How to Renovate Your Property Without Ending Your Marriage!
So, you’ve made it through assembling a flat pack shelving unit with your partner unscathed, and now you’re feeling strangely smug and ready to put your relationship to the ultimate test—home renovation! Look, we’re not saying it’s a bad idea, all we’re saying is that whoever said that moving homes is one of the most stressful things you can do, obviously never tried to renovate their home while living in it. Put it this way, if one of you hates camping, you aren’t going to enjoy living without a kitchen for six weeks or showering at the neighbour’s house while the two-day bathroom jobs drags out for a month! The key to a successful renovation, that leaves your sanity and marriage intact, is not pretending it’ll be easy, but knowing it’ll be worth it!
To ensure that the only cracks you need to worry about are in the plaster and not your relationship, follow these helpful tips:
Keep a Least One Space Construction-Free
Whilst it may be tempting to go gung-ho and tackle multiple jobs in multiple rooms in an attempt to get things done quicker, designate one space in the house that stays clean, calm and construction free so that you have a place to retreat to when you need a mental and physical break from the chaos.
Agree on a Budget…Then Add 20%
If your relationship dynamic consists of a ‘spender’ and a ‘saver’ it’s very important to agree on a realistic budget from the outset. Renovation budgets almost always blow out due to delays, underestimating labour costs, or unexpected structural or accidental damage without one partner insisting that they can’t live without the marble kitchen bench they saw on Pinterest, ethically quarried under a full moon and shipped from Italy! Money stress is amplified tenfold when you are renovating. Be realistic about what you can afford, and what is a ‘want’ rather than a ‘need.’
Hire Professionals When Needed
There are some jobs that are fine to DIY, and others that you should always defer to a professional. Despite what your partner may think, watching a handful of YouTube videos does not an experienced plumber make, and the potential for making a costly mistake far outweighs any savings you might make! Another job that renovators tackle on their own and later come to regret is the painting. It’s a precise and painstaking job that has the potential to look terrible if rushed. If the budget allows, get a professional painter in—you’ll be staring at the same four walls for many years to come, make sure you like what you see!
Schedule Non-Reno Time
When you live and possibly even work in a home that’s being renovated, it can become all-consuming. Make time as a couple to get out and spend time together away from the mess and agree not to even mention anything reno-related. Nothing spoils a romantic meal faster than arguing over the fact that the dishwasher drawer won’t open properly because someone stuffed up the measurements!
The important thing is to go into things with your eyes wide open, have realistic expectations and remember the why when the completion date keeps moving further and further away! At the end of the day, the delays and disagreements will fade, but the dream home you create together will stand as proof that you survived it —together!