Before You Even Lift a Finger:

1. Where Will You Live During Your Home Remodeling?

As a mother of a pack of children who value adventure and play, living through a renovation has come with its challenges. While each family comes with unique and specific needs, it is vital that you consider the reality of living off-site vs. on-site during your renovation. 

Knowing whether you can handle family life surrounded by the chaos of a building site, is crucial. The reality might well be that you need to consider housing with a friend, or renting a long-term Air BnB to accommodate you throughout the duration of the project.

2. Create A Realistic Budget

Creating a budget that accommodates your renovation realities can be tricky. It requires some scrutiny and foresight, to ensure that you are accounting for any plausible contingencies. Check out our article “Renovating on a Budget (8 Tips)“ for more information! 

3. Is Demolition Your Strong Suit?

Depending on the scale of your home remodeling project, it is likely going to involve some demolition work. The question is - are you up to the challenge?! One of my most eye-opening renovation realities was realizing that I absolutely LOVE a sledgehammer. Who knew - it turns out that I completely thrive in demolition work. Maybe there is something cathartic about it…. (You might want to consider looking into construction insurance before you take any hasty steps though!) 

That said, it certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and there is absolutely no shame in that. If you choose to bring in contractors to help you break ground, but handle the rest of the home remodeling as a DIY venture, you won’t have lost any respect in my book!

Home Remodeling: Our Most Valued Lessons

1. Commit To Becoming A DIY Student

One of the most joyful elements of our DIY project has been the opportunity to challenge me and push my boundaries by learning new skills. I had to fully dedicate myself and commit to becoming a student of my project. 

I bought the books. I made the Pinterest boards. I watched the Youtube tutorials. If there was a DIY show, you bet I was watching it. I feasted on every resource available to me and empowered myself to become an expert in DIY construction in just a few short months.

2. Make Sure You Understand Your Permits

This might seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many people make groundwork on their dream construction projects, only to have their work shut down after a few days. 

We live in Northern California, an area with severe weather conditions (seriously, we can push 110 degrees in the Summer, yet sometimes have snow on the ground during winter). Our California permits tend to be weather and terrain-related - and since we’re still new to the State, we’ve actually found them to be invaluably helpful!

3. Find The Right Tools

Preparation is everything! As an Enneagram 5, I have the preparation part dialed by now! But let’s not forget the time that I glued our door number on, in place of finding the right hammer and nails... 

While I got lucky in that instance, my biggest advice to you would be to limit your risks, do your research, and invest in the appropriate tools to get the job done! 

4. Find Creative Shortcuts

Finding creative shortcuts has been one of the most life-giving and fun elements of undergoing our home remodeling project. We have a wooden fence that encircles our pool area. This fence is old! We’re talking stained, grubby, and covered in a layer of unattractive grime. It was doing our yard no favors.

I was stomaching the cost of a new fence as one of the unfortunate unforeseen costs of our home remodeling project - and, frankly, was daunted at the prospect of spending a couple of grand on a new fence. I decided to get my creative juices flowing. I dreamt a little. Dallied around on the internet. Called a couple of friends. And managed to get my hands on a power washer. 

After a full Saturday of fun (I let Gabriel take the lead in getting absolutely drenched by the soaker!), we had managed to totally transform our fence, powering through the grime, and restoring it to something fresh and beautiful.

There Is No Such Thing As Over Prepared

One of the biggest renovation realities that I can bestow to you during a home remodeling is,  there is no such thing as over preparation. The more time and careful planning that you can put into your upfront prep, the more you eliminate the potential reality of unplanned costs and unexpected hindrances in the future. Plan through as many details as you can. Give yourself a realistic timeline, with room for hiccups and plot twists! Do the research, seek advice, and don’t stop asking questions.

Thinking you want to tackle home remodeling but have a few more questions? Feel free to reach out to us here or leave a comment below!