I was scrolling back through my camera roll to see exactly where we were at this time last year. It turns out, Memorial Day weekend was the official kickoff to our hands-on DIY journey—and the moment I genuinely thought our marriage might not survive this renovation! Lol. (Spoiler alert: it did!)
Before
To save money, our HVAC contractor allowed us to buy the PEX piping and run them (for our in-floor heating system). That had to happen at a specific time in the process – after the cement mud-layer was poured and dried – but before the truck came out to pour our cement floor. Luckily that time happened to be over Memorial Day weekend so we were available! It was the very first major project Mike and I tackled entirely on our own on this rebuild.
And let me tell you, it was rough.
If you have ever wondered what goes on underneath a heated slab, this is it! Mike and I and secured rows of bright red PEX piping across the entire footprint of the cabin. Mike had meticulously planned and drawn it all out beforehand. He had several drafts going—it was honestly like a scene straight out of the movie A Beautiful Mind, except instead of math equations, it was sketches of what the PEX tubing paths would look like. He considered the different quadrants of the house, the loops for the warm and cold paths, and a dozen other technical details. I was more than happy to know absolutely nothing about it and just let him do his thing!
During
But drawing it on paper is one thing; wrestling it into place on a concrete mud slab is another. PEX pipe has a mind of its own. Thankfully, our contractor Frank loaned us a special staple gun and a special uncoiler tool to help the plastic unroll more easily, but it was still a true test of our relationship. Mike was “married” to his plan. It wasn’t working and I had ideas. He wasn’t open to them. LOL. We’ve all been there.
We learned a lot that weekend—not just about plumbing, but about how to communicate better, how our individual work styles clash and complement each other, and exactly what we need to do to work together on a job site without losing our minds. And our marriage has only gotten stronger from there.
Now
A whole year later, the heat up and running. Whenever I walk across the cabin and feel the actual warm and cold spots on the floor, I smile. I know exactly where those spots come from—they match the exact path of the coils we fought with last Memorial Day, straight from Mike’s master blueprints.
It is a great reminder that the most important parts of a house—and a relationship—are often the groundwork you build together that nobody else sees from the surface. We will tackle some new projects this Memorial Day weekend, but I am so glad I took a second to look back at how far we have come in exactly 365 days.
Are you taking on a big DIY project over the 3-day weekend, or are you just relaxing? Let me know in the comments below—and if you’re working with your spouse, stay strong!
