Surviving a Home Remodel: Tips for Keeping Your Sanity Intact

Here is the good news…we survived, and you can too.

I learned a lot during this process, and here is what I would tell my best friend if she were about to dive into a similar situation.

1. HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

I’m putting this first because it’s easily the most important. Heading into your project with the right mindset will have a bigger impact on your experience than anything else on this list.

Often, it’s unmet expectations that are a source of unhappiness and frustration. And by often, I mean every single damn time. You may have hopes of finding contractors that will communicate beautifully, care about your house as much as you do, and work quickly, all while searching high and low for ways to save you money at every turn. While that’s certainly nice to think about, it’s not reality… and if you expect all that to happen, you are going to hate your life.

The key to living through a remodel is setting realistic expectations. But….what do realistic expectations even look like?

I’m going to make this really easy for you. Meet the Triangle of Construction.

As you can see, this triangle has three points, all labeled with a different construction goal – quality work, budget, and timeline. Ideally, your project would be done at a high quality, finished quickly, and completed on budget – aka, good, fast, cheap. However, that isn’t real life and you cannot have all three of those things. You get to choose two.

This means –

• If you want your project to be done quickly and on budget, you cannot expect it to be great quality.
• If you want your project to be great quality and finished on time, then you cannot expect it to be on budget.
• If you want your project to be on budget and great quality, then you cannot expect it to be done quickly.

So, in order for you to go into your construction project with realistic expectations, choose the two that are the most important to you, and refer back to your decision when problems arise.

Because problems will arise.

And when that happens, you will have to decide if you want that problem to be resolved by upping the budget, extending the amount of time the project takes, or forgoing the end result you had hoped for.

This doesn’t mean you have to accept terrible work or fork over your retirement account, but you need to know that you will have to give up something with every decision you make.

Click the play button below for this tip in video form –

2. PREPARE FOR YOUR HOME TO BE DUSTY AND DIRTY

Remodeling is a messy business; there’s no getting around it. The whole process will create a ton of mess, but the drywall dust is the worst. It coats everything in your home, like a mini volcano erupted right in your living room. You can try to put plastic over doorways and furniture, but the dust will find a way.

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Before the renovation/addition begins, box up anything small that will be hard to clean (knickknacks and whatnot), roll up rugs, and put plastic over hard-to-clean furniture. You don’t need to empty your house (you still need to live there!), but just look around and make a conscious decision about what is worth packing away and what isn’t.

My best advice is to NOT constantly clean. It’s HARD not to clean. I was itching to scrub everything because the dust and grime were driving me crazy. I would sweep and mop, and 14 minutes later, it would be gross again. It’s simply not worth the time and effort. Clean the things that keep your house sanitary, and know that the rest will get cleaned eventually (and it will feel AMAZING!)

3. PREPARE FOR NONSTOP NOISE

Adding onto/remodeling a home means many months of constant banging, yelling, power tools, blaring music that you didn’t pick, and so many tractors. It starts at about 7 a.m. and lasts through the evening. (Every remodel is different of course, but this is my experience.)

Once again, this comes down to expectations. Don’t expect things to be quiet. You need to prepare for noise 100% of the time, and any quiet days or moments you get are a bonus.

If that doesn’t sound doable, you can set quiet hours or days. Tell your contractor that you don’t want anyone to work on Sundays or after 5 p.m, for example, but just know that this will slow down progress. The total number of noisy days will be the same; they will just be more spread out.

4. FIND A PLACE OF SOLITUDE

There will be chaos all around you. Chances are, though, there will be a spot in your house where you can close the door and regain your sanity. Find this place before work begins and set it up for success. This may be you working from home on a makeshift desk in your closet, snuggled up against that sparkly dress you bought but never wore….but at least it’s quiet, no one is watching you, and there isn’t dust on your keyboard.

Set up as many safe zones as you can, so that each member of the family can have a place of relative calm. Somewhere that is off the to-do list, even if its just a bathroom.

5. PLAN AHEAD, BUT STAY FLEXIBLE

You are going to be making a ton of decisions, don’t save them till the last minute. Choose everything you want for your home (tile, flooring, lighting, paint colors, etc.) ahead of time, making sure you are staying on budget. This will keep things running smoothly, and keep you from last minute stressed out decision fatigue.

At the same time, you need to stay flexible. Perhaps the tile you love is backordered for three months, or the chandelier you chose is now out of stock. I guarantee this will happen at some point. Use your previous selection as a guide and find something else. I promise that when all is said and done, you won’t even remember what your original selection looked like.

5. COMMUNICATE CLEARLY

I feel like I have a unique perspective on this, not only because I just finished a huge home remodel, but also because my husband is a homebuilder. His clients communication styles are all over the map, and I can tell you exactly what your contractor wants from you.

• Put important communication in writing, specifically email. This keeps everything in one place, searchable, and verifiable.
• Limit your emails to one topic each, and title them as such. For example, don’t write a long email titled “Choices” and talk about paint colors, lighting selections, and window dimensions. Instead, make that three separate emails, and write that exact topic in the subject line.
• Communicating clearly means limited communication. Your contractor doesn’t need to hear your inner monologue about how you can’t choose between beige or greige for your wall color, or how your mother in law thinks gold is the best fixture color but you are leaning towards black. I’m not saying you and your contractor need to be fact-sharing robot strangers, but be conscious that over communication can lead to confusion, mistakes, and lots of wasted time.
• At the same time, don’t be afraid to ask if you have a question or concern. Remember, you and your contractor have the same end goal – for you to be happy with the end result and the process. So if something is important to you, tell them. Just make sure to be direct and kind.

6. SET UP A TEMPORARY KITCHEN

If your remodel includes your kitchen, then you are in for an extra dose of fun. I’ve lived in kitchen remodels twice, and it

Pick a spot in your home that’s out of the construction zone, like a corner of the living room, dining room, or even the garage. Then, gather the essentials: a mini fridge, microwave, toaster oven, and maybe even a hot plate or slow cooker. Stock the area with basics like utensils, paper plates, a cutting board, and a few pans. You will also want to think about where you are getting water from/doing dishes. Will you use a water jug and a plastic container, or set up a wash station with the hose in the backyard? I can’t tell you the right answer, but you need to come up with something and set it up ahead of time.

Also, keep meals simple— you can absolutely feed your family sandwiches for dinner.

7. CREATE A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT

You wouldn’t want to work for a grumpy, demanding, impossible-to-please boss and neither do your contractors. You are responsible for setting the tone of your remodel, and the energy you bring to your home remodel can either make or break the experience—not just for you but for everyone involved.

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Living in a remodel is stressful, but approaching it with kindness and patience can make a world of difference. A simple “thank you” or compliment on a job well done goes a long way and makes people feel appreciated, which usually leads to better work. Remember a time when someone treated you terribly and you secretly wanted to slash their tires? Now imagine people feeling that way while remodeling your kitchen. So, instead of placing blame or getting overly emotional when a problem arises, focus on finding a solution.

8. REMEMBER THAT PERFECTION ISN’T A REAL THING

When you are in the middle of a remodel, everything feels like a big deal. Every imperfection feels like it will bother you forever. How will you ever NOT notice that mistake?! I’m here to tell you that you will absolutely not be losing sleep over that flaw after your remodel is over and normal life resumes.

The truth is, no project will turn out exactly as you envisioned. Maybe that backsplash tile doesn’t align perfectly, or the trim isn’t exactly the shade you wanted, or that light fixture in two inches off center. That’s okay. Embrace these quirks as part of your home’s story. They add character and remind you of the journey you went through to create your space.

Keep your eye on the prize and remember why you started this remodel in the first place. If the overall outcome meets your needs and brings you joy, then minor imperfections are just that—minor.

So there you have it, my top 8 tips for surviving a home remodel. I can tell you from experience that the most challenging part is living in the project…especially when the project is everywhere. But before you know it, you’ll be enjoying your beautiful new space, and the dust, noise, and stress will be a distant memory.