Pain to pleasure: Converting a house into a home

16 February, 2012

Everyone dreams to have his own home. We recently purchased a house and are in the midst of converting it to our beloved home. The conversion process is painful but at the end of the day a great..

WE HAVE just moved to Lucknow from Delhi after almost fifty years in uniform life. A life in which someone did for you or told you what needed to be done. Suddenly, everything had to be done afresh – a gigantic task converting house to home. It was initially scary to think of converting the brickwork to a place of emotional and intellectual comfort and growth. With expertise from experiences generally tending to scare the assignment that lay ahead, we took the plunge.

It's been more than a month since the assignment commenced and about the same time it's probably it’s over, and it is been a mixed bag. But there are some issues worth sharing with all those who may be planning a similar exercise.

Budget carefully, it generally overshoots. The market has a lot to offer and everything seems to be worth a buy and with lucrative discounts there is little option but to buy it. Be careful—there are no free dinners and too many hidden costs. It’s the same whether you are dealing with a local artisan or items from the malls.

Time over runs. This is the most frustrating concern when you wish to work with precision. There are numerous excuses from sickness to truck accidents to strike in Chinese manufacturing companies—somehow, it appears the universe is conniving to prevent this move to the cherished home.

Timely labour arrival is another perpetual headache. So many problems crop up that it’s amazing as to how the great nation is not only prospering but doing great and in style.

Mobiles with everyone seem to be the biggest distraction to efficient and speedy work. The contractors’ exchanges with the shopkeepers and everyone else, price negotiations can be interesting and frustrating simultaneously.

Expert opinions - everyone has an expert opinion on every issue right from local issues to governance and God. Surprisingly, there is a strong logic for the opinion.

There are a large number of good contractors available possessing the designer’s books/magazines on all items of furniture and believe you me, they replicate beautifully and would surprise you with the end product.

The retail brand Home Town is another good place to shop and it could be great if the purchases are timed with offers. Excellent choices at decent prices are available. It's prefab furniture made in China with agreat finish unlike the other crude Chinese stuff flooding the market. High quality service support mechanism also exits.

Finally, notwithstanding the pangs of pain, creating a home of your choice can be great experience and must be lived through. One would be extremely fortunate if have kids with ideas to help you set up things, it can be great and fun.

Wishing the would-be home makers all the luck for the once-in-a-lifetime venture!