Maybe you and your partner have found your dream house, but it needs significant renovation to get it looking the way you envision, or maybe you’ve both just been watching too many home renovation shows and DIY-ing a decrepit house into something beautiful suddenly seems like a good couples activity. While it’s true that home renovation can be rewarding and even fun, it can also be stressful. These tips can help you get through the process with more of the former and less of the latter.
Be Realistic
It’s often said that renovations nearly always cost more and take more time than planned. The first step is to be realistic about what the costs are likely to be and what you can afford. You need to agree on a budget and on how flexible you are willing to be with that budget and stick to it. It’s worth looking into getting a personal loan to fund a major renovation, particularly since the work you do is likely to significantly increase the value of your home. Your bank, credit union and online lenders are all potential sources of this loan. You should also be realistic about the amount of disruption you will experience. Even if you plan on doing most of the work yourself, it’s likely there will be things you’ll need to hire professionals to do. There’s going to be a lot of noise, dust and inconvenience, meaning this is probably not the best time to start working from home, get a new puppy or invite family to stay with you.
Agree on the Big Picture
You don’t need to agree on every little detail, and in fact, not knowing what those details will be is part of the fun. There’s nothing like the feeling of ripping up a hideous old rug to discover beautiful hardwood floors underneath or removing an ugly popcorn ceiling and finding vintage tin tiles underneath. But in addition to agreeing on a budget, you should be on the same page regarding the overall aesthetic and your ultimate vision for the house. You don’t want to wait until you’re partway through the process to discover one of you was envisioning a space for entertaining while the other was hoping for a cozy escape for just the two of you to curl up and watch movies.
Involve the Kids
If you have children, remember it’s their home too, and they’ll be suffering through the same disruption that you will. Summer might be the best time for home renovations since they won’t have to stick to a school schedule and can spend a lot of time outside. You can also take a vacation or at least send them to visit their grandparents if there’s going to be a particularly trying stretch. You may find that with a renovation, you’re spending a lot of time saying things like “don’t touch that,” so try to keep one part of the house kid-friendly, even if it’s just one part of a room where they can feel free to relax.
