’m not accomplishing much in the way of writing since we’ve moved from Oklahoma back to Louisiana. Maybe I’m feeling a little weak. I can’t really put my finger on why I’m not writing. I’ve turned in my assigned articles to Southern Writers Magazine simply because I always meet my deadlines. But when it comes to sitting down and reading through two manuscripts for final edits before submissions, I haven’t done it. I have two nonfiction books in various stages but so far, not motivated enough to finish them. Sure, when I sit down and force myself, I get excited about them all over again, but it’s the actual sitting down to work that seems to be the problem. There are so many other things that need to be done.

I’m on the 2014 Bayou Writers Group conference committee, trying to line up speakers for approval, but that’s like breathing to me. I don’t mind researching speakers and sending invites.

It’s the day to day stuff that interferes with my writing life.

We’ve been pulling wall paper off the kitchen and bathroom walls. Yeah, okay, I know, we’re the only people in the country who still have wall paper; so we’ve been told. Anyway, we’re starting the renovating process and trying to do some of the mindless, hum-drum work ourselves. Our contractor will oversee the new floors, baseboards, new showers, kitchen counter tops and appliances and paint throughout, along with a few other improvements.

Add to that … daughter is engaged. We’re planning an August wedding.

No wedding planner for us. I’m calling florists, venues, photographers, bakeries.
And, writing checks.
Yes, I have a pen and a phone and I’m using both.

Any tips on how to juggle writing, weddings and home renovations? Your thoughts are appreciated!