The 5 best ways to survive your DIY are easy to implement and can make or break your project. After 3 kitchen Renos I have learned a few things. Now that being said, it does not mean every day will be this wonderful, well-planned journey. I am here to tell you now, it won’t be. You will still have to be flexible and diligent about two bigs parts of the project, your timeline, and your budget.
That doesn’t mean it can’t go well, but if you want to keep your sanity some preparation is necessary. Now I do need to make a confession. I have not always handled DIY projects logically. We have started without a plan and budget. Some projects have ended better than other as well, but we have learned a few things along the way.
Survival During DIY Renovation
If you are going to survive during your renovation then you must come up with a plan. Your plan does not have to be binding, but it does have to have a general direction.
Many times we have been so excited to start somewhere and get something done that we make mistakes. Especially in the area of demolition. Demolition is so easy. In fact, it is so easy that projects can get stalled right here. Let me just say, “It ain’t easy!” and that is coming from someone that has remodeled 3 kitchens.
I know you have seen this before. The wall comes down, but one never goes back up. That is not how we want our own projects to go and somewhere along the way we wish there was an easy button to push.
Make A Long-Range Plan In Preparing For Survival During Renovations
Setting goals with deadlines is going to be the biggest part of surviving this project or any project that involves renovations. When I was in nursing school one of the most important parts of accomplishing your goals is to make them realistic and measurable.
I. A Realistic Time Line
Realistic timelines are crucial. When your kitchen or bathroom looks something like this,
We usually never see ourselves living in the middle of a mess for very long. At lease writing it down on a piece of paper a flexible timeline can help us.
Give yourself more time than what you believe is necessary. Sit down with your DIY Planner I created for you and start your planning. My husband and I have learned to plan twice as long and you think it will take.
Factors That Affect Your Timeline
When you do sit down and create a timeline you will find somethings that affect it, like being tired. Let’s face it, there are other things going on in our lives.
We all have families, jobs, commitments and many many other activities. Your timeline is meant to help you keep moving forward. It is not meant to feel like a ball and chain.
Take the time to sit down and make a realistic timeline. When you do this consider the other occasions and holidays as well as life events going on. You should do this with your husband.
Making the timeline together will help with future frustrations. You are going to have some future frustrations. Even if you hire every bit of the work out you are going to have frustrations, I promise.
Sitting down together helps all involved see and hear the plan that is about to start. Remember survival during a DIY or any renovation is going to happen with a realistic timeline.
2. Create A Realistic Budget
No one likes to hear the word budget. I sure don’t, but if you are thinking this project is going to cost $30,000 and your husband is thinking $15,000 dollars, well, there are going to be some hopes and dreams smashed right away.
The word frustration comes to mind again, but the word anger does too. The last thing you need is for a fight to erupt during this renovation project.
Sitting down and talking about the expectations of what is going to go to the reno is crucial. Let me give you an example. When I think about a dream kitchen a few things come to mind for me.
Now, I am not going to lie, this is really not exactly the stove I am talking about. I really, really like the vintage-inspired gas stoves. Take some time and compare prices and your real needs.
Become a Really Good Comparison Shopper
Cosmo
Comparison shopping can save you enough money that you can splurge in some other areas. That is why it is so important to do a budget. If it is written down you will have real time numbers to look at and compare.
Make sure you include non-negotiable in your list when you write your budget out.
My husband’s dream kitchen has a particular type of flooring. When we sit down to talk about this, I realize he could care less about my vintage-inspired stove and I really don’t care about the floors that much.
I want our flooring to look good but I am much more concerned about everything above the floor. The crucial point here is that both items need to be budgeted and considered. A budget will help guide you in these purchases as well.
It was not in our budget to spend 10 or 13 thousand dollars on a stove. I needed to see that on paper. Especially since we still needed to consider countertops, paint, flooring, lighting and many other items.
Budgeting is sometimes seen as a bad word, but we really need one to start a renovation. The cost can quickly escalate to unrealistic heights. Surviving a DIY Renovation requires a realistic budget.
3. Hire Out Professionals When Necessary
Part of preparing for survival during DIY renovations is hiring out the professionals when it is necessary. There are just some parts of a project you should hire out professionals for.
My husband always says that a 40 thousand dollar trip to the emergency room is not worth trying to save a few hundred dollars. Think about this very seriously.
Some parts of a renovation project you may need to hire a professional for,
- electrical
- plumbing
- roofing
- gas lines
- granite or certain types of countertops
There will be and are many things you can do on your own, but some important projects should be done by professionals. Cities have codes and other restrictions when it comes to homes. Professionals know those codes and will help you stay safe while taking care of them.
4. Being Flexible Will Help You Prepare and Survive a DIY Renovation
Any type of renovations is stressful. We already have stress in our lives and then we add extra projects to it. Time is not always plentiful and things come up.
Even with a budget, timeline and hiring professionals for somethings, you will want to be flexible. The ordinary everyday things that help life run smoothly will be interrupted now.
Here is where you will want to put on big girl pants and try to be patient with people. Remember the best-laid plans are often foiled. Learn to take a deep breath, and walk away from the stress.
I often just choose a different path in my home during a renovation. Just looking at it stresses me out! So, the less I have to walk through it the better off I am.
I also buy convenient foods to eat or eat out. A kitchen renovation is very difficult to live through and I know that because we have done it three times. Each time I tell myself it will be okay, but in the middle, I often wonder if it will.
5. Keep Doing real life
One of the biggest mistakes we have made over the years when it comes to DIY projects is not doing our real life stuff. Missing out on July 4th celebrations or spending way to many Saturdays cutting boards or painting.
If you take the time to set a realistic time and are using. the 5 best ways to survive a DIY project include time away.
Time away and doing fun things with your family is critical to survival. Honestly, we have found that you don’t usually enjoy the project or life if you don’t get away from it some. Burnout is a big problem in DIY projects. Leah Koenig says, “Burnout has a way of sneaking up on us.“
It can happen and then 5 years later you’re on a show on HGTV talking about why you couldn’t finish your DIY project. Burnout comes with this kind of project that seems to take forever.
Conclusion
Start with a plan. Include in your plan
- A Timeline
- Realistic Budget with non-negotiable
- Flexibility
- Hire professionals when necessary
- Keep doing life
My saving grace has been just that, grace. I have learned that this too shall pass. It really will. One day you will be sitting in the middle of your finished DIY renovation and sing to yourself. You will be able to say, I survived, I prepared myself and I survived our DIY renovation.
Have you been through a renovation?
What did you do to survive? Honestly, Janet
Was it harder than you thought?
