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How to Keep Your Sanity Through a Big Home Remodel Project

Tips for a Successful DIY Remodel Project

Big DIY projects are going to turn your home into a construction zone, so you need to plan ahead for success and keeping your sanity.

Some home improvement projects need to be done, but they’re monsters–the kind with tentacles that can pull you under.  That’s how we felt about our huge master bedroom addition project.  It was a complete do-it-yourself construction site that often had a mind of its own.  But we came out the other side and lived to tell the tale.  Not only did we love the makeover, we learned to love the monster project and we can help you.  Here’s our best advice for keeping your sanity when tackling a big home improvement project, and a peek into our biggest remodel project.

First, make sure your home needs a big remodel project.

This one began with a frustrating home design.  Check out this grainy picture of our house the day we bought it.

Do you see the double decks on the front?  They face an amazing view of the city.  We thought we would love them until we had to live with them.  They’re not covered, so they were always hot.  Every piece of furniture we put on the decks would fade and turn brittle from the constant sun beating on it.  The top deck was the worst.  That’s our master bedroom behind those windows.  The deck rail blocked our great view and the sliding door (right side top window) opened up to a wall.  To go out the door you walked past the window down a little hallway and out the slider.  It was a seriously flawed design.

We put up with it for many years, moving easier projects to the front of the line.  I really wish we hadn’t.

You’re ready for the big construction project when paint and a few cosmetic repairs are going to highlight a bad design rather than fix it.  We finally faced our project when we realized that the weird hallway to the sliding door would look dark and scary once we installed our beautiful dark wood flooring. Or, if you need more square footage and you have the room for an addition.

Most of the time, a few simple changes can modernize a dated home.  Don’t commit to a big construction project if you can accomplish the same thing by breaking it up into smaller projects.  It’s much easier on your sanity to remodel in steps.  If you can transform a room with paint, flooring, new trim, back-splash, and light fixtures then treat each phase as a small project.  Tackle one thing at a time, cleaning up between phases.  Doing your project in phases is a sanity saver if it’s possible.

Budget and Plan for Contingencies

The best laid plans are a roller coaster to the dark side when you don’t have a realistic budget.  Budget for your project FIRST.  Remove the temptation to go over-budget at the start by determining how much you honestly have to work with.  Once you know how much you’re going to spend, reduce it by 15%.  That’s your budget.  Period.  That 15% is your reserve should anything unexpected happen–because it will.

This is a picture of the deck after it’s been enclosed.  Our bedroom gained a huge sitting room from that unused deck.

We sketched our plan for enclosing the deck on a napkin at Applebees.  I had some amazing ideas that included a wall of windows–until I priced my dream.  You absolutely should design the best room possible, but be prepared to make changes to your design to bring it in line with the budget.  If you’ve made adjustments to your design to bring it in on budget and you don’t like the final design, then wait until you can increase your budget.  Don’t start a project that you don’t have the money for because….

Your sanity is dependent on getting the project finished as soon as possible.

This is what living in a home that’s under construction is like.

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you’re going to fit a DIY construction project into your leisure time.  By design, this project gobbled up Kevin’s weekends, vacation time and sleep until it was done.   We set a tight timeline to complete it and stuck to it like we were being paid to do the job.  I promise that you don’t want to be stuck in the nightmare of a 3-year kitchen renovation.  It will suck you dry.  This is a sprint, not a marathon.  If your home improvement project has stalled, check out How to Get Your Home Improvement Project Back On Track.

READY FOR A BIG PROJECT?  CHECK OUT OUR BIG PROJECT TUTORIALS

Want to read more about our story and our huge home remodel?  Check out our home tour.

Even with our strict timeline, we went over by a week because Kevin got sick and then our dishwasher broke.  That 15% emergency fund did its job, covering the unexpected expense of a new dishwasher. But missing the timeline was frustrating.

Want to see what we’re up to now?  Follow us on Instagram!

Big projects are disruptive to family life and can’t be tolerated for long–don’t kid yourself on this one.  Remember the end goal of this project is to create a home where your family feels comfortable, safe, and happy.  When a drawn out timeline creates chaos where you were trying to build peace, it’s time to step it up and get it done.  If that means later nights and using up more vacation time then that’s the deal.

Don’t wait on the finishing touches.

Construction is complete.  You’re sore and exhausted and…not finished yet.  The best part about every home improvement show is the reveal and you need to get your project there.  Be vigilant and clean up everything.  Remove the ladders and buckets.  Put the tools away.  Wipe down the walls and windows.  Mop the floors.  Move in the furniture.

This project consumed a lot of money and time, this is the big payoff.  You need to get it photo ready and then take pictures–lots of them.  Those pictures will fuel your next big project by reminding you why you invest in your home.  The room may look better weeks down the road after you’ve added some new decor or bought a new couch.  You can always take more pictures later but you need these pictures to document your success.

If you’d like to see how our monster construction project turned out, check out our pictures below.  We think you’d like all of our Ultimate DIY Guides, but why don’t you start with our Ultimate DIY Guide to Turning a Bedroom into A Suite and our Ultimate DIY Guide to Creating a Spa Bathroom?

We also have a huge freebies library that’s filled with project sheets and tons of seasonal printables to brighten up your home.  They’re all free for subscribing to our newsletter.  Subscribe now to get your password to the Freebie Library!

We shared this idea on these great linkup parties, and you should too!