For all of us DIY advocates out there, we know that we get a sense of satisfaction and creativity from our work. However, as with everything in life, we all live and learn from our experiences and our mistakes. Because of this, we are able to apply what we learn and practice our skill sets for the future. Making mistakes allows you to learn and grow. Here are the top things I wish I would’ve considered before I renovated my home.
Start with the Kitchen
One of the first things I wish I would have thought about when renovating my home was to start with the kitchen, not the bedroom. Now, this may have been of personal preference, but the heart of my home is the kitchen. The kitchen is where everyone gathers for family time, creating memories, and telling stories. However, I chose to focus on renovating my bedroom first because I thought it was more important. Boy was I wrong. The reason things didn’t go as I thought they would was because we chose to renovate right after the holidays. We should’ve renovated the kitchen right after the holidays so that it would be finished in time for the hustle and bustle of summer time. Little did I realize how often we use the kitchen in the summer and not the dead of February. If I had the chance to do it over, I would have started with the kitchen so that no time would be lost in the heart of the home. I would’ve focused on the bedroom in the spring/summer time as this is my personal space, so I can take more time on it.
Budget for More Than You Think
Not that I ran out of a total cost, but I didn’t think the budget as thoroughly as I would have liked. It’s always a good idea to calculate your costs higher than you think you’ll need. This will (hopefully) allow for money to be leftover at the end so that you can have a head start for your next project. However, in my case (and probably most under-budgeted cases), we forgot to budget for potential damages from renovating. Aka a new drywall, baseboard, and floors. You never know what can happen when it comes to making some major changes, so make sure you plan ahead so that you’re safe, rather than sorry.
Plan Before You Shop
Speaking of planning ahead, another good tip I have from my experience is to plan out your renovation project before you go shopping. I know it’s tough being at Ikea, Homegoods, and Home Depot and just imagining all the great thing you’ll have to add to your home, but in my experience, you’re just going to end up with a whole bunch of “stuff”. And if you’re terrible at saving receipts, you won’t be able to return these things, and instead go out and buy more. The last thing that you want to happen in your home is clutter all over the place.
Accept Change and Failure
Another thing that I always advise on is that you have to be able and willing to accept both, change and failure. For one, it’s going to be very hard knocking down things to move them around in your home. Whether it’s a wall, a toilet, or a door, in the beginning you’re going to think “What have I done?” but I promise you, this is normal. Eventually, things are going to come together and work out. That’s the point of renovating. However, it’s also important to accept failure. Yes, things will break that you didn’t expect would, such as walls, floors, even doors. However, the worst thing that will happen is that you get to use your creative mind to fix it and create something new. It is all part of the process.