The biggest part about literally living in the house through a remodel is just reminding yourself that it will al be done eventually and worth it!! I think getting big things done first like kitchen cabinets, laying flooring, and painting walls all make a big impact and will make it feel like progress is happening quickly. Throughout the year of living here, there were months that we didn’t have a kitchen (only a fridge and microwave), a few days where the plumbing was getting worked on so we didn’t have toilets or showers, we were without air conditioning during a heat wave last summer for a few weeks, and in the very beginning we had wood boards covering a few exterior door ways and windows. Remodeling isn’t always glamorous but you just have to push past those times!
Here are my 5 tips to live through a remodel:
1. Finish one room in your house before you move in so you have a nice, clean space to go to. We 99% finished our master bedroom before we moved to this house. We stayed up super late the night before move in putting down the floors. It's nice to go to bed at night in a clean room, with floors and painted walls, and be able to decorate it, so it was worth that late night! We also had our computers and couch in there for a while since there was no where else for them to go, so it was cramped, but at least it felt cozy!
2. Look back at old photos of your house from time to time as a reminder of how far you've come. This always makes me feel so much better and like we have made so much progress!
3. This isn't something you can do, but it just happens. The “work in progress” state of your house becomes your new normal and you start to not notice all the unfinished pieces as much.
4. Have timelines for the big projects so you have this to look forward to and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Plus without timelines, projects can just drag on and on and not get completed.
5. Realize you have to ask for help sometimes. We wound up getting help with electrical, plumbing, tile and siding, which allowed us to tackle other projects at the same time, meaning we could get 2 things done at once.
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