| Sources |
- [S142] Newspaper Article, Chicago Tribune, record number: 19730910dn098, 10 Sep 1973.
Paul J. Pittges obituary
- [S142] Newspaper Article, The Roanoke Times (VA), 8 Feb 1998.
Pittges-Beaver marriage announcement
- [S142] Newspaper Article, Chicago Sun-Times, 21 Sep 1992.
Ways to recognize and manage depression will be discussed by K. Lynn Pittges, a medical social worker, at a meeting of the Mended Hearts chapter of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital at 6:45 p.m. Thursday in the hospital's Deicke Medical Education Center. Meetings are open to the public. Call (708) 833-1400, Ext. 4255.
- [S142] Newspaper Article, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar 2001.
COPING WITH THE CHAOS OF REMODELING
Chicago Tribune March 9, 2001 Author: Allison E. Beatty. Special to the Tribune.
Ask anyone who has remodeled and they will mention it.
The stress. The chaos. The feelings of anger, despair, frustration. It happens with the best and worst of contractors, whether the project proceeds on schedule or not.
Remodeling often has homeowners on edge because it disrupts their routines and their ability to control their environment, said K.Lynn Pittges, a licensed clinical social worker at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.
The key to managing the stress is to plan ahead to avoid being surprised, learn about the process and how it will affect your routine, and be realistic about what aspects you can control.
Begin by talking to the contractor about what to expect. Discuss your daily routine and ask whether certain events will be disrupted. If you are doing the work yourself, estimate the amount of time it will take to complete the project.
Proper planning also should include talking to your family or roommates about when the project will occur. "You want to consider what else is going on in your life to see what other stresses are present," said Maurie Davidson, a licensed clinical social worker in Encino, Calif. "If you have a family, you have to take into account what else is going on, what's going on in school."
During the remodeling, try to maintain as many routines as possible, even if it means having your morning coffee at 5 a.m. so you have plenty of time to prepare for your day before the contractor arrives.
Make a list of activities that could be disrupted by remodeling, and reschedule the activities or move them to another location. Arrange to have dinner at a friend's house a few times while the kitchen is being remodeled, for example.
This approach will provide you with a retreat from the mess and reduce the cost of eating out during the project.
Throughout the project, remain flexible and remember that some things may not proceed as planned. Also, try to focus on the positive aspects of the renovation. "Enter the project with a positive attitude," Pittges said. "You've decided to do this and it's not going to last forever."
Sharon and Joe Benigno learned to adjust their expectations when remodeling the kitchen and bathroom of their Cape Cod-style house in Chicago.
Sharon said the contractor they hired was juggling too many jobs, leaving them to watch in frustration as a project that was supposed to take two months stretched to almost four.
"It's very stressful," Sharon said. "Here a stranger has total control over your life--the kind of control you wouldn't give to anyone."
While kitchen remodeling projects typically are disruptive, this situation was compounded by the frustrations regarding the time line. Frequent calls to the contractor were met with broken promises regarding when he would arrive at their house and how long the process would take, she said.
"I was aware that it would be dirty, but the loss of a kitchen where you're supposed to be doing dishes is very disruptive," Sharon said. "At first it's kind of fun, you can be messy and you don't have to clean up. You feel good about the changes you're making, and then it begins to wear on you."
Remodeling ranks high among life's stressful events, and is similar to moving in how it disrupts one's life, Davidson said. This can involve not only the physical living environment, but social events and daily scheduling.
"There's the stress of not knowing when they will show up," Davidson said. "Even with the best contractors, they don't always show up on time. If you say you're going to show up at 8:30 in the morning, I'm ready for you to be there at 8:30 and if you don't show up until 11 o'clock, I'm going nuts wondering where you are."
Some homeowners may want to avoid remodeling entirely. "People who have a set way of doing things, who have set patterns for how they live need to throw that pattern out the window because nothing will be the same for quite awhile," Davidson said.
There are ways to exert control over part of the process, however. Talk to the contractor about your needs and discuss issues as they arise. Celebrate the completion of small stages of the project instead of longing for the end to arrive, Pittges said. "A large project may be overwhelming, but if we can break it down it's more tolerable."
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Have questions or information to share about the remodeling process? Write to Allison E. Beatty, in care of Your Place section, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611.
Edition: Chicago Sports Final Section: Your Place Page: 30 Column: Transformations.
Record Number: CTR0103090036
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1937 - (89 years)