dream home diaries: the aftermath

I’ve gotten several emails from my New York Times’ Dream Home Diaries pals about the blog’s finale. Because we developed a sense of community, I believe that they didn’t want to lambast me publicly. Thank you.

Interestingly, I suspect they had also hoped I would share my verdicts on all the things that went dreadfully wrong in the house design because of the lack of attention or care of Paul and Alison.

I guess at this point I am invoking what I learned as a child: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

That is not to suggest that I did not have (what I thought was) constructive criticism during the process (OK, the lattice killed me) but mostly I tried to be really positive during the blog experience. Carol was a role model for all of us, finding the bright lights in the seemingly bizarre decisions and reminding us that it was not, after all, our dream but the Davis-Brown family’s dream.

Was I troubled by the fact that the furniture fits oddly in front of windows or that the kitchen was goofy with inaccessible cabinets and wall tile that didn’t fit uniformly under the cabinets and an airhandler that opened to the dining room? Well, sure.

I know Susan has pointed out that “matchy matchy” in fixtures is so yesterday (www.kitchendesigner.org) but I had to agree with the reader who said basically, yikes, it looks like the lighting, faucets and knobs are from three different bathrooms. I had the same thoughts when I looked at the final pictures.

I agreed with so much of the feedback in the posts from that last week that I did not feel like I had much to add. The lack of any concern about the environment or the neighbors was sad but I suspect we all see more of that than we would like to in our own ‘hoods. It’s probably a wake-up call to all of us to be true to what we believe.

I definitely didn’t disagree with most of the final reader postings, except for those who thought the regulars were all selfish, weirdo nut-jobs. Obviously they had no understanding of how often the regulars spent time researching to help Paul and Alison, as well as sharing their best guidance based on experience. I wasn’t one of the regular posters  or experts but I sure did appreciate them all.

I believe that the NYT DHD may have let down its loyal readership but I can also tell you that this little blog and those of you made it a priority also made a world of difference in decisions I was making in my remodel (and will continue to make as I go forward).

Because I wasn’t a blog frequenter before DHD, I did feel the discontent between writers and readers (little to no interaction) but I did not have the huge heartburn because, as I’ve mentioned, it was my first blog so I had no expectations.

I apologize to those of you who are less than thrilled with me for not writing a fiery edict. I suspect our building couple are much like the rest of us, doing the best they can with the resources (including time and interest) that they have. They just had the misfortune of doing so very publicly.

I believe their intentions were good and they got in over their heads (a place I am very familiar with now with one mortgage too many and a GC who drives me batty).

Do I wish we saw pictures of the roof deck? Of course! I actually did not hate the idea of the roof deck as much as others but then I bought a 500-sf oceanfront studio mostly because of the balcony, so who am I to talk?

I guess in answer to the questions I got via email, I’m not troubled or disturbed or ticked off. I suppose I feel a little let down that our loyal readers got so little satisfaction in the ending, and I include myself here. I certainly did not have the experience to share much but jumped in when I could.

However several of you added so much depth to the blog that I treasure.

What could have been a grand celebration ended with a whimper rather than a big celestial bang. You know, the great fun you have when you settle into your dream space.

I am almost embarrassed at how often I checked in to this blog. But I am grateful for the sense of community and my fellow readers.

I appreciate you all and hope that we see each other soon.