To Renovate Or Not To Renovate, That Is The Question

Renovation. 

The word conjures up visions of possibility and beauty.

Taking that which is downtrodden and returning it to its former glory or making it even better.

Many people spend portions of their lives dreaming of the potential within their living space if only they had the time and wherewithal to renovate.   

Cinema and television have certainly done their best to reinforce this good feeling associated with the word renovation.

An actor from down the road in Indiana, PA starred in a 1947 holiday-season classic wherein the characters of George and Mary Bailey spend much of the movie renovating 320 Sycamore Street – the old Granville House – and the head of its wooden railing. Makes it appear downright cozy to live in that which even a ghost wouldn’t. 

In 1979 Bob Vila renovated 6 Percival Street in Dorchester, MA for a PBS series that was aptly titled “This Old House.” Thirty-five years later it’s an empire that Time, Inc. owns and uses to market the glorious concept of renovation to the tune of millions of dollars a year.

In 1987 one of the best drama series in television history introduced us to the characters of Michael and Hope Murdoch Steadman, a young couple of a certain age renovating their home in Philadelphia while trying to deal with the angst of life, love, children and work. There’s even a local connection to this show – Michael Steadman’s portrayer (Ken Olin) graduated from Penn State. 

The Steadman’s left us in 1991 but we segued right into Tim (the Toolman) Taylor hosting Tool Time and showing us how home improvement could be done with More Power! Renovation was no longer just for effete snobs or yuppies, but real men as well! Not to mention, the show’s co-creator (Carmen Finestra) is also a Penn State grad.

As you watch these movies and television shows you have the opportunity to live vicariously through the characters on the screen. It’s great entertainment to watch others go through the renovation process. As I said, renovation is a word that generally has positive connotations. And here in Happy Valley there are several excellent contractors and plenty of good craftspeople (Mike, Eddie, John, etc.) who can help you achieve your dreams.

Except, there’s one small catch. Not every story you see played out on the big or small screen is true. Most people I know who have lived through a full-scale renovation – where they lived, ate and slept inside the same space that is being renovated – wouldn’t wish it on their worst enemy. 

Your bathroom wasn’t supposed to be started until next week, but the paint for the hallway didn’t come in so they needed to move on to something else, and you have an important presentation, and why is the hot water off again, and the electricity for the microwave will be back on as soon as we get the new GFCI outlet, and we’re doing our best to tape all sides of the 4 mil polypropylene to minimize dust, sorry about the pounding at 7:00 AM, gosh we didn’t expect to find a load-bearing member there… 

Even with the best plans for coordinating everyone’s needs and schedules, the best CAD software, and computerized everything, renovation is still very much a “Verify In Field” endeavor. Meaning very little goes exactly as planned.

Now, let’s say you multiply this little guesstimating enterprise. Instead of just you and your family, let’s imagine a civic renovation that involves a hundred working adults and two thousand children. All going about their business in what can best be described as a 100,000 square feet of industrial work-site.  

Is this something you would wish on yourself, your children, your friends, your neighbors? Why, of course not.

And imagine the primary purpose of this community resource was education. For those inside to teach and be taught. How badly would that valuable and necessary mission be compromised by this overwhelming renovation?

Now, I’m sure if you were presented with the concept of such a large-scale renovation of a public edifice, at first you might think, “Why yes, we’ll save history. We like the location. We’ll be gentle on the earth and not build on more land. We’ll conserve and preserve.” And having never been through such an undertaking, you could certainly react with the warm fuzzy feeling you get whenever you hear the word renovation.

But as I said, for those who have lived it, the thought of subjecting 2,500 people to the trials and tribulations – not to mention the potential health risks – of a full-scale in-place renovation for three years… well, it just wouldn’t happen. 

For arguments sake, let’s say it did. Let’s say you, along with your friends who have never lived in a renovation agreed to put 2,500 of your children and neighbors into this environment. Granted, you were doing it for very altruistic and understandably benevolent reasons. Except now the reality has hit and it’s not pretty. In fact it’s a colossal, disturbing, possibly dangerous minefield. Just ask the Fraser Centre worker electrocuted at that job-site how safe construction can be. Why, you can’t even walk into the tire shop at Sam’s Club because of potential safety issues.

What to do?

Perhaps you let it continue. It isn’t bothering you personally. You’re not one of the cursed 2,500.

Or perhaps you bite the proverbial bullet and say, “You know what, this isn’t working as planned. It isn’t fair to expose these innocent people to the pitfalls and conceivable nastiness inherent in this sort of massive renovation. We have land. We have resources. We’re not too far down the road on this to pull the plug. We really should be kind to our fellow man and follow a different path. We may have spent a little money we can’t recoup, but it was a lesson well-learned because the long-term cost of not changing is greater.” 

It’s not as if we haven’t lost money before on other well-meaning ideas that didn’t turn out as planned. That’s the beauty of doing – we live, learn, find better ways, and keep moving forward.

Renovation.  A word of opposite extremes if there ever was one.