Project House Update: Easier the Second Time Around

The great thing about finally completing a project is that you understand how easy or hard it is. That way, when you need to do it again, all the uncertainty is gone and you can jump right in.

When we installed blinds in our workout room, the hardest part of the process was finding blinds that would work for us. But once we had ones that we liked, there was no reason to hesitate on pulling the trigger on the ones for the den.

To recap, since the window is arched, we need blinds that can be side-mounted.

Here's what we started with. After Dan installed the window and the windowsill over a year ago, the little finishing touches never got finished.

Once we installed the blinds in the workout room and loved them, I had Dan immediately order matching ones for the den. They arrived remarkably fast and I was all gung-ho to get them installed. Dan brought me down to Earth with the list of things that needed to get done before they could be installed. It was simple stuff like spackling, painting, and caulking, all things I could do.

It took me longer than it should have, but it got done. From there, Dan popped in the blinds. Word of warning (and praise): Dan hung the blinds level, but the window itself apparently wasn't, so it looked really bad. The nice thing about these blinds, though, is that they come with extra installation stickers so we could try again.

I love the look of these blinds! You can't tell they are there unless you're looking for them.

Blinds, with cat for scale.

Seriously, you can't even see the blinds in the up position because of the thickness of the cross-member.

When the full list of house projects gets to be too overwhelming, it's great to cross them off little by little.