The Emotional Cycle of a Home Renovation

If you have ever tackled a big project on your own (or even with a construction crew!) this renovation cycle might seem familiar. I want to share this cycle with you because it is something I didn’t understand when we started some of our big projects.

Renovating is a cycle. The first stage is the planning stage. There is so much excitement of the new project, finding inspiration, planning out what you want it all to look like. All good things. The second stage is demolition. This has never been a short stage for us. It gets discouraging because it is SO dirty and seems to drag on forever. The more you work the worse the space looks! “Should we even have started this project? We are in over our heads!” We doubt our original vision. Third stage, we start putting things back together and overcome those doubts. Things start looking like a room again! Fourth stage, the best part, the finishing touches. This stage comes together so quickly because we are feeling extremely motivated again and cannot wait to see the project finished.

If you are in that dispair stage, it is normal. Keep at it! Things will get better if you do not give up. We have reached this point multiple times.

When we first started renovations on our 1916 home we found asbestos insulation, asbestos vinyl flooring, lead paint, lead dust. We were freaked out. I was pregnant with our 3rd and we had 2 children living in this house as we tried to renovate one room at a time. This was a tough point but we got through it by relying on that feeling that we had from God. That his was our home. This was a good choice for our family. We clung to that faith and it got better. Our family ended up moving in with my inlaws for 4 months while we finished the house.

This dispair stage is our current reality. Our bedroom and master bathroom renovation is well underway and when we removed the 7 foot ceilings we realized just how complicated it was going to be to raise them. We came to a stand still. So we have talked to structural engineers, and a couple general contractors and things are slowly coming together. We now feel confident in raising our ceilings and as it turns out, our roof will be stronger as a result (is that a life analogy I just threw in there??). But it is SUCH a hard stage.

So do not give up. It is a normal part of the renovation process to feel this way. It will get better. Dig in and get to work especially when it is hard.

If you have felt this way during a project, or are currently feeling this way, let me know about it in the comments! Let’s encourage each other. We got this.

Megan

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