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Renovating a house is not for the faint of heart. This is true if you’re a new homeowner who bought a little bit of a fixer upper, or you’ve owned your house for a while but want to pour some time and love into it to make it your dream place. Either way you slice it, living through a renovation can be taxing. But if you come to the process with some strategies in place to stay sane it will help tremendously. Let’s look at a few of those strategies now. 

If you are part of the work from home crowd, you’ll need to plan a little more than those who pick up to go to an office each morning. If you’re home while the renovation’s taking place, you’ll need surefire ways of handling hiccups that pop up. There will be noise, potential dust or debris floating around, and the internet might cut in and out depending on the work being done. Always have a go-to coffee shop or café in mind in case the noise is too much for that zoom call or your internet cuts out before an important meeting. This way you won’t panic but can hop in your car or walk over to your designated second office space. 

Don’t plan your budget so tightly that it only covers the exact estimate for the work. Renovations can run into unexpected delays or unforeseen issues causing the overall price tag to go up a bit. This is normal with houses as you may not always know exactly what is going on beneath the surface of your home. But if you add some wiggle room in your budget, you’ll feel more secure if the price does increase a little.

Rather than deciding to gut the whole downstairs at once (especially if you’re living in the home the whole time), limit it to one room or area at a time. Tackle just the kitchen first. Once that’s done, reassess and move on to the living room or master bath if it’s within your means and mental capacity. It’s also ok to take breaks between rooms if you’ve had enough of the noise and clutter for a few months. This ensures the home is still livable while you’re transforming it. 

The last piece of advice is to get creative and have fun with the renovation. Look at it as a fun adventure instead of gritting your teeth through the inconveniences. For example, think outside the box when it comes to cooking if you’re undertaking a kitchen renovation. Purchase a single burner hot plate and set up a cozy nook in another room where you can prepare one pot meals. Or utilize your slow cooker more to cut down on prep time as well as space. On the warmer days break out the grill. If you do a kitchen renovation in the summer months, plan to use the grill every night and set up a picnic atmosphere outdoors for you and your family. If you’re redoing a bedroom, and it’s warmer as well, plan some camping trips (either away or in your backyard) for a break from sleeping on the couch. Make it as fun and adventurous as you can to help mitigate stress. 

Use these strategies as a start to prepare for a home renovation. And if you need to utilize a storage unit while the house is a mess, we’ve got you covered.