How to Stay Positive and Motivated During a Renovation
/5 Ways to Stay Positive During a Major Renovation
We've been in the midst of our master suite renovation for several months now and I'm sure you're not surprised to hear that it takes its toll on a person. This is our biggest renovation to date and it has certainly had its ups and downs. But although we’ve had our “off” days, overall I'd say Lucius and I have done a pretty darn good job staying positive and motivated along the way (bonus points for not killing each other!). But exactly how DO you stay positive and motivated during a renovation?
I have to be honest, staying upbeat, and inspired when your house is chaos and there's somehow a fine layer of dust on everything doesn't always come naturally. I recently came across a post by the blog Yellow Brick Home where they asked this question to other bloggers and it got me to thinking, how are we managing?
I quickly realized that it’s not a quick and simple answer - there are lots of ways we’re coping! So I put together some tips that have been working for Lucius and me to keep our heads up and looking towards that light at the end of the tunnel. So in case you too are in the thick of a renovation or are nervous to start one, I hope these tips are helpful to get you through to the finish line (or to the starting line if you haven’t taken the plunge just yet).
Set Realistic Expectations and Be Flexible
I thrive when I have a goal to work toward. My type-A personality eats that ish up! But during a renovation, plans frequently go awry and, especially for type-A people like me, that can be REALLY HARD TO DEAL WITH. But when this happens during a renovation, you simply have to learn to roll with it.
It's not uncommon during a renovation to discover an unwelcome surprise that throws your plans out of whack. For instance, once we pulled down the drywall in the master suite, we realized part of the bedroom we hoped to open up absolutely had to have a support under it. It was frustrating at first to have to rethink the layout that I was so excited about. But what choice did we have? In the end, we came up with a new layout we love even more than the original.
Or consider timelines for a second. We're mostly DIYing our renovation, so luckily our timeline is already flexible. But that doesn't mean we want to spend years without our master suite. However, Lucius and I both work full-time and we have little kids, so this project has been inevitably slow going. On several occasions, when we started to feel like we were putting too much pressure on ourselves to get the room knocked out quickly, we’ve had to take a step back and reevaluate.
If you're hiring out for your renovation, you'll want to prepare yourself for timelines to get messed up. You can hope and plan to have a project done by X date, but really it depends on your contractor and subcontractors and when they can have the work completed. Especially when you consider that a lot of the work depends on something else being done beforehand. If one of those tasks misses its deadline, it can have a Domino effect and you'll need to adjust accordingly.
Know That It's Going to Get Worse Before It Gets Better
There are so many feelings that come with a renovation. It's exciting to see your ideas come to life, but terrifying what you might find behind the walls (and the unexpected cost associated with it). But one thing is for sure: there's a point in the renovation when you're deep in demo and you look around and panic a little bit (okay, a lot a bit) because you realize there is no turning back. Truthfully, at this moment, the state of our master bathroom even makes my heart race a little.
The best advice I can give here is to KEEP GOING.
Believe in yourself, your design, and your contractor that it's going to turn out okay… because, at this point, it kinda has to, right?
But seriously, you hit a point in the renovation that everything is a mess and it's hard to see past that to what's to come. Trust me, once the demo is done, the rebuilding begins and that part IS SO EXCITING that it'll get your spirits back up in no time. The middle of a renovation is confusing, messy, and makes no sense. Just keep swimming.
Take It One Day At A Time
So at this point, your original plans have gotten all messed up, but no sweat. You've stayed cool, calm, and collected. You've readjusted and you're back on track with a new plan. Now you're deep into demo, and panicking at the sheer chaos of the state of your house. How do you deal? You take it one day at a time.
It seems so simple! But really, taking our renovation one day at a time has been a huge help in staying positive. Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day and your house won't be rebuilt in a day either. With that being said…
Celebrate the Milestones - No Matter How Small
It’s overwhelming to think about your whole renovation as one big project. Instead, look at it as a slew of little projects. After all, how do you eat an elephant?
And each time you complete one of those projects, celebrate! You're one step closer to the end! You finished demo? Hooray! The framing for a new wall went up? Alright! You started drywalling? Margaritas, anyone!?
Celebrating the little milestones along the way has played a huge part in keeping us motivated. It doesn't necessarily mean we're throwing a party, or heck, even going out to eat each time we make some progress (#thankscovid). But Lucius and I love to dream together, talk about what we're tackling next, look at pictures of what the house looked like before we started, and congratulate ourselves on how far we've come. Each step along the way is truly something to be proud of, so don't hesitate to pat yourself on the back (over and over again)!
Keep Perspective - Know Your Why
Lastly, when you're in the thick of a renovation and it feels like you're miles away from being done, it's easy to forget why you started. Don't. It's important to keep perspective and remember your Why for starting a renovation to help keep you motivated to meet that goal.
Lucius and I started our master suite renovation because from the minute we walked into the bedroom during our initial showing, we started talking about how stupid the layout was. Planning to renovate the master suite was a huge factor in me agreeing to buy this house - so here we are.
Our Why is because we know we can add resale value to our house by reconfiguring the master suite and turn it into a space we love to spend time in while we're living here. So in those times when I'm overwhelmed and have that sudden, "What did we get ourselves into!?" feeling, I remember that it'll be more than worth it in the end.
So whatever the reason, don't forget why you started.
Final Thoughts
There’s no sugarcoating it - renovations are HARD. But hopefully keeping these first-hand tips in mind will help get you through your next renovation a little easier. I know there will be days when I’ll need to come back and read through them myself!
Does anyone out there have any more helpful tips on how to stay positive or motivated during a renovation? I'd love to hear them!
