When you think about taking on a big home overhaul, you know it’s stressful. It isn’t until you’re living out of a suitcase and living in your childhood bedroom, do you really realize how exhausting and overwhelming a home renovation actually is. I am giving you my tips for surviving home renovation and hopefully you’ll come out the other side with a few less grey hairs.
I am currently in rounding the corner to the first and hopefully, most challenging leg of our two part reno process. I’m not sugar coating it here, surviving a home renovation is HARD. The day my husband and I saw our house, I told him that it was the right one. Even before actually touring the house, I knew it was meant to be. It ticked so many different boxes on our massively long list and we really didn’t intend to look for a house needing a face lift, it was just something that we both new needed to happen because the house was 15 years old. It also made sense to us to do as much work as possible before we moved in because once you’re living in the space, it’s 10x more difficult to get projects done.
Our decision was to hire a design firm that paired us with a general contractor to do the work. We met with a few different design firms before we landed on a local business. My number one advice for hiring a design firm and GC is to ensure that you mesh well together. Having a good relationship is ESSENTIAL. Not all designers will be your cup of tea and if you go with someone you aren’t crazy about in the beginning, you will have major regrets once you dive into the actual renovation. Be open about what you’re willing to spend and it’s a huge red flag if they pressure you to go with more expensive features and finishes.
Let’s talk about budget!
My husband I were naïve when it came to our budget, even though we knew it would be expensive. When you account for labor costs + the cost of materials, you should plan to double your budget or cut down on projects. Looking back, our first budget was laughable, but you learn as you go! We picked the exact right team for us and took the time to research the most highly rated companies. It’s such huge undertaking, that not rushing things is important.
A peak out at all the work we are doing! Phase one consists of our basement and main level. It includes re-staining our hardwoods, redoing all of the electrical, a whole house paint, re-tiling the guest bathroom, powder room, and laundry room, painting the kitchen cabinets, new countertops/backsplash. Phase two will be a gut of the master bathroom.
Let’s also talk timelines!
I also think we were unrealistic in our timeline and thought we could make living in a reno zone work. It doesn’t work. No bathroom, rooms taped off, no kitchen, it just wasn’t happening. Our contractor is fabulous at keeping deadlines and his team works hard (often working weekends). With that said, things change and I’ve learned to roll with the punches. To that point, trying to do a major remodel in a pandemic is both stressful and challenging in a unique way. Supplies and materials are harder to nail down and workers’ schedules are different. We found that many companies are still playing catch up from quarantine and since everyone is spending more time at home, people are wanting to do updates to their homes now more than ever.
We had an incredibly hard tough time purchasing a washer & dryer for our laundry room (crazy right?!) We’ve been very lucky with the pace, but the work still till takes time. Being patient is hard, but you just have to push through. I’ve found myself thinking we’re at the point where I can unbox stuff, but we still have entire spaces taped off and covered in dust. Moving in just isn’t realistic yet and that’s ok!
It’s OK if you’re not OK.
Even though I knew the house would be a mess, there have been times when the mess of everything has overwhelmed me. My biggest piece of advice is to trust in the process. Again, trust the people doing it. I trust our GC enough to know if something looks out of place or not right, he has a reason and he’ll always take my calls or emails if I have questions.
I hope if you’re thinking of taking on a reno, that my experience has given you some insight! Take the time to establish your wants vs. needs and that you map out a game plan going forward. It’s not easy, but at the end of the day, surviving home renovation will get you a house that’s worth all the effort and tears it took to get there!
-xo
Darcy
