Whether you’re celebrating your first home purchase or have lived in your new place for years, home renovations can cause stress and anxiety for some people. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone.
When renovating a home, it is important to be aware of how your partner or family members feel about the renovations. You might get caught up in the excitement and forget that they’re going through a big change too. If you can renovate a house and are still in a relationship, I guarantee you will age together.
Tackle the big things first and foremost
Focus on the big-ticket items that require time, money and planning to complete successfully. Most of the time these are kitchens and bathrooms. As you design each room, keep in mind that smaller details will fall into place once the bigger picture has been established.
Break down the work into manageable parts.
Breaking down the work into manageable parts is key to keeping your sanity during a renovation. I recommend breaking down renovation projects into three parts:
Design the renovation
Purchase everything you will need
Find a builder and ask them to install them according to your design.
Get some down time
It is not a natural instinct to go for a date night when all rooms are covered with 5cm of dust but it is achievable with careful planning.
You will thank me later...insert wink ;)
Shop in advance
The design stage is exciting and fun. When you start shopping, the biggest concern is usually the budget. Take your time to search for the best products for a better price. It will take the same time if you do it while construction is going on except you are more likely to purchase the wrong materials, delay construction and live in dust longer because of waiting times and pay more than you should.
The build stage will take a shorter time when all your shopping is done. Builders can see and touch the materials, and the design is ready.
Get creative and make compromises
Make compromises in your lifestyle to get things done faster.
If you clean every day, the renovation will take a year longer. Nothing will happen if you eat leftovers two days in a row, and it is ok if we don’t call your friends for a few months.
Create realistic expectations for yourself
You are just one person, you cannot do it all by yourself! Be kind to yourself and don’t try to do everything at once, or else you’ll end up exhausted and overwhelmed.
Ask for help.
No matter how capable and confident you may be, there are probably people who will lend their assistance if asked.
Finally, don’t be afraid to say no to things you don’t have time for or things that aren’t important enough in the grand scheme of things.
Create a relaxing space in your home
Creating a relaxing space in your home can help take the stress out of renovations. A comfortable and quiet area to sit in will make you feel better, which will in turn make it easier to focus on the task at hand. Styling this space helps me to motivate myself to finish the renovation.
Focus on what you can control to defuse stress
You cannot control your builder’s constantly broken car; you cannot control the world supply issues or the material shortage problems but the good news is that there are plenty more things we can control! You can control yourself! Manage your stress levels, find the activities and behaviors that help you best deal with stress: meditate, go out for a walk, anything that will help you relax.
Conclusion
If you’ve read all the information we’ve shared here, you have a good understanding of how to reduce the stress of home renovations. The first thing you need to do is accept that making renovations can be hard. Once you finish your renovations, this house will bring you joy. You are not only renovating your home; you are creating a life for yourself and your family. Neuroscience shows that our surrounding physical space influences our social relations, focus, creativity and memory. You do your best for your home and it will do its best for you.
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