Well as life long lovers of renovating Belle 2 and I have probably experienced all the ups and downs that go with renovating a home. Make no mistake, renovating your home is a complex process. Remodelling your home can be one of the most exciting and creative processes you can experience, but it can also be stressful. Success depends on many things as we are here to tell you.
If you have watched THE BLOCK, RENOVATION RESCUE or HOUSE RULES you would have seen how perfectly strong & happy couples can become stressed to the point of tears &/or rage in a short period of time due to the living environment & demands that renovating can place on you. Renovating is definitely not all designer magazines and coffee breaks.
So lets look at the unpleasant side of renovating first:
THE UGLY
I am going to be honest and tell you that living on a building site with tradesmen coming and going all hours often with dirty boots, and bad language while your in your sleepwear with messy bed hair, definitely creates an ugly environment. Of coarse not all tradies are like this, but be prepared. The DIY gutting, removing, patching, dumping and repairing is both chaotic and exhausting. Throw kids into this mix and you can see why I call it ugly.
THE BAD
No matter how experienced you are renovating is time consuming, stressful. Before you know it, it has taken over your social life. There are so many decisions to be made, jobs to be done and then theres the unexpected problems that can arise and they are often costly. Things like – digging the footings for an extension and discover you are on a water coarse and have to put in extra drainage pipes you hadn’t budgeted for or you remove a wall and another wall next to it also falls down – oops! – or the roof is off when a storm hits and your new plasterwork inside gets ruined. Hopefully none of these things happen, but often something does go wrong. In times like this take a breath and keep the bigger picture in mind. These moments do pass even though it may seem like they won’t.
Scared off yet? Be assured there are many rewards in renovating and that is why Belle 2 and I are still doing it 30 years on. I think we are addicted.
Now for :
THE GOOD
The main benefit of renovating is being able to customise a home to your needs and taste. You can add new space, remodel kitchens, bathrooms, etc change the layout and surround yourself with the colours and finishes you love.
Usually renovating adds value to your home, but it is easy to over capitalise. Renovating can be often cheaper than buying a home that’s already renovated or to build one that is of the same standard that also meets your needs and style, and moving can be painful not to mention the costs of buying and selling. The benefits definitely outweigh the inconveniences . We at oohm say it will all seem worth it in the end…So unless you have an endless flow of money then be inspired to have a go at DIY renovating and create a home that money can’t buy!
Just look at this coastal cottage that we turned from derelict into gorgeous
Maddi and Lloyd transformed this bedroom on House Rules:
