How to Mentally Survive a House Renovation
If you are looking to do your own home renovations, Sarah the author behind Dream of Home has some amazing tips for mentally surviving the upheaval of home renovations.
Renovating a house has probably been one of the most stressful experiences of my whole life. But I was lucky enough to not live there whilst the work was going on.
Me and my fiance did everything ourselves. This means the renovation took six months, and we were there every day. During the week, we spent evenings doing work, and then we were there all day on a Saturday and a Sunday. Doing it this way is a good way of saving money instead of hiring people to do small jobs such as painting.
But the situation is still stressful even when you get people in to do the work. It costs a lot of money and you need to make sure they’re doing it right/the way you want it.
I’ve learnt a lot over this house renovation period, and so I wanted to share some tips on how to survive house renovation stress when your house looks like this:
Hint: that’s not our house, thank goodness.
Keep on top of the cleaning.
This sounds silly when your house is a building site (literally), but I found the stress just melted away when I got the hoover out and sucked up as much dust as possible. I cleaned the rooms that weren’t being renovated. I swept up the bare floorboards and even wiped down the window sills. These small jobs make you feel so much better, even though it’ll get dusty again tomorrow. This sort of cleaning is especially important when you’re living there, as you risk the dust spreading into rooms that you aren’t planning on refurbing. For the most significant mess created by tearing out old bits of the house, it might be worth considering renting a dumpster in order to dispose of waste materials easily, you might wonder to yourself, what can go in a construction roll off? And the answer is just about anything, which can be a massive aid when trying to keep the renovation space clear, it also prevents the rest of the house from becoming an overfill area for mess created by the project.
Make sure you always have a clean kettle, mugs and tea/coffee
I would have gone crazy without having these small essentials. Taking a break from building work with a cup of tea is an absolute requirement. It breaks up your time doing whatever you’re doing: stripping wallpaper, painting, or cleaning. It also gives you a chance to discuss what you’re going to be doing next, or what jobs are priority.
Planning
One of the biggest things that can get you through the more challenging days with your home renovation project is planning. You can make some plans for the interior design and the features that you want to enjoy. Consider the pattern of the wallpaper you wish to have or the colour of the paint you will buy for your dreamy white kitchen.
Dream about your window space, and all of the ways that you can dress it to make an impact. Being able to look to the future, and all of the things you can enjoy can make a big difference in those days you wish you hadn’t started the project. Don’t forget to plan your budget too to give you an idea of what you will spend.
Treat yourself to lunch outside the house
You should use any excuse to get out of the house. We ended up going for lunch at the local garden centre covered in dust with paint on our faces. But it’s nice to get out of the house, have a bit of time to sit down and eat, and there’s no washing up to do (not that we had any plates or cutlery, or even a working fridge in the house). You need a change of scenery and some fresh air every now and then to make you feel good.
Try not to make everything about “the house”.
It was like having a child: every conversation we had was about what we’d done that week on the house, what we were doing next, what we could do in a couple of months, when the electrician was coming over, what paint colours or style did we want. After a while, project managing becomes your whole life. On Valentine’s Day this year, I banned any talk of the house when we went out for a meal. It took us a few minutes of silence to find something else to talk about (what did we discuss before “the house”?!).
Always remember your goal.
At the end of it all, you’ll have a beautiful house that is everything you imagined. We were able to choose everything, down to our sockets and door hinges. It was so worth it, and has hopefully added some value to the house. Though there are still small jobs that need doing, we can relax in this house for 5 or 6 years and enjoy it.
You can follow my house renovation journey at www.dreamofhome.co.uk.
About the author
Sarah is a recent graduate based in the UK with a degree in English Literature. She started her blog as a way of logging the renovation on her first house, as something to look back on in the future. But she started to write about books, lifestyle, and interior design too. She’s hoping to get a cat to complete the house.
Home renovation is always stressful and it takes a lot of effort to get it done. Thanks for sharing these useful tips. I will always keep these tips in mind in future.
Glad you found them useful, and I hope they’ll come in handy one day!
I think I’d be the same with cleaning, by just doing a little bit you feel more in control x
Hi Rhian,
100%, cleaning really helped me. I need to feel in control, so it focused my mind on something other than the dirt and mess.
It’s always good to take a break with a cup of coffe outside of the house, because if you’re not so focused on the renovation, you can see the bigger picture. And it’s also easier to find solutions for any issues that might occur on the road this way. As long as you don’t forget why you’re doing it and how it will turn out in the end, everything will be ok 🙂
Exactly, it will all be okay! I used to love going outside and having a tea break in the dust-free garden. It gave you time away to think about what you needed to do.
we live in a council house, and have had to live through renovations on a couple of occasions it was horrendous, the dust was the worst thing, no matter how hard we tried dirt keeps turning up weeks later
Hi Fiona,
It does keep turning up doesn’t it. Even after a month I still hoover twice a week, and the skirting boards keep getting filthy, but I still don’t know where the dust is coming from! It’s definitely getting better though.
Thanks for commenting.
I am currently renovating my house and it can get very stressful and overwhelming! You have some really great tips to be able to try and find ways to just deal! Especially keeping the end goal in mind. Sometimes it is hard to see with the house being torn apart, literally, but it will come together sooner or later! Thanks for the great tips and for sharing!
Hi Alayna,
Thanks for reading! Glad you found the tips helpful.
I always said that moving house was horrifically stressful… maybe renovation gives moving a run for its money!
Hi Sandy,
I thought moving house was the most fun part! Being able to put things where I wanted them, and experimenting with room layouts. Packing was not fun, but I didn’t mind unpacking at all.
I’ve not experienced a house renovation, but can imagine it’s super stressful! The result at the end must be such a wonderful reward 🙂
Hi Ashleigh, it really is! I completely understand how people get the house renovation bug.
These are great tips for mentally surviving your house renovation. It is so important to clean up the mess each day so it doesn’t get overwhelming. Remembering the goal of your dream home will help you get through some rough days. Thanks for sharing the tips.
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for reading and I’m glad you like them.
My house is needing lots of work but mentally it drives me nuts just thinking about . I need two bedrooms the staircase and the kitchen refurbishing . I suffer from an anxiety disorder so take ages to get motivated. Then there’s the physical strength – ouch! Think I’ll need lots of breaks and eating out would be a great idea! Thanks for your tips I’ll need them.
Hi Sandra, I also suffer with anxiety, so finding something that keeps you calm is always a great bonus!
Good luck with your house renovation. Try not to think of everything that needs doing, but break it down into small tasks, or even by room.
These are really fab tips! I do have to admit I do miss the new home stage a little bit though!
Hi Rachelanne,
Thanks, glad you liked them!
Good reading as we are just starting our renovation……….we are only at the wallpaper stripping stage at the moment. I can also relate to not having a fridge, we ended up buying a temporary one after two weeks and have a microwave combi oven, but they are our only means of food preparation other than the kettle and toaster.
Wow, so you’re living there and doing the renovations?
Good luck with it all! Kettle and mugs are clearly a priority.
Having renovated a house previously I totally agree with all of these tips. As you say it can be very stressful x
Glad you liked the tips, thanks for reading!
These are really great tips! We are rather new homeowners (about a year) and although we didn’t do the work ourselves we had our floors redone and the stress was a lot more than I anticipated. Just the change to our living pattern made things really tense. we still have a few more projects in mind (a few DIY) and I will definitely keep these tips in mind when we tackle them.
Hi Tiffany,
Even doing one room, you have to pack everything up and move it into a different room, so then you have one messy room, but also a few other cluttered rooms too! It escalates very quickly. Glad you liked the tips.
Oh it is tough but it is well worth it in the end! Just keep smiling throughout all the upheavals.
Thanks, Anthea! It is completely worth it, and I’d do it all again.
From what I’ve seen you have both done an amazing job. I love a minimalistic look too as it’s always much cleaner and tidier looking to me. I think you gain so much satisfaction on successfully completing D.I.Y. jobs and you learn skills as you go. I always prefer to go that way…cost permitting. x
Hi Jo,
Thank you. Yes there’s definitely more satisfaction. People come over and I’m proud of the house and what we achieved. There’s still a lot more to do, but now that we’re moved in, we can gradually do it over the years, at a much slower and calmer pace.
Thanks for giving us a heads up. These little things that you shared is very helpful to avoid stress while renovating your home. Love the tips!
Hi Angela, thank you!
They really are only little things, but they make the whole process much easier.
These are good tips for what sounds like a stressful situation. I hope that one day I have my own home to renovate!
Glad you liked them, Elizabeth! Thanks for reading.
These are great tips! I am planning on renovating our home soon. These will come in handy.
Hi Lisa,
Glad they might be able to help you out, and good luck with the renovation!
We just went through a major renovation that took months and made us appreciate functioning with less space. I commend those who do it themselves. I would never….
Hi Elizabeth. Next time we are planning on building a house ourselves, but obviously we’d get people in. We were there everyday after work until 8pm, and then from a weekend, 10am-4pm ish. We did that for six months. It was tough, and would have been much easier to get workmen in who could do the jobs whilst we were at work, but we’ve saved about £3k doing it ourselves.
When my house was under construction, my kids were 3 and 1 so we had to move out….It was definitely not easy!
Wow, Matt, that was brave! At least moving out was an option, as for some people it isn’t. Especially with the amount of money it costs to renovate in the first place, some can’t afford to temporarily move.
My parents did a house renovation when I was about 12. I remember we moved into my Granny’s house for about two weeks during the worst of it.
These are good tips as renovating can be stressful! Thank God for coffee!! Xx-Doran @HauteBeatyGuide
Yep, coffee and tea (and maybe the occasional glass of wine too). The days when I brought something nice for lunch always helped too.
I don’t think I could I have a episodes when anything new happens with the house or needs mending ?
Why are there always things that need mending?! Even in our house, where everything is brand new, we’re still fixing things. It doesn’t stop.
I’ve been through this and I felt really exhausted then.. I wish I had seen these tips earlier. Great tips, gonna use it the next time.
Glad you liked them! They won’t work for everyone, but they really helped me, so I wanted to share.
Having been through this a couple of times before, I’m too old to go through it again! Think I’d rather move house x
I’ve heard a lot of people say that: as they get older, they can’t be bothered any more. I think I’d agree. I’d do it once more to make my ‘forever home’ as people are calling it nowadays. Then after that, probably never again.
That are some great tips! I have to renovate next year and I’m already afraid!!! I will definitely remember the tip with the clean mug 🙂
Hi Stefani,
Good luck with it, but don’t be afraid! Just take it a day at a time, rather than thinking of the project as a whole. Tea definitely saved me throughout the renovation.