You don’t own the home, yet you’ve spent a lot of money making it “yours.” Why?
Most importantly, because it makes me happy. I also look at this almost like school; I’m investing in my own learning. I’m thinking about buying a house in the next year or so, and I know I’m going to want to make changes. This whole process has been really cool because I’ve been able to learn how much things cost, how much time they take, and what goes into these types of projects. So yes, I’m investing in someone else’s space, but it’s really to benefit me.
I’m also a full-time content creator, and my niche is home decor. Doing these projects is not only part of my job, but is also how I make money. For example, when I first switched out my sink, I hired someone on Taskrabbit to install it for me, and I tagged the company. A few months later Taskrabbit reached out to me and ask if they could put it on their channels, and a few months after that, they hired me as part of an ongoing partnership. At this point, the sink has more than paid for itself. It’s not the reason I do it, but it’s an additional justification.
Another important thing to note is that this is a rent-stabilized apartment, so I can use some of the money I save on rent to do these projects. It also means that the landlord can’t hike up the rent after I move out and make it more expensive for the next person. So it doesn’t really benefit the landlord at all, or hurt the next tenant.
What lessons have you learned?
In general, one thing I’ve learned after making all these changes is that it pays to work either with a contractor or another industry professional who can manage the project, liaise with suppliers, and stuff like that. For example, trying to work with the stone yards for the marble was a huge headache. I’ve decided that when I buy my own house, I’m going to pay the extra money to hire someone who can handle that type of stuff. I still want to do the designing, but the project management can be passed to someone else.