Ask someone to tell you about a stressful time in their life or their married life, and very often you will hear stories of renovations. Renovating can become a disillusioning experience because we have romantic ideas of happy memories being made painting walls together as a family, yet the actual experience is vastly different and involves many moments of stress and conflict. The stress often arises from either budget or financial areas, or it is because you’re having to live and cook in a microwave and wash dishes in the bath, for far too long! And if you have kids in the mix then that just escalates the stress factors tenfold.
Know the big picture
Often, we know the feeling we want and the general aesthetic appearance more than the details pertaining to the fixtures and other nitty-gritty bits that make up the whole. Essentially there are only a few basic looks that a house can have, and it often becomes a blend. For example, modern home with earthy, wooden finishes and nice decorative floor tile patterns to make it feel comfortable and homey. Or the opposite. There are a few styles may be based on cultures and countries, like Tuscan, or Cape Dutch. And less often but still occurring are the theme-based homes, such as steampunk or retro
How to decide where to begin?
Think about where you spend most of your time, what gets the most foot traffic and where do you like to hang out. We often think it is the lounge but quite often it is the kitchen and the bathroom. If you do decide to change up the lounge, keep it homey and welcoming, because that’s what your guests and family want to feel when they’re there, otherwise you’ll find them spending more time in their bedrooms or hanging out in the kitchen. And while kitchens used to be the place for wives to cook and maids to clean, with shared responsibilities and cooking with friends, the kitchen can be a great social place, so account for much time spent hanging in the kitchen.
Take a break and get away from the chaos
Because you’ve probably decided to go with one of your more well-used areas to start renovating, this can be very uncomfortable to be living in while having to do without that particular space, like the property bathroom or kitchen. I think the biggest and best way to deal with this is to plan a relaxing holiday for yourself. Sometimes it is better to not see all that goes on in the process and instead of living in the dust and chaos of renovating and having a stream of workers passing through all day, book your annual leave and treat yourself to someplace where you can relax.
Reduce the stress of finances
Know before you go in, that it is going to cost more than you expect. Everybody says so, and everybody is right. So, build in an extra buffer that accounts for these hidden expenses. But don’t be stingy with the things that count, some things remain important to buy quality so that it lasts.
