Our family is in our construction era. Ten years ago, we moved into our 3-bedroom ranch, knowing we would eventually outgrow it, and we always planned to build on.
We moved in with a 10-month-old, and we now have a ten-year-old, an eight-year-old, and a three-year-old. Given housing prices, interest rates, and the fact that we loved our home and neighborhood about three years ago, we started planning to make our dreams a reality. So, for the past 11 months, our house has undergone a major renovation. When I say major, I’m talking about removing the roof and adding a second story major.
With three kids, a big dog, no family living nearby, and jobs we had to commute to, moving out of our house was not an option. Our only option was to live through it. At one point, all five family members were sleeping in our basement.
It has been an adventure. Has it been easy? Not one bit. Living through long-term renovations is not for the weak; you must be committed to the process. Has it made the past year more than a little chaotic? You bet. Is it worth it? In my opinion, absolutely.
If you’re considering renovations to your house or you’re in the thick of it like I am, here are a few tips that may help!
1. Plan for what you need.
We renovated to make our first home our forever dream home. So it was “go big or go home” for us. We spent over a year working with an architect on the plans, fine-tuning exactly what we needed. We went to our architect with our wish list and the things we did and didn’t like.
Have a realistic budget and find someone who will give you different options to fit that budget. While we did keep in mind what would and wouldn’t increase the value of our home, ultimately, we were guided by what would best work for us. If we were going to spend time and money on it, it had to be worth it.
2. Expect the unexpected and know that you’ll have to roll with it when it happens.
Along with planning for what you need, remember that even the best-laid plans can go awry. Budgets run over, work is delayed, certain things may come to life differently than you expected, and orders may be delivered wrong. Especially if you open up walls, you never know what you’ll find! It just comes with the territory.
While you can’t control it, you can control how you react to it and find solutions that work around the unexpected. It may even be a happy accident, and the unexpected turns out even better than you had planned.
3. Select a contractor that you won’t mind being a frequent flyer in your house and have an open line of communication with them.
If you’re undertaking a large project, the contractor and their team will be in your house. A LOT. Towards the end, you may even wonder if your house will ever be empty again or if they are now permanent people living there. Take your time in selecting a contractor. Get to know them and see if you’re comfortable with them being in your home all the time, especially if you won’t be home. The best way to resolve unexpected issues is to talk to your contractor frequently. Be honest with them always and ask for their honesty in return.
4. Find new routines.
If you remain in your home during the renovations, you will be displaced somehow. Whether it’s a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry room, living room, etc., you must adjust your routines and regular activities in some way. We were renovating our bedrooms and master bathroom, so we had to pack up most of our belongings and move them into a storage pod in our driveway. We decided what things we couldn’t live without until the construction was over and found different places to store them. This ended up being a challenge because our renovation spanned all four seasons. Luckily, our pod was in the driveway, and we could access items if we could {make sure to label boxes because otherwise, it would be impossible to find things… Speaking from experience, I gave up labeling boxes towards the end of packing}.
We moved our kids’ dressers into our mudroom, purchased large packing cubes and garment racks from Ikea for our clothes, and moved all our mattresses into the basement. We shared one bathroom for a few months, so we also had to adjust our bathroom routines.
Finding what works until you can return to regularly scheduled programming would be best. If you work from home, find a new spot {or spots, if construction will move to different areas in your house}. Thinking of how you can make your unaffected spaces work for your family requires creativity and innovation.
5. Succumb to the chaos.
Renovations are messy, loud, and disruptive {kind of like kids}. Succumb to the fact that your life will be chaotic until the project is finished. There may be constant noise {you’ll get used to it} and dust in places you have no idea how it got there. Also, sharing space in your home when you’re not used to it can easily bring on stress! Your belongings may be displaced. Then, throw kids into the mix, and things will likely be messy for a while. If you’re like me, it might make you anxious to have chaos everywhere, but if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. You will be able to control the chaos when the project is over!
6. Make “it’s only temporary” your mantra.
That leads me to my last tip, which may be the most important…it’s only temporary. Like when kids go through a difficult phase, remember that this is only temporary. There will be bumps in the road that make you wonder why you even did this in the first place! But your renovation will be done someday, and you’ll all be able to return to your regular lives in a beautiful, upgraded home, ready to make new memories! I have to remind myself of this continually when things get stressful.
